HISTORY OF THE  BEAGLE & BOAT CLUB

Incorporated in 1953 by a group of friends from Buffalo, New York.

After deer hunting in Birdsall, NY at a friend’s farmhouse, it was decided to form a club and purchase an old potato farm that was for sale nearby, the Worden Farm. The original members were: Harold Keefe, Harvey Huffman, Al Hutcheson, Alex Edmond, George Davis, Norm Lamke, Don Haffner, John Carnes and Ray Hoyler (list may not be all inclusive). Harold Keefe owned two beagles and a 16’ fishing boat thus the name “Beagle & Boat Club”.

A mortgage was taken out for $2500.00 and the farm was purchased with 2 tracts of land: 31 acres and 98 acres. The Club house currently sits on 11 of the original 31 acres. Twenty acres went to George Davis and the remaining 98 acres were given to Harold Keefe and Alex Edmonds.  A barn and chicken house stood just in front of the house, and a well-house was near the current apple tree in the shooting range. In 1954 the barn was sold for its wood and the chicken house was torn down. In 1962 a new well was drilled and a hand pump installed off the front porch. In 1956 the pond was dug where it is today. It has been drained and dredged a number of times since, the latest in 2012.

In 1956 80 acres were purchased on the west side of Worden Road for the purpose of planting and selling Christmas trees for profit. After a number of years it was decided this was more work than it was worth and the trees were allowed to become deer cover in the once empty fields. Years later this 80 acres was divided into 4 equal parcels of 20 acres each and given to four of the original members. The 80 acres went to Davis, Lamke, Huffman and Carnes in that order from east to west. The Carnes property was eventually sold to a hunter (Mark) from Rochester.

George Davis built a house on his property where his son Dennis resides. Dave Lamke, son of Norm, built a house where he lives today. Dave also added a pond behind the house. Larry Huffman owns the next 20 acres which he received from his father, Harvey, and it remains untouched today and used primarily for deer hunting.

 

Current Membership (2020):

Larry H. Huffman              - son of original member Harvey Huffman

Larry V. Huffman              - son of Larry H.

Joe Huffman                      - son of Larry H.

Brian Goris                         - sponsored by Lew Gurnari (who was sponsored by Larry H.)

Tony Barberic                    - sponsored by Steve McQuillen (who was son of Dick McQuillen, who was sponsored by George Davis)

Chris Barberic                    - son of Tony

Mike Rech                         - sponsored by Lew Gurnari

Adam Bickel                      - sponsored by Joe Huffman