Timber Farms

Canoe Club Road

A Sportsman’s Club, History Near Us.

A little bit of how life used to be is still evident just outside of our development.  The name of the road is an easy giveaway; Canoe Club Road.  To examine it now you see a well travelled dirt road that disappears under the heavy growth of tree branches and the sign posted “private lane, no trespassing” only enlightens the sense of curiosity.

In 1904 the Delaware Canoe Club was formed.  Their club house and boat yard was in Newport.  The exact location on the river, I cannot determine.  The club’s popularity and weekend trips along the river often ended in Buford Lake.  I found reference to Buford Lake as being more commonly known as Smalley’s Pond, dated in 1901.

The plot of land bought by the club was a 10 acre farm on the west side of Smalley’s Pond and the road that was etched into the land started on Old Baltimore Pike and travelled through the back section of what is now Barrett’s Run and connected with another small piece of Canoe Club Road, still there, off of Blue Ridge Blvd behind Christiana Green.

At an eventual point there was a boat house on the edge of Smalley’s pond.  This site was an extension of the Delaware Canoe Club and acted as their site for events.  Events always involved canoeing from Newport to Smalley’s Pond, camping in tents overnight and holding events as tilting, racing and sinking competitions and trap shooting.  It always ended in a large campfire program that included their spouses and women guests.  It seems their biggest events where held on Labor Day with weekend long events on the site. Halloween they canoed at night with a jack o lantern aboard.  Their were also barn dances, stag parties and longer out of state trips.One mention was made of canoeing to the hotel at Christina and enjoying a chicken dinner. I found references o events dating from 1908 until 1928.

In its peak they had 65 men members and as many as 50 canoes participating on weekend events.  They were members of the Associated Canoe Clubs of the Delaware (River).  In 1912 the association had 15 clubs attending a dinner in Trenton celebrating a great year for regattas.  The men participated in longer events as canoeing through the Delaware water gap and camping over the several days.   

Eventually, their weekend camping trips at Smalley’s Pond site had as many as 40 tents ready for guests, as in 1921.  Finally, the Captain (club president) and his wife built a cottage. Other long term members and officers followed.  It was a trend at the time, much like the summer cottages that sprung up in Arden.  The handful of homes that are there today date back to the 1940s.  The plot of land was broken up when Louis Capano bought part of it to build Barrett’s Run.  The remaining land was and still is zoned under its old original private club laws even though the homes have changed ownership.

By Vanessa Manges-Spence

Timber Wood Blvd