ICC Histories: A PDF of historical documents and photos
Founded in 1902, the Inwood Canoe Club is the oldest canoe and kayak club in Manhattan.
The Tubby Hook Ferry (left) and boathouses, 1935
1960 Olympic Canoeing Team
In its earliest days, the club was in good company. A 1913 map shows five boathouses along our stretch of the Hudson. In addition, starting in 1915 the Tubby Hook Ferry ran from the end of Dyckman Street across the river to public beachland in the Palisades.
The other boathouses eventually burned down -- as did the ICC's, twice -- and the ferry was discontinued in 1942. While the other clubs closed, the ICC rebuilt and kept paddling.
By the middle of the century, the Inwood Canoe Club was a training ground for canoe racers. Between 1956 and 1984, seven members of the ICC represented the U.S. in the Olympic Games.
In 1988, the second fire destroyed the boathouse. The ICC rebuilt and reconstituted itself as a recreational club for kayakers, canoeists and SUPers. It has continued to grow since then as a paddling club and community resource, introducing hundreds of New Yorkers to paddling in recent years.