Many years, ago an anonymous author had wrote many pages filled with his recollections of the Clinton Roque Court Club. It is believed that Omer Spitzer was the man who recorded his memories so that others would know the history behind this Clinton landmark. The Roque Court was many things in one - social club, and athletic club, an indication of status, a place to network, to entertain and be entertained. The Clinton Roque Club has an interesting link to our town's railroad history. Many of the club members were railroad emplyees. These men used their railroad connections, skills, equipment and even cast off materials to build the clubhouse, courts and provide amentities. The railroad men managed to procure an old caboose for the club house and move it, by rail to the court. Carl B Bowers a brakeman of the ICRR and president of the Clinton Roque club lost his life during the construction of the site. Just as Clinton was once the hub of the ICRR north-south line of operations, the Clinton Roque Court would become the hub of state roque tournaments.
It is great that you are restoring the old court. I lived across from it all my high school years and remember Mr. Spitzer maintaining it, although I don't remember any one playing on it much by then. An interesting side-note is that roque was an American basterdized version of English croquet that came into popularity in the early 1900's but didn't catch on in the rest of the world or last for long. The main difference is the surface (rolled sand) and the permanent boundary which is used for bank shots and the like.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment Bobbye. We we're hoping to have the restoration finished by the Apple and Pork Festival in September. Clinton had so much spring rain it probably wont happen. Wouldnt it be great to reenact a roque game during the festival!!!
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