• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Malta Boat Club

Malta Boat Club

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Club History
    • Illman Award
  • Membership
  • Memories
  • Message Us

A Philadelphia Rowing Tradition

TMalta Boathousehe Malta Boat Club was founded as the Malta Barge Club on February 22, 1860 by members of the Minnehaha Lodge of the Sons of Malta. The Club initially used a house on Smith’s Island in the Delaware River, just off Chestnut Street. There the Club kept its first boat, a six-oared barge called the “Minnehaha.”

In 1863, the club underwent reorganization and moved to the east side of the Schuylkill just above the Spring Garden Street Dam. In 1865, Malta joined the Schuylkill Navy when it purchased the clubhouse of the Excelsior Club at #9 Boathouse Row, which stood on the site of our existing boathouse.

Malta Boat Club at night

Membership

Malta’s current membership is comprised of prominent businessmen, doctors, lawyers, educators, priests and students. Former members include one of the original signers of the Schuylkill Navy Charter, a US Featherweight boxing champion, a US lightweight wrestling champion, a Congressman and Solicitor General of the United States, a Philadelphia District Attorney, Olympians and past commodores of the Schuylkill Navy.

Malta Boat Club logoColors

The club’s colors are Royal Blue and White, it’s symbol is the Maltese Cross. The leafs of the cross stand for the virtues prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude while the eight points stand for beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

  • Philadelphia Area Archives Research Portal – Malta Boat Club Records

Footer

Malta Boat Club

9 Boathouse Row
Philadelphia, PA 19130

(215) 769-9030

Login

Malta Boat Club logo

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

2010-2022 © Copyright Malta Boat Club