Our Club History . . .
Years of sincere and dedicated work by hundred of active sportsmen has brought the interests of members and of non-members into an organized effort to accomplish the goals that have been set before them. Research of available records along with scattered bits of information as recalled by our long time members, indicates how diversified the activities and projects have been.
Since 1935
Word has it that the formation of the Greenville Sportsmen Club is an outgrowth of several avid fishermen and hunters sitting around the pot-bellied wood stove in Todd Camp’s garage where they shared their fabulous tales. Some of our old timers agree that the official and registered name of our club, ‘Greenville Camp, Mercer County Sportsmen’s Association’ was so named in honor of Todd L. Camp.
A printed, but not dated, document indicates that an organizational meeting of the new sportsmen club was held some time in the early 30’s at Stull’s Barbecue on the Conneaut Lake Road. Todd Camp was elected as the President; Harold McClurg, secretary; Paul Hawes, Treasurer and naming the Farmers and Merchants Trust Company as the depository. Other charter members included: Arnold Stull, Baird Gibson, John Christman, John Mutter, John Froman, Dr. Frank Jones, Quentin Burnett, Tod Rissell, George Campbell, Ralph Hamor, Charley Stone, Wm. McNary. Greenville Camp, Mercer County Sportsmen’s Association was then chartered and registered in the Mercer County Courthouse on the first day of July, 1935.
Early in 1936 with John Christman as president, the club was affiliated with the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Council Division F. At that time the Pennsylvania Federation was less than four years old having been organized in 1932. Division F is now known as the Northwest Division and comprises eight counties of Northwestern Pennsylvania.
The Greenville Club rapidly became an active part of the Federation and in 1938 Ford E. Smith, Jr., became president of the Mercer County Council. At that time there were but four active clubs in the county, Western Reserve Fish and Game Protective Association, Grove City Sportsmen’s Club, Mercer Rod and gun Club and the Greenville Camp, Mercer County Sportsmen’s Association.
Greenville was actively involved in the Federation throughout its 50 years having many of its members serving offices of the county, division and state organizations, Ford Smith, John Froman and Joe Altman are past presidents of the County Federation. Jack Schaaf is a past president of the Northwest Division served on the State Federation Board of Directors and is currently Mercer County’s State Delegate.
For many years the annual membership dues of the club stayed at $ .05 and the membership total reached 2,000 during the 1940’s. Meeting places moved from place to place for many years prior to the building of the clubhouse in 1957. Meetings were held at Stulls Barbeque, Pythian Sisters Hall, Eagles Club, Elks Club, Recreation Center and other community rooms.
Whereabouts of the original charter as well as minutes of many years are not known but are believed to have been either lost or discarded. However, records that are available and recollection of memories prove the diverse and active participation of the club throughout its history. In addition to providing a place and means for sportsmen to exchange stories, shoot in their rifles, and practice with bow or shoot skeet and trap, the club has been constructive in providing for the future of the outdoorsman as well as developing programs for the benefits of today’s needs.
The Greenville Sportsmen Club has participated in many youth and adult educational programs, game habitat improvements, conservation of our natural resources and in numerous activities which have aided in the quality of life in the communities which it serves. Some better known programs and activities will include, bird raising and stocking, seedlings planting, trout stocking, Jr. conservation education camp, Jr. rifle club, hunter and trapper education courses. Family entertainment and education was provided with sponsorship of the once famous Wally Taber Show which the club sponsored for more than 15 consecutive years.
The club has three of its Past Presidents, Joe Altman, Carl Rhoades and Jack Schaaf, who are recipients of the coveted ‘Seth L. Myers Conservation Award’. Presented for ‘Outstanding and Dedicated Service in the Field of Conservation’, it is the highest conservation award given by the Mercer County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.
When anyone mentioned ‘Fish Fry’ anywhere in the Greenville area, the famous annual Greenville Sportsmen Club fish fry came to mind and still does to many. The first fish fry with the public to be invited was held at Camp Perry in 1954 and featured Ken Beagle from Remington-Peters with his exhibition of trick and fancy shooting. The clubhouse wall still proudly displays a piece of sheet aluminum on which is drawn by rapid fire shooting by Mr. Beagle, an Indian Head complete with head dress and facial features. Two years later the fish fry was moved to Riverside Park and then in 1959 to the new clubhouse on the Vernon Road.
For most of its years the fish fry was under the direction of John Froman and in its last years under the guidance of Charley Eich. The club decided in the mid 70’s to discontinue the annual event when Lake Erie Perch became so very scarce and other fish would not meet the quality for which the club had attained its high reputation. The largest fish fry attendance ever recorded came in 1969 when the count reached an overwhelming 900 people. Fellow sportsmen and friends paid honor to John Froman at the 1965 fish fry by declaring September 15, 1965 as John Froman day. That special day included a field day with many activities and exhibitions going on throughout the day drawing more than 700 sportsmen and their families to the club grounds.
In 1956, 18 acres of club grounds were leased and under the driving spirit of Paul Rissell, the plot was purchased from Clarence and Hazle Moore in 1957 for $1,500.00. This land was purchased with the plan for a shooting range to be developed. An adjoining 17 acres was purchased in 1959 for an additional $1,500.00 giving the club 1,500 foot frontage on route 358 and a place to build their own long awaited club house.
Inspired by President Paul Redfoot, the members were determined to build their own clubhouse and agreed to borrow $12,000.00 which would pay off any balance owed on the property purchase plus enough to build the desired building. No one knows how much was given in time, talent and money by members of the club to build the building and equip it with heat and a kitchen. Certificates of indebtedness ranging from $5.00 to $1,000.00 were purchased by members and friends. The clubhouse was completed and ready for use in 1959. More work in grading, parking lot and finishing touches were made in following years.
In 1966 all certificates of Indebtedness were recalled with the majority being returned as a donation. One year later the club was financially sound and totally free of debt. The Greenville Sportsmen Club now owned 35 acres of land free and clear, had a club house and was leasing land to the new Greenville Skeet Club on a royalty plan.
The Greenville Skeet Club moved to the Greenville Sportsmen Club grounds in 1963 bringing from Riverside Park their small club house. Donations were again the key to a successful beginning and this avid group was well on its way. Two skeet fields were in operation with the most desirable shooting background to be found anywhere in this area. The first registered shoot was held on July 4, 1964 with 37 shooters in attendance. With an outlook to the future, the skeet club obtained a ten year lease of an adjoining 17.6 acres with an option to buy for $2,500.00
The skeet club found the ownership of the skeet club to be more demanding of their time than their small group could afford and subsequently sold on May 3, 1968, for the sum of $2,400.00, their entire inventory to the Greenville Sportsmen Club.
The additional use of the grounds prompted the club to drill a new water well down on the rifle range and install a line to the main club house and an extension to the skeet house. As had been the situation in all other ventures of the club, much time and talent were again donated. The most memorable of those is that of Mickey Klenovich digging the lines and then finish grading along the steep hillside where his dozer leaned and slid downward as he worked – his skills thrilling the on looking fellow members.
In 1971 the Club exercised the option to buy the 17.6 leased acres to the east bringing the total acreage owned by the club to 53 acres. More recently a third skeet field and trap field have been constructed to accommodate the increased interest in shooting at the Greenville grounds. Drawing from a large section of Eastern Ohio and Western Pa, the skeet club continues to grow providing the supplemental income that keeps the Greenville Sportsmen Club active and solvent.