Figure 1.--Most of the boys of the Westmoreland Athletic Club in 1918-19 were in their early or middle teens. They wear suits with ties, many single-breasted and some with Norfolk styling. The great majority wear above-the-knee knicker suits with long black stockings.

Sports by the turn of the 20th century had become a major interest for American children. The dominant sport was baseball. For the most part organized sport was for wealthy children whose parents might help them form athletic clubs. One example here is Westmoreland Athletic Club. The wealthy elite families of St. Louis, a large Mid-Western city, in the early decades of the 20th century lived in the West End. he families on these exclusive streets and a few neighboring streets as well created several exclusive clubs for its resident sons. The boys formed a stamp club, an athletic club, a debating club, and a gun club. Here we see a photograph of the newly established Westmoreland Athletic Club, organized by the exclusive boys of Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. Most of the boys are in their early or middle teens. They wear suits with ties, many single-breasted and some with Norfolk styling. The great majority wear above-the-knee knicker suits with long black stockings. At least one boy wears his knickers buckled below the knee.

Background

Sports by the turn of the 20th century had become a major interest for American children. The dominant sport was baseball. Kids not only played baseball more than any other sport, but they followed the exploits of their favorite baseball stars. Toward the end of this period, pehaps the greatest sports star of all time, Babe Ruth, appeared on the national scene. Some atheletes disappointed, one of the most famous quotes in sports history ocuured--"Say it ain't so Joe." A disappointed boy asked the disgraced White Soxs star--Shoeless Joe Jackson. For most American boys, sports was an informal activity played in a field or vacant lot. Only in highschool were formal teams formed with uniforms--but thi was only for the best atheletes. Stick ball was a substitute for baseball in the restructed big city streets. Some efforts to provide organized sport were being made. The YMCA was becoming increasingly important. But for the most part organized sport was for wealthy children whose parents might help them form athletic clubs. One example here is Westmoreland Athletic Club.

St Louis Wealthy Elite

The wealthy elite families of St. Louis, a large Mid-Western city, in the early decades of the 20th century lived in the West End. The most exclusive area within this area were two private streets called "places" on which grand mansions had been built--Westmoreland Place and Portland Place. According to one commentator, Iseult Kuyk in 1919, "St. Louis is a closed corporation. Less than twenty men run it." Many of the movers and shakers of the city lived in the neighborhood.

Exclusive Clubs

The families on these exclusive streets and a few neighboring streets as well created several exclusive clubs for its resident sons. The boys formed a stamp club, an athletic club, a debating club, and a gun club. Here we see a photograph of the newly established Westmoreland Athletic Club, organized by the exclusive boys of Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The club met first on March 9, 1916. Its charter members were Arthur Gale, Oscar and Lee Johnson of Portland Place, Charles and Tom Pettus of Westmoreland Place, and Richard Simmons. Admission was tightly guarded. The boys held track meets, tennis matches, and other events, and gave banquets at their various homes since there was no established club house. Invitations to these events were greatly prized and admission to the club a mark of high social elevation in St. Louis. The boys paid 25c dues per month. That doesn't sound like much today, but it was no small sum for a boy in 1918.

Clothing

Most of the boys are in their early or middle teens. They wear suits with ties, many single-breasted and some with Norfolk styling. The great majority wear above-the-knee knicker suits with long black stockings. At least one boy wears his knickers buckled below the knee. A couple of the youngest boys sitting in the front row of the photograph wear open-collered white shirts, a slightly more youthful style. These boys seem to be about 10 or 11. Two of the older boys on the right, perhaps 17 or 18, wear grown-up clothes--fashionable suits with long trousers. One of these is Arthur Gale, one of the founders of the club,

Sources

An interesting book about the exclusive society of Westmoreland and Portland Places in St. Louis with beautiful photographs of the interiors of the mansions is: "Westmoreland and Portland Places: The History and Architecture of America's Private Streets, 1888-1988" by Julius K. Hunter (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1988).

Created: July 25, 2003
Last updated: July 25, 2003