CityView Magazine

48 June 2022 W hen I was a student at Central Elementary School on Burgess Street near Cross Creek, I oen marveled at the partially sunken boathouses that were on Cross Creek about halfway between Goodwin's bridge, at the junction of Maiden Lane and Union Street, and the dam on Green Street. At that time, I had no idea I was looking at the remains of the small boathouses once used by members of the Cyclone Boating Club in the 1920s. I also fondly remember when there were races from the bridge to the McNeill Milling Co. dam on Green Street. Young men used metal washtubs as boats. e city of Fayetteville sponsored these races on July 4th every year, and the winner received a prize. I also remember when a greased pole was erected on the Green Street side of the Market House so young boys could attempt to climb it as members of the Fire Department sprayed water on them to prevent them from reaching the top. e boys who succeeded in climbing the pole were given a watermelon. During the early 1900s, Fayetteville residents enjoyed boating on Eccles Pond, which was located on the present site of Eccles Park, that ran from Anderson Street to the McNeill Milling Co. on Green Street. Members of the Cyclone Boating Club, whose headquarters was in the new LaFayette Hotel building on Hay Street, put up many small boathouses along Cross Creek near Eccles Pond. It was not unusual to see members of the club, dressed in their finest clothes, paddling up and down Eccles Pond on a Sunday aernoon. When the pond was frozen during the winter of 1927, someone made a lovely picture of the Cyclone Boating Club boathouses as seen from the Green Street bridge. FAYETTEVILLE HISTORY Fayetteville's Cyclone Boating Club BY WEEKS PARKER We hope you enjoy this recurring feature by history buff Weeks Parker, who owns an impressive collection of local memorabilia and photos that he has agreed to share with CityView readers. A former Presbyterian Ju- nior College band director, Parker is the author of 12 books on a variety of subjects, including "Fayetteville, North Carolina: A Pictorial History." During the early 1900s, Fayetteville residents enjoyed boating on Eccles Pond. Left, this photo of the McNeill dam covered in snow was taken from the Green Street bridge in 1927. The Cyclone Boating Club put up many small boathouses along Cross Creek in the 1920s.

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