(reprinted with permission from the Community Life News, March 1992)

The Straitsville Social and Athletic Club burned to the ground on January 21, 1992. In its memory we reprint the following excerpt from the 1907 Photographic & Industrial History of New Straitsville, Ohio published by the Ohio Advertising Company . The text of the 32 page history is written by R. M. Gibson, a New Straitsville native who apparently was the owner and founder of Ohio Advertising whose community and civic pride saved the following proud description of the Social and Athletic Club for his closing pagewhich concluded with an eloquent promotion of the strengths of community life.

The idea embodied in the organization known as the Straitsville Social and Athletic Club has been in the mind of Mr. E. S. Martin for may years, but it was not until October 22, 1904, that he was able to start it on fulfillment. On that date he called a meeting of citizens and laid before them his ideas and plans in this connection, requesting their co-operation and assistance. The idea met with an enthusiastic reception, and assistance and co-operation was pledged.

A committee of ten prominent citizens was appointed to work out the details. This committee visited Lancaster and inspected the fine club building of the Lancaster Athletic Club, and gained much information there pertaining to the general subject. They later formulated the Constitution and By-Laws for the New Straitsville Club and had it incorporated under the laws of Ohio, giving it the name of The Straitsville Social and Athletic Club. Its articles of Incorporation bear the date of November 5th, 1904.

This committee also worked out the financial plan under which the necessary funds were to be raised which provided for the issue of $10,000 of bonds&emdash;seven thousand of them being first mortgage, two thousand second mortgage and one thousand third mortgage.

On concluding its labors the committee made its report at a meeting called and the club was formed, which consisted, at first, and for some months, of only twenty-eight members, who cheerfully paid their dues without getting any return for them until the Club building was erected. The first election resulted in the selection of the following officers: President, E. S. Martin; Vice President, W. H. Bayley; Secretary, C. H. Buck; Treasurer, A. E. Faine; House Committee, E. A. Cox, G. W. Leyshon, W. T. Sprankle, Thos. Taylor.

Messrs. Richards, McCarty & Bufford, Architects of Columbus, were employed to furnish plans for the Club building, and after two unsuccessful attempts to let contracts for its erection the contract was awarded to Messrs. Showers & May, of Crooksville, for the sum of $7,000.00. These gentlemen proceeded promptly towards its erection, but were much delayed in its completion by non-arrival of necessary lumber, and it was not until September 1, 1905, that they had their contract completed and turned the building over.

On September 14th, 1905, the building was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies after a day and evening of much enjoyed celebration and general rejoicing. It stands in a prominent place in the business center of the town, and is a handsome three story structure 100 feet long and 38 feet wide. It contains a very fine gymnasium, about 50 ft. by 38 ft., and with a height of ceiling of about 30 feet. It is equipped with a complete gymnasium outfit covering all the articles found in any modern and up to date gymnasium, and has a fine set of shower baths in connection. Also a fine locker room is fitted up with the latest and best steel lockers for members' use and a very fine pair of bowling alleys, and billiard and pool room, containing three fine new pool tables and one billiard table are contained within. A handsome reading room, which is kept supplied with the daily papers and the best magazines, and a very comfortable lounge and music room, which contains the piano and musical instruments of members. Also a large "game room," containing a complete assortment of the most interesting games and the necessary furniture for their comfortable use. Also a handsome "lady's room"&emdash;with toilet room connected&emdash;for lady members for the Club has about forty lady members.

The building is heated by hot air furnaces, and has its own perfect water system.

After the completion and opening of the Club building there was a large gain in membership&emdash;which at one time reached 285&emdash;but the "Suspension" of 1906 resulted naturally in a considerable loss, which has not, up to the present date, been entirely regained.

The Club is really the center of social activity in the village, and many and various entertainments&emdash;to suit the different ideas and tastes of different members&emdash;have been successfully given by it. There has been socials, balls, card parties, pool contests, bowling alley tournaments and fairs, and at the moment of writing this the Ladies Reading Circle is being held.

The actual cost of the building and its outfit is over $12,000, and New Straitsville is the only town of its size in Ohio-and indeed in the United States as far as can be learned-which can boast of its like.

The future appears bright with promise for New Straitsville and her people. Her natural resources are boundless; her industrial enterprises are but in their infancy; with inexhaustible beds of the finest clay in her hills and fuel enough to supply factories for years to come, her prosperity lies in the broadest development of her latent resources. Every project for increasing the number of industrial establishments employing labor but adds to her prosperity.

No town has room for the knocker; but rather, every community should bestow unstinted praise upon the individual or group of individuals who strive unselfishly to assist home progress, and lend them every assistance.

We are just a great family of men and women living in the same neighborhood, and forming a community of souls intended by the Almighty to live an amiable, unselfish life, ready to assist one another in time of need and sorrow and to vie with each other in promoting the welfare of our municipality in its upward progress through all time to come.

Patronize home business men, uphold your institutions, be proud of your homes, boon your town and everything worthy of mention in it, and prosperity will be yours.