Scope and Contents

Series I: McGown Personal, undated, 1934–1994

The McGown Personal Series contains the personal records and correspondence of the McGown family, chiefly George Quentin McGown Jr. during the 1940s. The majority of McGown's personal correspondence is dated from 1942 to 1946, the period during which he served in and returned home from World War II. Much of the correspondence was to and from his brother, Harry McGown. Items within this series may be connected with people from the boat club, especially from 1942 to 1946, but as they were mostly personal in nature, they were grouped with McGown’s personal series.  

Series II: Correspondence, undated, 1929–2013

The Correspondence Series contains four large categories of correspondence – club members, non-club members, George Quentin McGown and William F. Crosby and the auxiliary fleet – as well as a few other groups. The club members’ correspondence often relates to issues such as membership and the maintenance and improvements of the club. The non-club correspondence includes several letters with boat experts outside of the Fort Worth Boat Club. Several concern the construction of boats, notably in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Also common within the non-club member correspondence are letters with members of other clubs and from other organizations such as the Texas Yachting Association, notably in the 1960s and 1970s. Some correspondence with Hub Isaacks may be in non-club folders. George Q. McGown Jr. corresponded often with New York City resident William F. Crosby, boat designer and the longtime editor of The Rudder magazine. The auxiliary fleet’s correspondence is from a period of time during which George Q. McGown Jr. served as their leader. Some pieces of correspondence are organized within other series.

Series III: Meeting Minutes, 1958-1977

The Minutes of Meetings Series includes the records from meetings, including the Board of Governors, annual meetings, and the meeting of the harbor committee. These records are in folders and bound notebooks.

Series IV: Business Records, undated, 1915-2019

The Business Records Series contains records of the everyday dealings of the boat club, including legal and financial documents, bulletins, newspaper clippings, information about races, construction of boats, and membership. This series includes items that were donated during the Fort Worth Boat Club History Roundup held on March 2, 2019 in the Commodore's Room of the Fort Worth Boat Club.

Series V: Classes, 1935–2019  

The Classes Series contains materials related to some of the classes of boats the club specialized in, such as Longhorns, Snipes, Rhodes 19’s and Falcons. Some materials relating to classes of boats may be sorted into other folders, notably the correspondence series.

Series VI: Boat Club History, undated, 1941–2019

The Boat Club History Series contains oral histories and historical notes of the boat club, such as a 1972 round table with George Q. McGown Jr. and other founders describing the boat club’s origins.This series includes items that were donated during the Fort Worth Boat Club History Roundup held on March 2, 2019 in the Commodore's Room of the Fort Worth Boat Club.

Series VII: Ledgers, 1977-2001

The Ledgers Series consists of two ledgers: T.I.S.A. Laser Equipment Sales and Billing, from 1977, and a Skipperettes Account book of various receipts and handwritten tallies, 1994-2001.

Series VIII: World Youth Sailing Championship, 1978-1980

In September 1980, the Fort Worth Boat Club served as the host for the World Youth Sailing Championship, an annual competition of the International Youth Racing Association. The championship included young sailors from several countries. The World Youth Sailing Championship Series consists of materials related to hosting the championship, including team registration forms, newspaper articles and sponsorship.  

Series IX: Outside Clubs and Associations, undated, 1930–1985

The Fort Worth Boat Club formed relationships with many other boat clubs and associations. The Outside Clubs and Associations Series holds the documents of these clubs and organizations, such as their races, guidelines and some correspondence.

Series X: Memorabilia and Sail Samples, undated, 1968–1989

The Memorabilia and Sail Samples Series has a few artifacts, such as plaques and sail samples, sent to George Q. McGown Jr. and others as they planned the construction of their boats.

Series XI: Log Books, 1933–2011

The Log Books Series consists of the yearly report of the Fort Worth Boat Club, alternately called “year books.” These books include information such as photographs, lists of officers, and updates on activities and events. While the collection contains almost a complete set of log books, some books are missing from the 1950s and the 2000s. The series also contains two yearbooks of the North American Dinghy Association.

Series XII: Newsletters, 1934–2019

The Newsletters Series consists of the newsletters of the Fort Worth Boat Club, as well as a few newsletters from other boating organizations. The Boat Club utilized two titles for their newsletters, Breeze and Fueler (alternately spelled Breeze ‘n Fueler) and Full and By. Though the collection contains almost a complete set of newsletters from 1973 to 2019, some issues are be missing.

Series XIII: Oversized, undated, 1934-1984

The Oversized Series contains one box with a variety of documents, including financial accounts, bulletins, map overlays and magazines.

Series XIV: Photographs, undated, 1931–2019

The Photographs Series contains photographs of various sizes, as well as negatives, slides and transparencies, related to the boat club. These photographs focus on boating, activities on the grounds and at the club house, pictures of the Fort Worth Boat Club property, and the activities of the Skipperettes. Some are digital images only. These items were scanned during the Fort Worth Boat Club History Roundup held on March 2, 2019 in the Commodore's Room of the Fort Worth Boat Club. View the Fort Worth Boat Club McGown Family image gallery of photographs.

Series XV: Scrapbooks, undated, 1938-2007

The Scrapbook Series consists of twelve scrapbooks, containing newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, letters and news releases. Five of the scrapbooks are digital copies only and were scanned as part of the Fort Worth Boat Club History Roundup event held on March 2, 2019. Some of the Boat Club scrapbooks have been digitized by Tarrant County, and are available under the Fort Worth Boat Club McGown Family Scrapbooks page of the archives website.

Series XVI: Maps and Boat Schematics, undated, 1933-1978

The Maps and Boat Schematics series contain maps of the boat club and Eagle Mountain Lake, as well as boat design drawings.