1 October 2026
Good news comes from Philadelphia.
In a press release The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR) in Philiadelphia shares the news that The Rowing History Project (RHP), a digital rowing museum, is being launched today.
Thousands of artifacts and stories documenting the deep history of Philadelphia’s rowing culture dating back to the 1800s are now visible and searchable on https://rowinghistoryproject.org/
The trove includes photographs, videos, trophies, banners, minute books, log books, newsletters and more, long stashed away in Philadelphia’s legendary boathouses. Illustrated stories highlight historic events and the people who made the city an internationally recognized rowing mecca.
The ambitious effort seeks not only to share the unique history of this sport with the public but also to ensure that fragile, decaying objects are not lost to time.
Today’s launch is just the beginning. The RHP seeks to become a national and possibly international rowing history hub. Already now, Olympian and historian Bill Miller’s collection, which is one of America’s most extensive private rowing collections, is viewable on the site.
What began in 2020 as an effort to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta has evolved into a much broader mission: to help ensure that rowing history—much of it tucked away in boathouses, club archives, personal collections, scrapbooks, attics and memories—is preserved and made accessible for generations to come.
“Rowing has an incredible history, but so much of it exists in places most people will never see—and in stories that may disappear if we don’t record them,” stated RHP team member Rick Stehlik. “The Rowing History Project is about finding those stories, preserving them and creating a place where the entire rowing community can experience the collective story.”
The RHP is inviting rowing clubs, schools, collectors, historians, and rowing families worldwide to join in.
For more information please contact the RHP Team at email: rowingarchives – at – hosr – dot – org
