This 1918 letter, written by Charles M. Mitchell of The Portsmouth Golf Club, was addressed to Mr. Philo Clark of Portsmouth, Ohio. It provides a unique window into the challenges faced by social clubs during wartime. In the letter, the club acknowledges Clark’s lack of participation that season and his prompt payment of dues. However, due to an exodus of younger members who had joined the military, the club found itself in a financial pinch.
With typical candor of the era, the letter respectfully requests a small donation of about $25 to help cover operational costs for the season—a notable amount at the time. The club frames the request as essential not just for members but for “the soldier boys,” suggesting that preserving the club was seen as both a community duty and a morale booster for those serving abroad.
The letter offers an intriguing view into the social fabric of early 20th-century America, showing how even recreational spaces like golf clubs were impacted by global events. It also reflects the club’s reliance on loyal members and community bonds to sustain its operations in challenging times.
For added context, it’s worth considering the broader socioeconomic landscape of 1918. As World War I drew to a close and the 1918 influenza pandemic loomed, communities like Portsmouth, Ohio, leaned on clubs like this one for stability and camaraderie. The letter’s appeal to solidarity and support captures the resilience of the time.
Complete Transcription of the Letter:
The Portsmouth Golf Club
PORTSMOUTH, OHIO
Oct. 4, 1918.
Mr. Philo Clark,
Portsmouth, Ohio.
Dear Sir:—
We appreciate the fact that you have not played golf this season as we would like to have had you done and that you have paid your dues; but we find account of having had so many of our young members join the Army and whose dues we have not asked for that it is going to be necessary for us to ask a few of our old friends to help us out this year with a small donation. If you feel so disposed we would certainly appreciate your check for about $25.00 and if a few of our old friends will stick to us in this we can go ahead and maintain the Club, paying up everything we owe this season.
We hate to ask it from a man who has not played any more than you have but we believe that you feel as we do that it would be a waste to let the Club die and we would all miss it and then we want to retain it not only for ourselves but for the soldier boys and therefore, we hope that we may have the pleasure of receiving your check for which we beg to thank you in advance.
Yours truly,
THE PORTSMOUTH GOLF CLUB
per Chas. M. Mitchell
This preserved piece of correspondence serves as a reminder of how closely intertwined community and historical events were, even for leisure clubs, during one of the most challenging times in American history.
