This IS Cranford New Jersey's most historic landmark. Make sure it gets the recognition it deserves by adding your name to tell local officials that you want the "Venice of New Jersey" to register the Cranford Canoe Club on the state and national registries of historic places.

The Cranford Canoe Club is one of the oldest canoe clubs in the United States and a community landmark known as part of Cranford’s identity for over a century. The current canoe club, while not the first, is the Rahway River’s last surviving canoe club.

In the late 19th century Cranford saw the formation of many informal boating/hockey clubs. The Cranford Canoe Club had its origins in the “Shanty Gang” which held meetings in A. Clark’s red “Lobster Shanty” canoe livery at the intersection of Normandie Place and Riverside Drive.  In 1904 or 1906 the Shanty Gang renamed themselves the Skeeter Club then in 1908 formalized as the Cranford Canoe Club. After serving as a club, the facility was run as a private business first by George Apgar until 1972, then by the Betz family alongside the Canoe Club Workers of America (CCWA) until 1990 when the facility was sold to the Township of Cranford.

By signing this petition, you will be helping to say you regard the Canoe Club as historic and it deserves preparing the history, research, and funding to support a nomination first to the New Jersey Historic Registry. Once approved, it then can pass to the National Historic Registry. 

FYI - it will take $$$ as well (approx. $2,000) just for the paperwork :).