The Washington times., 1905-09-24
POTOMAC ARCHERS
ARE SUGGEST u
Have Won Worlds Cham.
piOnship at st. Louis.
MOST ENTHUSIASTIC SPORTS
Club Has Removed From Southeas,
Washington to Northwest
Section.
MOST ENTHUSIASTIC SPORTS

The season of the local bowmen be-
longing to the Potomac Archery Club
is closing.
The club will shoot at the Eastern
Association meeting next week, and. If
the weather permits, will hold shoot
on its local range on Thanksgiving Day.
The next meeting of the National As
ISOLATION of Archers will be held in
Boston in July, 1906.
Three OF the bowmen In the accom-
panying picture represent the Potomac
team, which won the worlds champion
ship at the st. Louis Olymp;an games
last year. These three have also won
the national championship fourteen OF
the twenty-seven times II has been
contested. Colonel williams, at the
left. has been generally considered the
best long distance archer ever produced
in America. VIII H. Thompson, stand
ing next 10 Mr.. Williams, is the brother
OF the poet-novelist, Hon Maurice
Thompson. Mr.. Thompson has thrice
since won like honors.
Enthusiastic Archer.
L. w. Maxson, at the right, is one
of the most enthusiastic archers in the
city, He is affectionately called The
his brother sportsmen- Mr.. Maxson has
splendid record of hits and is a cham
pion, always a principal figure in ma
tional shoots. and a faithful bowman at
the local shoots. Standing next to Mr..
Maxson is the Rev. z. C.. Spencer, sew
eral times 2 winner or first honors in
the Eastern Archer Association
The history of archery in the District
M is of Sfa CT
to this little known sport of ..Merrie
England" on the part of a small band
of followers of the chief archer, Robin
Hood. When archery, as a passing fad,
swept America In 1870, several men in
Washington became enthusiastic bow
men. They were not diiettantes and
under the direction of Colonel Pickett,
/ organized a club known as the Anal
| ostans, who pitched their target on An
alostan Island, and shot at rovers. In
the fall OF 1850, by The advice of Colonel
+, Pickett, Capt. w. a. Bartlett and L. w.
/ Maxson. members of the Examiner
Corps in the United States Pat
ent Office, were induced TO take
up the sport and on April IA,
1851. number of their friends
met at the home of Captain Bartlett and
organized the Potomac Archery Club.
| Members were rapidly added and the
| club moved its grounds from southeast
| Washington 10 the old Stone estate,
at the corner of Fourteenth>-and L
streets northwest
Changes Grounds.
Later it shot on the old Columbian
College campus, across Fourteenth
! street, then on the Wallach School
grounds, on Capitol Hill. In the fall OF
1856, at the invitation of Colonel Glib
son. of the Third Artillery, the club
j held its field days on the parade grounds
at the Arsenal. Through the courtesy OF
| the successive commandments at this
post, the Potomacs shot upon the river
side parade ground until 1903, when the
erection of the buildings OF the Wal
College forced them to move theil
ranges.
After a year of wandering they secur-
ed permission 10 shoot upon the lawn
opposite the National Museum and Their,
for the past two seasons their contests
have given pleasure to thousands who
: visit that section of the Mall. Practice
| is usually held there on Saturday after
! moons.
The membership of the Potomac Arch
erv Club has not been large. but owinl
10 the national reputation of several, Il
has always been a powerful force In
American archery. Five of Its mem
bers have been United States cham
pions and several others have won tro
phies at interstate contests