Washtenaw’s Original Clubhouse – 1913 Postcard

I recently acquired a vintage postcard showing the original clubhouse of Washtenaw Golf Club. The card dates to 1913, from the postmark on the back.

The clubhouse sat just off the railroad tracks that ran from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti along what is now Packard Road. The club was one of the stops for the course.

This is the clubhouse shown in the photos below.

The postcard is addressed to a Florence Thurman? of Park Street, Ypsilanti, but is signed only “a friend.”

Even as a teacher skilled in deciphering handwriting, I have difficulty deciphering the message.

Sometimes I think I ought to chid? but cannot leave Yppsi on a bet. Mich is dear to me here, don’t you think so. How I wish my beau? was back? here again. I would have a great time, bt it doesn’t seem so. Oh well, we should worry. – a friend.

If anyone can make out better what it says, I’d love to know.

The original clubhouse was replaced in 1929 by a much larger clubhouse. That clubhouse, shown below, nearly ended the club’s existence, as the subsequent stockmarket crash put the club in bankruptcy.

The story of how Washtenaw Country Club survived bankruptcy is interesting, and a story of dedication and resilience on the part of the members.

The 1929 clubhouse burned in 1987, and the current clubhouse built in its place.