Photo / Courtesy Downeast Salmon Federation
The Dennys River Sports Clubhouse is seen here in 1988.
Updated: July 29, 2024
In Washington County, a former sporting club is converted into picnic pavilion
Photo / Courtesy Downeast Salmon Federation
The Dennys River Sports Clubhouse was remodeled to be a picnic pavilion.
The Downeast Salmon Federation remodeled a vintage sports clubhouse in Dennysville into a picnic pavilion and will host a ribbon-cutting and open house scheduled for Aug. 8 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The federation’s goal of the project was to continue the tradition of providing a community gathering place at what is now a preserve in the Washington County town.
The Dennys River Sports Club dated back to 1936, when the Dennys River was known as “the outstanding fly-fishing Atlantic salmon river of the nation'' and the club acquired 750 members from all over the country its first year, according to the federation’s website.
The club was unique compared to others in Maine, in that they allowed any fisherman, whether a member or not, to fish on club property.
In the 1950s, club members built the clubhouse themselves and constructed a large stone fireplace in 1965.
Over the decades, salmon numbers declined and membership dwindled. When maintaining the club was no longer feasible, and following their by-laws that the property would “never become independently owned,” the executive committee selected the federation to become the long-term steward in 2015. The Dennys River Sportsman’s Club was a founding member of the federation, along with three other local salmon clubs in 1982.
The clubhouse was saved thanks to a grant from the Ram Island Conservation Fund of the Maine Community Foundation and federation member donations. Eric Holm of Holm Inspections LLC in Lubec transformed the old log cabin clubhouse into a pavilion this past winter and spring.
The walls were compromised by rot and Holm and his assistant, Devin Byrne, saved what they could. A metal roof was installed and the walls replaced by locally donated cedar posts that support the structure with custom “knife brackets” made by Larry Balchan. The foundation’s land steward, Mike Sloan, put the finishing touches on the pavilion and installed new signage for the preserve thanks to funding by the Maine Community Foundation's Washington County Fund.
Photo / Courtesy Downeast Salmon Federation
A view of a section of water called Charlie's Rips is seen from the pavilion.
As the landowner and steward of the property, the foundation aims to keep the tradition of outdoor “sporting” alive, restore sea-run fish to the Dennys River, and sustainably manage the riparian habitat. A conservation easement was established in 1995 by club officers and is now held by Downeast Coastal Conservancy. The easement limits development of the property but allows for future construction of an Atlantic salmon hatchery.
The pavilion can be reserved for private events.
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