The club was organized in the year 1909 at Carley's Ice Cream Parlor.  It was moved to Wentworth Hardware Store and later to Route 2 near the Pillmans.  A short time later the club moved to Camp Stevens on Route 2.

 

On January 8th, 1939, at a regular business meeting (attended by 23 members) the membership voted to purchase the Bagdon properties at Sandy Pond known as the Levi W. Phelps Estate.  It consisted of 23 acres and a cottage building.  At this meeting, the membership also voted to incorporate under the name of the Ayer Gun & Sportsmen's Club and to hold regular business meetings on the first Thursday of each month.

On January 19, 1939 Erastus B. Lewis, Robert Wood, Levi P. Moore, Ernest L. Downing, Earl R. Pillman, Frank E. Sanders, William A. Downing, and Lynn C. Sprague filed the Article of Incorporation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the Ayer Gun & Sportsmen's Club.

 

The Purpose of the Corporation: To furnish a common meeting ground for lovers of gun and rod, to stimulate an interest in woodcraft, to aid and encourage all movements tending to preserve, the natural resources of the locality, its game and its forests and streams, and to do all things incidental thereto and all other things lawful under General Laws, chapter 180.

 

On February 2, 1939, the club moved to the Ayer Town Hall until March 2, 1939 with Erastus Lewis as President.  From the Town Hall, the club moved to Barry's Restaurant.  There are no records from this date until Gerard Gingrass, President, called a special meeting on September 16, 1948.  During this period, the cottage was torn down and a new building was erected.

History

Ayer Gun & Sportsmen's Club