As a kid growing up there was a steady barrage of information regarding taverns and saloons. My impression was that taverns were places of drinking, gambling and promiscuous women. Taverns were not at the high end of the business community. Maybe it was the impression left by comboy movies of the day. Saloons were the place that the bad guys always hung out. So growing up there was this sense of disapproval of taverns by the community.
Then I open up all of the memoriabilia that Myrna kept of the City Club and I get a different impression. The City Club seemed to be a very popular place in the 1930's and 1940's. Maybe it was Myrna and Chalk that worked to keep the tavern image up. The community seemed to embrace the City Club. My Grandpa Chalk was imvolved in the community belonging to civic and sports organizations. There is repeated reference to a deer hunting cabin in Forence County owned jointly by Chalk, Glenn Zimmermann (The Chief of Police), Atty George Mooney, Atty Gilbert Gaynor, Milton Timm (a City Official), and Carl Krohn (a clothing store owner). This is a pretty respectable circle of friends. My impression was that the City Club was a respectable place and was frequented by all social strata.
How could there be such a difference between my perceived "blue collar" hangout and a highly respectable place of business?
I think a lot had to do with the nature of the business in the early days. The City Club wasn't just a tavern. It was a barber shop, a billiards parlor, a hotel, a restaurant and place that sold liquor. Chalk's personality went a long way in creating a classy environment. He conducted business in a very professional way. Every bartender had to wear long sleeved white shirts while on duty. Chalk provided the shirts and paid for dry cleaning. He was the proprietor of a respected business.
As I grew up as a kid, things were changing. Chalk died in the mid 1940's. His health had prevented the "fun" hunting trips and his involvement in sports diminished as sons Bucky and Bob graduated from high school. The barber shop was closed and eventually became an insurance agency. The billiards and pool disappeared. As the facility aged, it attracted a more "blue collar" customer base. I didn't realize it at the time but I was watching a business that had matured and was in decline.
I missed the glory years of the City Club business. At one time it played a very prominent role in the City of Plymouth and commanded a lot of respect. Like all businesses, it needed to be "re-invented" and given new products and services. Some attempts were made to pump life into the "Club" but nothing seemed to invigorate it substancially.
The memories of the City Club are still good. The environment that I experienced growing up was different than the environment chronicled in the scrapbooks that Myrna put together.
The one thing I've come to understand is that The City Club played a significant place in Plymouth history and I was part of that history. How many people can say that?
Love,
Dad