Perth Curling Club History
The Perth-upon-Tay Curling Club was formed in 1875 with a membership fee of $5, in addition to an annual $3 fee. The earliest members were all business men, the only ones who could afford the time and money. A year later, a curling shed with two sheets of ice was constructed privately for $400 at 16 Herriott Street. Read more about the founding members [link to founders’ poster]. For the first decade, games were limited to daylight hours until gas lamps were installed followed by electric lighting in 1900.
In 1903, women were permitted to use the rink five times per week. They operated a separate club, the Perth-upon-Tay Ladies’ Rink, collecting their own fees and organizing their own executive. The two clubs were amalgamated in 1986.
Rather than the granite stones used today, players from Québec City to Perth used cast iron, which was preferred over granite since it performed better in the colder conditions of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence River Valleys. Iron stones were used until the 1950s. Learn about the history of iron curling stones, Perth’s first recorded curler and the early years of women’s curling through two iron stone artifacts belonging to one family. [link to irons’ poster]
In 1918, the curling rink on Herriott St. was sold at auction for $137.50 to make way for a housing development. The club used the town’s skating rink for a couple of years until the membership purchased two acres on Beckwith St., the club’s current location.
From 1920 to 1953, members of the newly incorporated Perth Curling and Bowling Club played on two sheets of natural ice in a frame building that initially cost $8 thousand to build.
In 1951, construction began on the current building at a cost of $40 thousand. However, the cost would have been twice that amount if not for the donations of material, equipment and labour from club members. An addition was added in 1966.
Soon after the new building opened, a crew from the National Film Board (NFB) visited Perth to film The Curlers. Club members appeared in a few scenes that were shot inside the building. A fictional film, it depicts not only the game, but also the influence of a local club, as a conflict between two neighbouring farmers is settled with a game of curling.
During the club’s centenary celebrations, in 1975, the Old Boys Reunion bonspiel was organized. Other celebrations that year included a banquet. Members also played a two-end game with iron stones to recognize their earlier use in Perth and throughout the Ottawa Valley.
150th activities in 2025 included an extra special New Year’s Eve party and an invitational bonspiel. Artifacts, photos and mementos are on display. Still to come is 150 ends of curling — a marathon of curling from Friday October 3 to Sunday October 5.
Take a deeper dive into our history here.
