History

1860:

A Great Future is Born

Four women -- Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, Elizabeth Hamersley, and Louisa Bushnell -- started the Dashaway Club in Hartford to get boys off the streets and give them productive activities. Meetings were held in the Morgan Street Mission School building.

1867:

The Sixth Ward Temperance Dashaway Society

With the start of the Civil War, the Dashaway Club was forced to close as many of the original members became drummer boys in the war. Boys still met in private homes aiming to carry on the mission.

1880:

Good Will Club Founded

Mary Hall, Connecticut’s first female lawyer, revives The Dashaway Club on April 2, 1880 calling it The Good Will Club for Boys. Dues were 10 cents a month.

1889:

The Good Will Club’s First Permanent Clubhouse Opens

With the assistance of generous donors, The Good Will Club purchases the old Hartford Female Seminary building on Pratt Street in Hartford, offering boys space for reading, games and life skills. Classes were also held in subjects including painting, gymnastics, knitting, cooking, and scrapbooking. The Club hosted a drum and fife corps and a cadet class.

1891:

First Industrial Programs

The Clubhouse offered a variety of industrial programs designed to prepare boys for a trade and the workforce. Classes offered included woodworking, printmaking and plumbing.

1906:

The Federated Boys Club Established

By the turn of the century, the Good Will club had expanded to other cities and communities. The 53 independent organizations in existence combined to form a national organization known as The Federated Boys Club.

1911:

Keney Hall Opens

Having outgrown their original club, The Good Will Club opened a new building known as Keney Hall at the corner of Ely and Winthrop streets in Hartford. Among the amenities in the new building were a basketball gym and a bowling alley.

1931:

Boys Club of America

The Boys Club Federation of America becomes the Boys Club of America.

1956:

Southwest Good Will Boys Club Opens

For the first time Hartford’s Good Will Club opens a location outside of the immediate downtown neighborhood. Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson helped to dedicate the new Southwest Club.

1964:

Northwest Boys Club Opens

The Northwest clubhouse opened on the corner of Granby and Nahum streets.

1990:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

The national organization changes its name as girls join the movement.

1992:

BGCH is Born

With the Clubs now open to girls, our name changes to Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford.

1998:

Trinity College Boys & Girls Club Opens

The first Club in the nation to be affiliated with a college or university opens just off the Trinity College campus in Hartford. General Colin Powell dedicates the new Club.

2001:

In-School Site Clubs begin

The first after-school programming run by a Boys & Girls Club in a Hartford Public School opens at West Middle Elementary School.

2004:

Asylum Hill Boys & Girls Club Opens

More than 1,000 members are served in the first year of this new club, reaching one in every two school-aged children in the Asylum Hill neighborhood.

2008:

President George W. Bush Historic Visit

President George W. Bush presents the Presidential Volunteer Service Award to Joseph D. Lapenta at the Northwest Boys & Girls Club.

2021:

South End Club Opens

The South End Club opens in an underserved neighborhood in Hartford.

2024:

JDL Northwest Club Renovations

Now known as the Joseph D. Lapenta Northwest Boys & Girls Club, the original Club building undergoes major renovations to create a more welcoming environment and offer a world of new opportunities.

2025:

Samuel S. Gray Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill Dedicated

In 2025 the Sigourney Street Club was rededicated as the Samuel S. Gray Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill. It honors former Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford President and CEO Sam Gray, Jr., who served the organization for 23 years.