VCC History The Van Courtlandt Social Club is San Antonio’s oldest historically black male social club and is believed to be the second oldest in the United States. Founded in, the fall of 1915 by a group of young Eastside males. Originally called the Eastside Social Club, the commencing fifteen members rotated the responsibility of hosting meetings held on Sunday afternoons. Following dinner, members engaged in a hand of cards or a few rounds of Dominoes. The idea of changing the name of the club was entertained and finally, in December 1920, a special meeting was called for that purpose. Several suggestions were made before the members agreed upon Van Courtlandt. The name was submitted by one of the members who at the time was a Porter on the Southern Pacific Railroad. During one of his trips to New York City, he observed a city park named Van Cortlandt Park. It was believed this Northeastern name gave a degree of sophistication to the club. Thus, by unanimous vote, the name of the club changed from the Eastside Social Club to the Van Courtlandt Social Club. Somewhere in the translation, the spelling changed from Van Cortlandt to Van Courtlandt. The club later adopted by-laws that increased the membership from 15 to 35 active members.
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