Boathouse Row is a historic site A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with national historic site status located in Philadelphia Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the United States, Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( /ˌpɛnsɨlˈveɪnjə/ ), often colloquially referred to as PA (its postal abbreviation, which succeeds the archaic Penn. and Penna. as common abbreviations) by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River, most often pronounced /ˈskuːkəl/ , is a river in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River. It consists of a row of boathouses A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports of leisure use. These are typically located by open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats. Other boats such as punts or small motor boats may also be stored housing racing shells Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing on learning the techniques required, and competitive. Each of the ten boathouses has its own history, and all have addresses on Kelly Drive Kelly Drive is a winding four-mile road along the Schuylkill River from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the neighborhood of East Falls, Philadelphia where it connects with Lincoln Drive. Formerly known as "East River Drive," it was renamed to "Kelly Drive" in honor of John B. Kelly, Jr., a Philadelphia City Councilman , and (named after famous Philadelphia oarsman John B. Kelly, Jr. John Brenden Kelly, Jr. , also known as Kell Kelly or Jack Kelly, was an accomplished oarsman, a four-time Olympian, and an Olympic medal winner. He was also the son of triple Olympic gold medal winner John B. Kelly, Sr. In 1947, Kelly was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States). The boathouses are part of a group known as the Schuylkill Navy The Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States. It was founded in 1858. The member clubs of the Navy are all located on the Schuylkill River where it flows through Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, with most of the clubs being located on the historic Boathouse Row, which encompasses several other boathouses along the river.
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