By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

While the current H.C. Smith Benefit Club building might appear large and  sprawling, with a sizable dining room, bar, kitchen and upstairs storage area, the size is nothing compared to that of the original building. Now, just a midsection remains where two vast wings used to sprout out on each side, forming a grand building (originally constructed at a cost of $50,000), that was used for years as a transient camp.

The property was first purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Reaney in 1920, who donated the ten-acres of land to the village of St. Johnsville with the intent that it be transformed into a park. The original acreage purchased in 1920 grew immensely in 1927 with the additional donation of 90 acres, with another 20 donated in 1933.

In the early 1930s, the ladies of the Order of the Eastern Star donated 3,000 pine trees, which became Klock Park, maintained by the workers being housed and fed at the transient camp, who built and cultivated Klock Park, including a sprawling maze of paths leading to waterfalls and small caves.

After many of the men working the land were called to war, the transient camp was occupied by Mexican railroad workers, who, by 1946, began to return to their original homes, at which point the village tried unsuccessfully to sell the building. The building sat vacant for years, causing a potential liability for the Village Board, who ordered that the large, jutting wings be torn down.

The wood salvaged from that project was used to build the Oppenheim-Ephratah fire house.

In 1962, the Village Board was approached by Adam Horn and Vincent Troutman, representing the St. Johnsville Benefit Club, with a request that they be able to purchase the center portion of the former transient camp. The village complied with the request, and Harry Smith, Adam Horn and Fred Smith purchased the building with the intent that it be used to provide community events and benefits for those in need.

The benefit club grew steadily, and was eventually given the title of the H.C. Smith Benefit Club when founding member Harry C. Smith passed away.