Le Club des Citoyens Américains, Lowell’s oldest fraternal social club for French-Canadians, was founded on 23 January 1898. Sixteen years later on 11 April 1914 the CCA gained corporation status.
“BE IT KNOWN” writes, Frank J. Donahue, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “ that whereas Edmond N. Gendron, Hormidas Arvisais, Ferdinand Rousseau, Maxime Lepine, John Durand, Arthur Lavoie, Treffle Bordeleau, Henry Achin Jr., Arthur L. Eno, and Pierre L. H. Weilbrenner have associated themselves with the intention of forming a corporation under the name of ‘Club des Citoyens Américains’.”
“This corporation”, continues the Secretary of State, “ is constituted for the purpose of promoting the social, moral and intellectual welfare of the French American citizens of Lowell, Massachusetts, and vicinity, …”
The original constitution was revised in 1928 and a third such document was prepared by Lionel J. Labrèche, President, John C. O’Beirne, Secretary, Pierre Leblanc, Conrad Sylvestre, Joseph A. Adams, Joseph L. Ducharme and Léo J. Ouellette, ex-officio. It was accepted on 3 October 1954.
Until 2015 the CCA had been located at 619 Market Street in the Acre section of Lowell. Due to declining membership and increasing costs the building was sold to a developer who demolished it in August of that year. and the members re-located at 731 Lakeview Avenue in the Centralville section of the city. Alas, fate no longer looked kindly on the Club des Citoyens Américains. In early December, 2016 an article by Grant Welker appeared in the Lowell Sun announcing that this organization, about one month short of celebrating one hundred and nineteen years of existence, permanently closed its doors. In his article Welker cites the club President, Armand Ménard, who has held this office for the past two decades and the current Treasurer, Al Marcel, who attribute this drastic action to the lack of members and elevated maintenance costs. To the chagrin of many we say, “Au revoir au Club des Citoyens Américains de Lowell !”
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