STL All Sports

In the United States, archery as an organized sport had its beginning in 1828, when the first archery society, the United Bowmen of Philadelphia, was founded, principally through the efforts of Titian R. Peale, an artist. The history of archery in the United States follows very closely that of England. Societies sprang up at the inception of the popular sport, only to die down and then be revived again. Just as the Napoleonic Wars had a lessening effect on the early archery societies in England, so the Civil War in America discouraged archery for almost twenty years. It was revived, however, after the Civil War, by Maurice and Will Thompson, ex-Confederate soldiers, who were in search of health and chose this method of outdoor sport to regain it.

To further the growth of archery in the United States and to insure its permanency, the National Archery Association was founded in 1879, at Crawfordsville, Indiana, by a group of representatives from various outstanding archery clubs. This was the real beginning of modern archery in the United States. Today, archery along with all sports, is more popular than ever before, manifested by the organization of many archery clubs which hold tournaments regularly throughout the year. In addition to the organized archery, thousands of people over the country enjoy it as an informal sport, as in hunting, target shooting, or as a hobby in making and testing archery tackle.