The Oglethorpe Club

The Oglethorpe Club
	450Bull Street,the club's home, in 2022
Named after	GeneralJames Oglethorpe
Formation	1870(154 years ago)
Location	Savannah, Georgia,United States; Savannah, Georgia;
Website	https://oglethorpeclub.org/

The Oglethorpe Clubis a historic members-only society inSavannah, Georgia.^[1]Established in 1870,^[2]^[3]it is the oldestgentlemen's clubinGeorgia,^[4]and the seventh-oldest in theSouthern United States,behindCape Fear Cluband ahead ofThe Athlestan Club.It is located at 450Bull Street,^[5]immediately to the north ofForsyth Park.^[4]

According to Adelaide Wilson inHistoric and Picturesque Savannah(1889), the club was organized on September 21, 1875. Twelve members were present. Its first president was George S. Owens. The club's maximum membership grew to 175 when The Chatham Club closed.^[6]Membership was 350 by 2024.^[7]Women are not allowed to be members, but can attend with her husband, as long as she wears a dress.^[8]

The club features the Flagstone and Colonial rooms for formal events, as well as a tavern. Cell phone use inside the building is prohibited.^[9]

It stands directly across Bull Street from theArmstrong House,the original owner of which—George Ferguson Armstrong—was a member of The Oglethorpe Club.

The Oglethorpe Club is named for GeneralJames Oglethorpe,who established the Savannah colony in 1733.^[10]

Notable members[edit]

George Ferguson Armstrong,businessman^[11]
Sonny Seiler,attorney^[12]

An "unwritten rule" of the club is that members' money must beold,notnew(that is, if you were not born with money, you were not permitted to become a member). It is for this reason that preservationistJim Williamswas not permitted to become a member.^[13]In retaliation, in 1967 Williams purchased Armstrong House across the street.

Building[edit]

450Bull Street,built in 1857 and also known as the Edmund Molyneux House, was designed byJohn S. Norris.Molyneux was consul at Savannah from 1832 to 1862.^[14]After theCivil War,the house was purchased byHenry R. Jackson.^[15]

References[edit]

^Jr, The Estate of Walter J. Fraser (2018-03-08).Savannah in the New South: From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century.Univ of South Carolina Press.ISBN 978-1-61117-837-1.
^"Becoming Southern: the Jews of Savannah, Georgia, 1830-70,"American Jewish History(Dec. 30, 2008)
^Toledano, Roulhac(1997-04-03).The National Trust Guide to Savannah.John Wiley & Sons. p. 207.ISBN 978-0-471-15568-3.
^^a ^bCarlisle, Rodney; Carlisle, Loretta (2019-05-01).Savannah in History: A Guide to More Than 75 Sites in Historical Context.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 52.ISBN 978-1-68334-028-7.
^"The Oglethorpe Club".Retrieved2024-04-30.
^Wilson, Adelaide (1889).Historic and Picturesque Savannah.subscribers.ISBN 978-0-7222-0863-2.
^Gabbey, Neil."Bohemian Hotel opens Coastal 15 with Executive Chef Luke Wolf at the helm".Connect Savannah.Retrieved2024-05-01.
^Jones, Denise Hildreth (2010-06-19).Savannah from Savannah / Savannah Comes Undone (2 novels in 1).Thomas Nelson Inc.ISBN 978-1-4185-5639-6.
^"Guest Information | The Oglethorpe Club".Retrieved2024-04-30.
^"A Stroll Through Jewish Savannah"–Tablet,June 13, 2014
^Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, in three volumes(1906) Volume 1, pp. 75 and 76
^"Savannah Morning News Obituaries in Savannah, GA | Savannah Morning News".savannahnow.Retrieved2024-05-01.
^Jones, Denise Hildreth (2010-06-19).Savannah from Savannah / Savannah Comes Undone (2 novels in 1).Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 398.ISBN 978-1-4185-5639-6.
^The British Foreign Service and the American Civil War,Eugene Berwanger (2014), p. 62ISBN 9780813149493
^Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society,Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson,Georgia Historical Society(2001), p. 100ISBN 9780738506883

[1] Jr, The Estate of Walter J. Fraser (2018-03-08).Savannah in the New South: From the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century.Univ of South Carolina Press.ISBN 978-1-61117-837-1.

[2] "Becoming Southern: the Jews of Savannah, Georgia, 1830-70,"American Jewish History(Dec. 30, 2008)

[3] Toledano, Roulhac(1997-04-03).The National Trust Guide to Savannah.John Wiley & Sons. p. 207.ISBN 978-0-471-15568-3.

[:0-4] Carlisle, Rodney; Carlisle, Loretta (2019-05-01).Savannah in History: A Guide to More Than 75 Sites in Historical Context.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 52.ISBN 978-1-68334-028-7.

[5] "The Oglethorpe Club".Retrieved2024-04-30.

[6] Wilson, Adelaide (1889).Historic and Picturesque Savannah.subscribers.ISBN 978-0-7222-0863-2.

[7] Gabbey, Neil."Bohemian Hotel opens Coastal 15 with Executive Chef Luke Wolf at the helm".Connect Savannah.Retrieved2024-05-01.

[8] Jones, Denise Hildreth (2010-06-19).Savannah from Savannah / Savannah Comes Undone (2 novels in 1).Thomas Nelson Inc.ISBN 978-1-4185-5639-6.

[9] "Guest Information | The Oglethorpe Club".Retrieved2024-04-30.

[10] "A Stroll Through Jewish Savannah"–Tablet,June 13, 2014

[:02-11] Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, in three volumes(1906) Volume 1, pp. 75 and 76

[12] "Savannah Morning News Obituaries in Savannah, GA | Savannah Morning News".savannahnow.Retrieved2024-05-01.

[13] Jones, Denise Hildreth (2010-06-19).Savannah from Savannah / Savannah Comes Undone (2 novels in 1).Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 398.ISBN 978-1-4185-5639-6.

[14] The British Foreign Service and the American Civil War,Eugene Berwanger (2014), p. 62ISBN 9780813149493

[15] Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society,Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson,Georgia Historical Society(2001), p. 100ISBN 9780738506883

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