Wamsutta Club
Encyclopedia
The Wamsutta Club is a private social club
in New Bedford, Massachusetts
, founded in 1866. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling
industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles.
The club was founded by Charles Warren Clifford, who organized an athletic club to play a new version of baseball
. The social club was formally chartered in 1889. The present location was built in 1821 by James Arnold and purchased by the club in 1919.
The club's popularity soared from the 1890s to the mid 1920s when the textile industry was at its height in the city, and cotton was bought and sold by businessmen at the club.
During the Great Depression the club faced the problem of declining membership. In order to meet the needs of the expanding community dues were lowered and membership was re-established on a broader base.
Today, the club remains as a social center of the downtown New Bedford community.
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
, founded in 1866. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles.
The club was founded by Charles Warren Clifford, who organized an athletic club to play a new version of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. The social club was formally chartered in 1889. The present location was built in 1821 by James Arnold and purchased by the club in 1919.
The club's popularity soared from the 1890s to the mid 1920s when the textile industry was at its height in the city, and cotton was bought and sold by businessmen at the club.
During the Great Depression the club faced the problem of declining membership. In order to meet the needs of the expanding community dues were lowered and membership was re-established on a broader base.
Today, the club remains as a social center of the downtown New Bedford community.