Founded in 1857, the Maryland Club is one of the oldest private clubs in the United States that was founded as an exclusive men's club. Its large Romanesque clubhouse, dating to 1891, is located in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, where it has always had its home. The Club’s members have traditionally numbered among the region’s most prominent business, professional, civic and nonprofit leaders. Though membership is by invitation only, the Club says it wants a diverse membership of outstanding individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. In 1861, the club supported the secession of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confede ...

. The club was closed by Union troops during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and General

Lew Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is b ...

outraged local residents by turning the club building into a shelter for homeless former slaves. The club re-opened after the war. The club opposed Prohibition and flouted the law through the use of private lockers. After a 1995 fire nearly destroyed its building, the club restored its architectural and aesthetic elements. In 2019, a major renovation added squash facilities, improved the exercise area, added a bistro-style restaurant, and made other system upgrades. In 1988, the club began accepting Jews as members.

Notable members

Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte Jérôme Napoléon "Bo" Bonaparte (5 July 1805 – 17 June 1870) was a French- American farmer, chairman of the Maryland Agricultural Society, first president of the Maryland Club, and the son of Elizabeth Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, ...

, the first president of the club * William Cabell Bruce * Charles W. Field * Charles F. Mayer * Charles F. Mayer (railroad president), nephew of the above * 45th Governor of the State of Maryland, Edwin Warfield * James T. Woodward * Glenn L. MartinThe Maryland Club, A History of Food and Friendship in Baltimore, 1857-1997; Pg 90, Robert J. Brugger

References

{{reflist Gentlemen's clubs in the United States 1857 establishments in Maryland

Notable members

See also

References