The Oglethorpe Club is a historic members-only society in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Established in 1870, it is the oldest gentlemen's club in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and the seventh-oldest in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, behind

Cape Fear Club Cape Fear Club is a private gentlemen's club in Wilmington, North Carolina, founded in 1866, making it the 6th oldest in the Southern United States after the Metropolitan Club and before The Oglethorpe Club. It is described as "a business and ...

and ahead of The Athlestan Club. It is located at 450 Bull Street, immediately to the north of

Forsyth Park Forsyth Park (formerly known as the Military Parade Ground)''Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'', JSTOR (1929), p. 34 is a large city park that occupies in ...

. According to Adelaide Wilson in '' Historic 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. Membership was 350 by 2024. Women are not allowed to be members, but can attend with her husband, as long as she wears a dress. The club features the Flagstone and Colonial rooms for formal events, as well as a tavern. Cell phone use inside the building is prohibited. It stands directly across Bull Street from the Armstrong House, the original owner of which— George Ferguson Armstrong—was a member of The Oglethorpe Club. The Oglethorpe Club is named for General

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

, who established the Savannah colony in 1733.

Notable members

* George Ferguson Armstrong, businessman''Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, in three volumes'' (1906) Volume 1, pp. 75 and 76 *

Sonny Seiler Frank W. Seiler (born February 20, 1933) is a retired trial attorney from Savannah, Georgia, who had a leading role in the true-crime book ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil''. He is also the owner of the University of Georgia Bulldogs liv ...

, attorney An "unwritten rule" of the club is that members' money must be

old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

, not

new New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

(that is, if you were not born with money, you were not permitted to become a member). It is for this reason that preservationist Jim Williams was not permitted to become a member. In retaliation, in 1967 Williams purchased Armstrong House across the street.

Building

450 Bull Street, built in 1857 and also known as the Edmund Molyneux House, was designed by John S. Norris. Molyneux was consul at Savannah from 1832 to 1862. After the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the house was purchased by Henry R. Jackson.''Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society'', Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson,

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and ta ...

(2001), p. 100

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=25em Gentlemen's clubs in the United States Organizations based in Savannah, Georgia 1870 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)