The Old Colony Club is one of the oldest

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

s in the United States, founded in 1769 in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

History

The club was founded in January 1769, by

Isaac Lothrop Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...

, Pelham Winslow,

Thomas Lothrop Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, Thomas Mayhew, Elkanah Cushman, John Thomas, Edward Winslow, Jr. and John Watson. Their intent in creating a private club was to avoid "the many disadvantages and inconveniences that arise from intermixing with the company at the taverns in ... Plymouth." It went moribund during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

due to a split between

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

and

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

members, but was revived in 1875. Its clubhouse on Court Street was purchased in 1893.

Traditions

The club meets on Fridays at a much-renovated old colonial house on Court Street in downtown Plymouth. The club is best known for its annual celebration of

Forefathers' Day Forefathers' Day is a holiday celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 22. It is a commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 21, 1620. It was introduced in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1769. ...

, one of the oldest holidays in America, dating from colonial times.

Hoyle's Official Book of Games ''Hoyle's Official Book of Games'' (later Hoyle Classic, Hoyle Card Games, or the Hoyle Series) is a series of computer games released from 1989 to 2016 that was initially developed and published by Sierra On-Line. The series focuses primarily on ...

notwithstanding, the "extinct" game of Bestia is still played every Friday night at this institution. The Old Colony Club boasts among its early members Revolutionary War hero General

Alexander Scammell Alexander Scammell (March 22, 1747 – October 6, 1781) was an American military officer and attorney who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was wounded on September 30, 1781, near Yorktown and subsequently di ...

References

External links

Old Colony Club website
{{Coord, 41, 57, 27.7, N, 70, 39, 57.2, W, display=title Plymouth, Massachusetts 1769 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay