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Founded in 1869, the Thames Club did not
have a permanent home until 1888, when members purchased a private
residence at the corner of State and Washington Streets. The house was
destroyed by fire in 1904 and the present Thames Club building was
erected on the site. James O’Neill was well-liked in New London and he
was among the first Irishmen invited to join the all-male bastion of the
city’s leading citizens. According to the club’s bartender, James O’Neill
was generous in buying drinks for other members. Bourbon and milk was
his preferred beverage. He was a decorous drinker at the Thames Club,
keeping himself to two or three drinks; saving his boisterous drinking
for hotel barrooms and taverns. The actor was remembered for his
friendliness, courtly manner, and his toast to "Sunny days and
starry nights" (Gelbs, LWMC, 210). In Long Day’s Journey into
Night, feeling isolated and disconnected from New London society,
Mary Tyrone dismisses club members as: "Big frogs in a small
puddle" (Collected Plays, 1148). The Thames Club may have been more
affectionately remembered in the Sachem Club’s Fourth of July picnic
in Ah, Wilderness!
Thames Club, c. 1915 The Thames Club is the oldest social club in Connecticut and its membership now includes women. |
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