The Athelstan Club, formerly The Athelstan Masonic Temple, is a private gentlemen's club in Mobile, Alabama, United States, founded in 1873, tracing its roots to a Masonic lodge established in 1870.https://athelstanclub.org/web/pages/history By 1875 it had loosened membership to non-Masons and in 1876 formerly became The Athelstan Club. It admitted its first African-American member in 2011.https://www.al.com/live/2011/02/black_member_of_athlestan_club.html The Athelstan Club is the eighth-oldest gentlemen's city club in the Southern United States, after The Oglethorpe Club (1870) and before The Louisiana Club (1877), offering the facilities of a traditional gentlemen's city clubregular hours, paid staff, a bar, a dining room, lodging roomsthat are associated with the English model of city clubs in the St. James's district of London. It is the oldest remaining gentlemen's club in Mobile after The Manassas Club closed prior to The Great Depression.
The club operates under laws for 501(c)(7) Social and Recreation Clubs; in 2024 it claimed total revenue of $1,454,719 and total assets of $1,119,486.
History
Domino Ball - Double Rush The Athelstan Club's signature Carnival Event is the Domino Ball - Double Rush which opens the Carnival Season, after Advent and before Lent. The name is taken from The Domino, a Venetian robe-like Masquerade Ball costume dating to masquerades of the 18th century. The domino costume represented intrigue, adventure, conspiracy, and mystery, four elements that were a distinct part of the masquerade atmosphere. The Domino costume was also often worn by both sexes.https://websites.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/masquerade/commonalities.html
Leading Ladies The Club invites members' daughters to make their debut and elects a Leading Lady, who have been
2020: Cara Louise Lutherhttps://issuu.com/foxlitho/docs/59760_access_january_2020 2021: Ruth Dickson Thameshttps://www.facebook.com/AccessMagazine/photos/a.1493467274064811/3887925504618964/?type=3 2022: Adelaide Elizabeth Bellhttps://accessthebay.com/mardi-gras-leading-ladies-2022 2023: Lillian-Louise Rathlehttps://issuu.com/foxlitho/docs/62783_access_jan-feb_magazine/s/18332296 2024: Jayne Isabelle Ladas
Notable members Ernest F. Ladd Civic leader E.B. Peebles II Civic leader George Bigelow Rogers Architect John B. Waterman Maritime Industrialist
Significance
The Athelstan Club is a social club with few details known about its constituents. Members usually announce their associations upon death, in their obituaries. Its clubhouse has held lavish balls, regular daily lunches, monthly dinners, and business & social functions. Its events and social activities were the fodder for many newspaper and social columns from the end of the 19th century into the 20th and 21st centuries.
Homes of the Athelstan Club 12 Royal Street: 1873–1875 100 Dauphin Street: 1875–1901 158 St Francis Street: 1902–1969 170 St Francis Street: 1969–present
Gallery
See also Striker's Independent Society Order of Myths The Manassas Club Cowbellion de Rakin Society
References