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About Wamsutta Club

The Wamsutta Club has called the James Arnold Mansion home for the past century.  The mansion is the fourth New Bedford location where the club has gathered since its organization on May 28, 1866.  The club was chartered on April 4, 1889 and designed for the purpose of maintaining a club house and the promotion of social engagement.  The club is not defined by brick and mortar, but by its members and the perspectives, experiences and gifts each one brings to the organization and the contributions the club has made in the community.  The mansion and club are New Bedford icons.

Become a Member

We welcome new members with open arms.  With around 140 memberships now active, comprising in most cases the member and a spouse or partner, the club is a beehive of activity.  Applications for membership are available from the club manager via a telephone (508-997-7431) or through email at wamsuttaclub@aol.com.  There is currently no cost to join, and the ongoing charges are $130 month in dues and a commitment to spend $100 a month in food charges.

Functions, Banquets & Weddings

If you are looking for the perfect place for your next social or business event or even a wedding, think of the Wamsutta Club, with our distinguished dining team and superb menu options.
 
 Experience the elegance of the historic James Arnold Mansion, complemented by grand fireplaces, spectacular chandeliers and warm comfortable ambience.

Our History

In 1866, baseball was already an established, popular sport in the United States. The New York Knickerbocker’s version, invented in 1845 by Mr. Alexander Cartwright, was relatively new. The New York version was limited to New York City until the arrival of the Civil War, when men from other parts of the country learned to play the game in Union Army camps.

Mr. Charles Warren Clifford, then a graduate student of Harvard College, organized an athletic club in 1866 to play the new baseball. That was the beginning of the Wamsutta Club.

Baseball, at the time, was a social sport, played by professional men who could take afternoons off. The Wamsutta Club soon evolved into a social club. The original clubrooms were in the old Ricketson block on Purchase Street. In 1880, the club moved to the old Masonic building on Pleasant and Union Street. After being formally chartered in 1889, the club moved once again to the former Perry House… read more