Founded February 8, 1869 — New London, Connecticut
A record of the Club on the river since eighteen sixty-nine.
The Thames Club was founded on February 8, 1869 — before the submarine force, before Electric Boat, before the Gold Star Bridge. It has watched this city change hands, change purpose, and change character across three centuries of working waterfront.
Our standing April Fools Joke: In September 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard purchased the 1905 Thames Club building on State Street and moved it to Ledge Light. The Club moved and continued — as it has through every turn since 1869.
James O'Neill's silhouette tile hangs on the basement pub wall. His son Eugene won four Pulitzer Prizes and the Nobel Prize in Literature. New London is that kind of city.
The original building — State Street, New London
State Street postcard — early 1900s
April Fools newspaper — “TO DAY”
A Club dinner — circa 1940s. The silhouette tiles already on the wall. The same room.
The billiard room — pool table, silhouette wall, red leather chairs
The main staircase from above — the arrival view
James O'Neill — the actor whose silhouette tile hangs in the basement pub
The pin-setting machine — maintained for decades by one mechanic
The duckpin lanes in the basement were built by Electric Boat craftsmen in the 1950s — a gift from the yard to the Club. They have run continuously ever since, maintained by a dedicated mechanic who knows every board.
Duckpin uses a smaller ball — no finger holes — and lighter pins. Three balls per frame. No one has ever bowled a perfect game in sanctioned competition. The lanes run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 5:30.
