The Southern Club, Inc.

Originally founded as the Southern Gentlemen's Club in 1929, the Southern Club started in Elizabeth, NJ as a social club for Southern-born engineers, most of whom were working for the Standard Oil Company of Bayonne. The first Club residence was at 810 North Broad Street in Elizabeth, NJ. This estate had a swimming pool, tennis courts, and with the combined contributions of 32 members, the Club was able to afford a full time staff of four housekeepers and one cook. Services included linen and laundry service, breakfast and dinner, as well as having a clean house and pool. In 1969 they changed residence to a 9-bedroom mansion at 996 Central Avenue in Plainfield, NJ.The southern Club survived until 1989, when skyrocketing housing prices led to an unaffordable situation, and they disbanded.