In 1888, while on a trip to Washington DC, Gen. Thomas W. Hyde and his brother-in-law J.F. Hayden were fortunate to enjoy the amenities of an exclusive club in the capital city. Upon their return they thought “Why not form a similar club in Bath? Thus, on Dec. 3, 1888, the Sagadahock Club was organized and located in the Neal Block at 40-42 Front St. where the Bath National Bank is presently located.

The membership of 50 men was by invitation only. To be invited was to be recognized as among the “elite” of Bath. The original membership fee was $50 and annual dues were $36.

In 1891 the club quarters were expanded by adding a suite of room’s next door in the Church Block at 46-48 Front Street. Later, when the Neal Block was removed to make room for the Bath National Bank building, the club engaged additional rooms on the second and third floor of the Church Block above the present site of the Bath Printing Company.

The club was the most exclusive men’s social club in Bath and one of the most notable in all of Maine. The club rooms were sumptuously fitted and contained all the appointments of a high class gentlemen’s club. William J. O’Brien was for many years the steward and presided over the dining room and “pharmacy.”

The club was famous for entertainment of out of town visitors, and for many years had a reputation for the finest stock of liquors in Maine.

The club wound up its affairs in 1930, a victim of the hard times of the great depression. The club rooms remain at 48 Front St., currently in use as offices, and may still reflect some of the grandeur of this great elite club.

Courtesy of Bath Historical Society Newsletter Number 32 and Owen’s History of Bath.