This is an excerpt from the article Jackson’s Mainstay, which originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of Cape May Magazine.

For over a century this stately citizen of Cape May has stood on the corner of Columbia Avenue and Stockton Place like a grande dame; dignified in stance, erect in posture with pleasant, handsome features. These days the Mainstay Inn is recognized as an innovator and trend-setter in the bed and breakfast industry and from the beginning the structure was acknowledged as something special. As the building was being constructed in the 1870s, the local newspaper lavished it with praise while simultaneously deriding other grand buildings in town as “mansions of the shoddy order.”

This was as it should have been. The Mainstay Inn, originally known as Jackson’s Club House in 1872, was welcomed to town like a friendly neighbor. The gambling, prostitution, heavy drinking and carousing male visitors the clubhouse hosted were just the sort of activities Cape May was hoping to attract during the Victorian era.

Or not.

The aversion Cape May had to rich people throwing around their money, liquor consumption and gambling really affected people’s willingness to even mention the place,” said Tom Carroll, former owner and innkeeper who, along with wife Sue, restored the Mainstay to grandeur in the 1970s and 80s. “Yet when it was under construction there were so many words of praise about the place; about Button’s beautiful design. It was so much in the news. But when it opened as a club house we couldn’t find another word about it. Obviously it wasn’t a welcome addition to Cape May.”

Those crazy Victorians may be remembered for their buttoned-up demeanor and straight-laced attitude, but they definitely had their wild and wooly moments.

It’s one of the best architectural gems the city has ever seen, despite its association with some dirty business – which ironically is back in full force at the Jersey Shore,” said Tom. It’s that “dirty business” that makes the story interesting. That’s not to say there are many historical accounts of what went on in the club house. As Tom said, it wasn’t really discussed in town. Gentlemen wanted privacy and it was afforded them. Much of the information about what went on in Jackson’s Club House has been gleaned from research into club houses in other towns.

“We couldn’t find information about any of the club houses in Cape May, which is why Joan Berkey and I started doing research in other towns where there was more information. We got the sense they weren’t such a moral problem for other cities. Cape May has always been a very conservative town,” said Tom.

Joan Berkey, an architectural historian from nearby Linwood, NJ, did some legwork and produced The Mainstay Inn, Formerly Jackson’s Club House; A Social and Architectural History 1872 – 2001, a five-inch-thick tome chronicling the Mainstay’s existence.

“It’s fascinating because gambling was never really talked about in polite society, but the fact that this was a gaming house – and a popular one at that – that really is a significant part of Cape May’s history,” said Joan. “Not only was it a gaming house but it’s a fantastic example of Victorian architecture.”

Tom and Joan found that men’s clubs were very much a part of 19th century life, along with social separation of the sexes. Women went to their tea meetings and men went to their clubs. There may have been many club houses in Cape May, but there are three that are most talked about. The Blue Pig, which was probably located near Congress Hall. The building that currently houses Cheeks clothing store on the corner of Ocean and Columbia, and Jackson’s Club House.

“We researched other men’s clubs in Newport and Baltimore that suggests what might have gone on at the Jackson’s Club House,” said Tom. “As a club house it added a little controversy to the town. It broke from Cape May’s rather straight-laced reputation – you know, with all the churches in town – suddenly there’s a gambling house in the town. That’s recognized because it dropped out of the written history of Cape May when it existed as a club house.”

Jackson’s Club House appears to have been a first-class gaming house with fine furnishings. It was a place where gentlemen could escape the stifling responsibilities of Victorian life and relax – wives, not necessarily women, were forbidden. Men could gamble, enjoy a smoke and a good meal, and according to Tom, maybe make use of the services of “handsome women” if the mood struck them.

But let’s not dwell on the gambling and prostitution and such. The building itself is one of Cape May’s finest and best known edifices. “From the beginning, the building was recognized as a very important architectural gem,” said Tom. “I love the old quote from the Ocean Wave, that it was ‘unlike mansions of the shoddy order,’ (laughs). It’s always been a key building in the Cape May Historic District collection.”

The Mainstay remains one of the most popular places to stay in town, and many visitors to Cape May still stop and stare at the grand corner property. It’s a simple formula that keeps the Mainstay popular with visitors – the Mainstay Inn offers “pleasant accommodations,” just like the sign in front says.

Visit the Mainstay Inn at www.mainstayinn.com