In cleaning out my parent's house, we came across a stock certificate (see below) for the Railroad Men's Club that my grandfather bought (1 share for $100) in 1925 when he was working for the Seaboard Airline in Jacksonville.
I've done a Google search, but can not find any information about this organization. Does anyone know anything about it?
Bill,
Can’t say I know anything about this particular Club but it seems they may have been fairly common in the ‘20s timeframe. I found a couple of other references, one to a Southern Pacific Railroad Men’s Club and another to a Frisco Railroad Men’s Club. I think they were private “social” clubs specifically for members of a particular railroad. The reference I found to the SP club involved a court case as a result of a police raid at the San Francisco clubhouse with several members run in for gambling. Also, a non-profit organization cannot sell stock so I suspect the “stock certificate” may have been in lieu of dues. Perhaps it was an effort to make it more palatable to your significant other that you were investing in stock rather than paying dues to a social club?
