Walkabout: Cracking Open Brooklyn's Past

In October of 1930, workers were demolishing the old Brooklyn City Armory, which stood on the corner of Henry and Cranberry St. This was the same corner upon which stood the Apprentice’s Library, the great-grandfather, if you will, of the Brooklyn Museum. The cornerstone of the armory was the same cornerstone laid for the Library on July 4th, 1825, by General Lafayette. Imbedded in the stone foundation was a lead box containing all kinds of interesting historic documents and memorabilia from the 1850’s, including a piece of the first transatlantic cable, laid in 1850, a budget for the city of Brooklyn in 1859, (total city budget $916,762.15), and a copy of an act that created the Metropolitan Police Force. There was also a piece of the Charter Oak Tree, under which the charter for Brooklyn was written in 1687, the by-laws and rules of the Pastime Baseball Club, and copies of all of the local papers of the day, including the the NY Herald and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Lastly was the most unusual item of all: the by-laws for the mysterious and secretive club known only as the Poached Egg Club. Who were these Eggs, and why were they poached? A careful sorting of facts from rumors was needed, separating the yolk from the whites, as it were, in order to crack this case. Here’s what I found out…..

The preamble of the by-laws uncovered in the time capsule states that the club was hatched on March 1st, 1856, created for the amusement of its members, and the demolition of poached eggs. Their movements were furtive, with notices in the Eagle later that same year, that they would be meeting in the usual time and place to discuss important business. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle noting in their social pages of June 19, 1856, that The first Sociable of this peculiar-titled Club came off last evening at Arents’ Assembly Rooms, Adams Street. About ninety invited were issued, but owing to the inclemency of the weather, only fifty Poached Eggs appeared on the floor.

The Club, of which I could find barely a shard of information, was to last at least six years. On January 17, 1860 The Eagle’s social page once again heralded another Poached Egg Ball. The fifth annual ball of the popular Poached Egg Club will come off at Gothic Hall tomorrow evening, but they are so well and favorably known that nothing but the mere mention of the fact is necessary to insure a full attendance. After that event, nothing is written until January of 1861, when A.J. Somersville, Jr. the Secretary, was to announce in the Eagle, Poached Egg Club at the Sixth Annual Ball of the above Club, to be held at Gothic Hall, on the evening of Monday, 14th instant. Hack drivers will leave their company with their horses heads toward Nassau Street and take up in reverse order. Gentlemen who have not procured their tickets for the above ball must do so on or before Saturday, 12th inst as after that day no tickets will be issued.

Was the Poached Egg Club the result of youthful frivolity, the invention of Ivy League educated swells with too much time on their hands? A mid 19th century version of Gossip Girl? We may never know. More than likely, the onset of the Civil War scrambled the plans of their membership, and may have caused them to die out. They aren’t mentioned again in the Eagle. Not a peep was ever heard from the Club again, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the Poached Egg club is now extinct.