The Jamaica Club built this clubhouse in 1889. Club members were predominantly middle-class and upper middle-class men who gathered on Saturday evenings to dine and enjoy card and other indoor games. The Jamaica Club was located on the northwest corner of Green Street and Rockview Street, where residential units for wheelchair accessible living are now located. It was later purchased by the Knights of Columbus and used by that organization as a meeting hall.
In the 1950s and 1960s the Knights of Columbus sponsored a catholic girls social group, the Squirettes, that met in this building as well a group called the Squires for boys. These groups were considered the “Junior Members” of the Knights of Columbus and were run by Mr. Edward F. Barrett, a school teacher. Activities inluded dances, variety shows, an annual retreat, and trips to West Point and Washington, DC. They also organized a Christmas party over many years at the Franciscan Children’s Home in Fort Hill, Roxbury, as well as other social services.
While the clubhouse is gone, the retaining wall shown in this photo can still be seen today. The Club is shown here from the Rockview side.
