Married Woman's Card Club
The Married Woman's Card Club is an exclusive all-women society in Savannah, Georgia, established in 1893. It meets once a month, on Tuesdays at 4:00 PM.
The society is featured in John Berendt's novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Clint Eastwood's 1997 movie adaptation of the book. Members take turns hosting the events, although the venue used in both the book and the movie was Granite Hall, near Savannah's Forsyth Park. Only married women are permitted in the club; should they become divorced, they must resign.
As John Berendt explained, 32 guests are invited, so that the number of attendees always totals 48. They sit around twelve card tables. A strict schedule of events begins with the serving of a glass of water:
- 4:15 PM: water
- 4:30 PM: remove water
- 4:40 PM: empty ashtrays
- 4:45 PM: pass napkins
- 5:00 PM: cocktails
- 5:15 PM: second cocktails
- 5:30 PM: third cocktails
- 5:35 PM: last hand, pass linen
- 5:40 PM: serve dinner plates
- 5:45 PM: high score and cut for aces
- 6:00 PM: prizes, ladies leave promptly