Cape May ยท Washington Street Mall
The Mainstay Inn
Jackson's Clubhouse, Stephen Decatur Button's 1872 gambling club, opened as a B&B in 1977; six of its 12 rooms are in an 1870 cottage.
- Built
- 1872Built 1872 as Jackson's Clubhouse, a gentlemen's gambling club; the adjacent 'Cottage' dates from 1870.
- Architect
- Stephen Decatur Button
- Type
- B&B
- Rooms
- 12
- Area
- Washington Street Mall
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The inn’s history begins in 1872, when the building went up as Jackson’s Clubhouse, designed by Stephen Decatur Button. Fanny Wistar Scott bought it in 1898, and the O’Brien family owned it from 1945. Tom and Sue Carroll bought it in 1977, restored it and opened it as the Mainstay Inn; in 1980 they added the neighboring 1870 cottage as six more rooms.
Good to know
- Breakfast: included
- Address: 635 Columbia Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204
Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.