Whats Happening Locally:

James Walker Tufts, a resident of the Boston area, amassed a considerable fortune as head of various enterprises, most notably the American Soda Fountain Company. In 1895, he purchased 5800 acres of land in the Sandhills of North Carolina for about $1.25 per acre to create a health resort. 

Mr. Tufts wanted a "first-rate" plan for his new resort and contacted a land planning firm in Brookline, Massachusetts headed by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. In about three weeks' time, the plan for the Village of Pinehurst was formed. Mr. Tufts then hired Donald Ross in 1900 to be responsible for golf course development. 

For many years, Pinehurst was a privately held resort under the sole proprietorship of the Tufts family. In 1920, a corporate form of ownership was established when a charter for Pinehurst, Inc. was obtained. By the late 1960s, the shareholders of Pinehurst, Inc. decided to sell the resort property to Diamondhead Corporation.

 

Over the next decade, Diamondhead created about 7,000 lots for sale with membership rights to the Pinehurst resort facilities. Infrastructure to support these lots (roads, water, sewer, etc.) was also constructed at this time.

 

In 1980, the Village of Pinehurst became an incorporated municipality. Since then, resort ownership has changed hands several times and the world-renowned golf courses have been developed and expanded.