Have you ever wondered, as you tee off on The Snead, what this beautiful golf course of ours has served as in its former life? Well, it’s a storied piece of land, let me tell you. If only these greens could talk. I invite you on this journey back through history as we uncover all the many tales our award-winning course has to tell.
We’ll start off in today’s post by covering the years 1700 – 1920s.
Let’s begin at the beginning:

 
 
 
* Prior to 1700s –
This was the favorite hunting ground of Shawnee, Cherokee and Seneca Indians.

 
 
 
* 1740s –
The first explorer to set foot here was John Howard, who discovered this lush valley while following the Greenbrier River.

 
 
 
* 1784 –
The land was deeded to Michael Bowyer, who started a fledgling health resort that would later become The Greenbrier.

 
 
 
* 1870 –
Throughout the 19th century the area was farmed by the Copeland family, and then the McPherson family. Joel McPherson, who purchased the land in 1870, called his estate “Briarfield.”

 
 
 
* 1920s –
The land was owned by Thornton Lewis, a former railroad executive who was the President of The Greenbrier. He renamed the estate “The Meadows” and operated a large horse farm where horse shows were held annually. President William Howard Taft attended one of those horse shows.

 
 
 
* 1929 –
The Greenbrier purchased the land from Thornton Lewis to create a landing strip.