The Village of Pinehurst, located in an area known as "the Sandhills" in Moore County, is in south central North Carolina. Although it was established in 1895, the Village did not become a municipality until 1980.

James Walker Tufts, a resident of the Boston area, had amassed a considerable fortune as head of various enterprises, most notably the American Soda Fountain Company. In 1895, he made an arrangement to purchase about 598 acres of land for about $1.25 per acre to create a health resort in the Sandhills.

Mr. Tufts wanted a "first rate" plan for his new resort and contacted a land planning firm in Brookline, Massachusetts that was 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 development of golf.

For many years, Pinehurst was a privately held resort under 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 1960's the shareholders of Pinehurst, Inc. decided to sell the resort property to Diamondhead Corporation. Over the next decade, Diamondhead created about 7,000 lots or units 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, pursuant to an Order of Incorporation, the Village of Pinehurst became an incorporated municipality. Since then, ownership of the resort property has changed hands several times and the world-renowned golf courses have been developed and expanded under each owner.

For more information on the history of Pinehurst, visit the Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, located at 150 Cherokee Road in the Village of Pinehurst.