Our History 

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.

National Historic Landmark District 

The Village of Pinehurst is proud that our historic district is one of two National Historic Landmark Districts in North Carolina and one of only 2,600 in the United States. Each day, we strive to honor our deep-rooted history. Read the National Historic Landmark Nomination here.

125th Anniversary 

In recognition of the 125^th anniversary of the Village of Pinehurst, over the next several months we will tell the story of how the Village came to be. Although the story of Pinehurst has been told in numerous publications and writings, we will focus on those events that are less well known, but fundamental in the creation of the Village 125 years ago. Special thanks to former Councilmember Jack Farrell for his research and writing.

This series will be updated monthly, so check back each month to find the latest installment! Click on the chapter icons below to begin reading.