The Old Hickory House

In the early 20th century, Brevard had been a city with moderate expansion since the mid-1860s.  Downtown, new buildings were going up, tourism was thriving, and many visitors to the area considered Brevard a place that they may one day want to call home.

In 1925, the Pinnix Land Company out of Gastonia bought Tom Cooper’s farm.  It was a sprawling farm of 500-600 acres, extending from an area north of today’s Deerwoode Road west to the Camp that one day became Camp Illahee. The company completed surveys and created the plat for a potential project to be called Montclove Estates. The beautiful and expansive neighborhood would have a man-made lake, a nine-hole golf course, a club house, and a few hundred exclusive residential properties. 

The developers sold lots over a three year period while they continued to plan Montclove Estates, using that time to build the golf course. The plan was for the homes to surround the golf course and create a community that offered recreation and luxury.

Francis Johnstone, originally from Charleston and one of Brevard’s early founders, had built a beautiful vacation house in 1884 that sat at the eastern edge of the farm. They called the home “Montclove”.  It had a sweeping view of the French Broad River and, being vacant at the time, was the prime choice for the new development’s club house.  It’s assumed that the developers probably derived the planned community’s name from the house.  

The first tee of the new golf course was right in front of the club house, with the first hole extending to the property that today is the home of the Brevard Racquet Club.

Another feature of the new Montclove Estates was to have been its man-made lake.  The main road through the Estates was called Montclove Road; it was later renamed to Country Club Road.  The original plan for the Estates was to call the road surrounding the lake “Lakeside Road”, today known as Illahee Road. Traveling south on Country Club road to a point not far from the Racquet Club, a right turn onto Illahee Road takes you down to Camp Illahee.  The corner at that turn, today a large, vacant property surrounded by Country Club and Illahee roads, was to have been the location for the lake.  The fifth tee of the golf course was on the second property on the left as you turn onto Illahee Road.  Golfers would drive the ball over the lake to the green behind what is today the west side of Country Club Circle.

The planned permanent home for the club house was just beyond this fifth hole, which would have put it (approximately) where 214 Country Club Circle is today.

Problems began when lot owners for Montclove Estate weren’t building their houses. This didn’t happen until after the war.  Even though 150-200 lots were sold, people were unsure about the future of the golf course and the management of the area. Some people hadn’t even paid for their properties.  After about three years, much of the mortgaged land went back to the Cooper heirs who originally owned the farm. Trying to save the planned community, Pinnix started pushing (through public discussion and meetings) the expansion of the golf course to 18 holes. But they couldn’t afford the expenses and began to seek investment from town residents by soliciting money for the expansion. About 75 local businesses  contributed $100-$200 each.  When the additional holes weren’t built, locals were upset by the situation and became apathetic about its future.

The land was deeded by the owners to the Brevard Country Club, believed to have been a group of local citizens interested in keeping the golf course. This is the point when the Jonestone house became the temporary club house.  By September 1926, Pinnix Land Company was selling 125 home sites and two homes along the “Broad street extension”, “just beyond city hospital” at auction.

In July 1935, the Transylvania Times reported that the Brevard Municipal Golf course had “increased patronage”.  However, it doesn’t seem like it was actually purchased by the City until 1937.  In that year, there were petitions calling for the City to take it over and articles proclaiming that the “Brevard Municipal Golf course is much nearer to being a reality.”

Under new ownership by the City of Brevard, the course was formally re-opened on June 20, 1937.  They had moved the first tee from the old club house (the Montclove house) to the “top of the hill near the entrance to the Montclove Estates, which was formerly the #9 tee. That would have put it about 200 yards or so east of the intersection of today’s North Country Club Road and Meadowbrook Circle.

A month later, Brevard Development Corporation (who was the “developer” entity at that time) announced that they were selling all lots at auction, including all rights of way, roads, trails and electric lines.

Since the Brevard Municipal Golf Course officially had opened under city control, it was time to get a new club house. With community investment and support from the Works Progress Administration (WPA)—a New Deal program launched to create jobs—the town committed to building it. 

On July 3, 1939, the WPA began construction of the new home of the Brevard Country Club by cutting its timbers. The structure was to have 2500 square feet of floor space, with the main floor being 44x55 feet. The plan was to have locker rooms and dressing rooms for ladies and men.  There would also be office space, a large kitchen and tool storage space on the first floor.  The second floor was to be a living space for the caretaker of the course and was to include a complete living quarters, with its own outside entrance. It had walls built using sealed and painted saddle-notched round logs, a chimney, mantel and other features made of fieldstone, a wraparound porch and pine-paneled walls. Designed for year-round use and community gatherings, it was to become a central hub not just for golfers, but for dances, social events and gatherings.

As the post-war years rolled in, local interest in the club surged. In 1953, citizens formed Brevard Country Club, Inc., a private group that leased the clubhouse and golf course from the city. Shares were sold to locals for $10 apiece, creating a unique public-private partnership. The group undertook improvements to the aging clubhouse, including log replacements, screen repairs, and updates to the furnace. A restaurant was added to the facility during this time, reflecting its growing role as a social venue beyond sports.

By May, organizers began urging residents to by stock or memberships in the Club, announcing that 200 shares had already been sold at $10 each. 

Researching old newspaper articles didn’t reveal a lot of details about it, but an announcement in the August 4, 1966 edition of the Transylvania Times said that the Brevard Country Club and golf course was going to be sold at auction. The property contained about 120 acres, the club house and a nine-hole golf course.  The starting bid was $80,000.

In June 2025, the historic log structure came back to life. Still owned by Stewart, the property was leased to a new operator who reopened the Old Hickory House. The grand opening was held on July 5, 2025, marking yet another chapter in the building’s resilient legacy. Unfortunately, the business only lasted a few months. Today, the space is used for special events.

What began as a Depression-era public works project has become one of Brevard’s most enduring landmarks. Through changes in name, ownership, and purpose, the Brevard Country Club clubhouse has continued to serve its community. Its rustic WPA architecture, log construction, and stone hearth speak not only of craftsmanship but of continuity—offering warmth, gathering, and good food for nearly a century.