Hope Valley Country Club records

Hope Valley Country Club was established in Durham in 1926 by real estate developers R. Jesse Mebane and Walter E. Sharpe on a site carved from four existing farms. The community was conceived of as an "automobile suburb" and country club designed to serve the young professionals in Durham's tobacco, textile, and healthcare industries, as well as the faculty of Duke University and the University of North Carolina. Initial progress was made in the 1920s, including the opening of an 18-hole golf course designed by Donald Ross in 1926, which was featured in a 1929 book, Golf and Country Clubs by Clifford Charles Wendehack, an architect of clubhouses. Houses built in the era were built in an eclectic mix of revival styles. During the Great Depression, development stalled due to financial difficulties, despite backing from Smith Richardson, president of Vicks, Inc. Not until after World War II did Hope Valley Country Club begin to seem a viable country club and real estate venture, and the 1940s saw the addition of dozens of homes, a new pro shop, caddy house, and grill room. Many of Durham's businessmen, medical professionals, and professors have lived in Hope Valley. Furthermore, the golf course has been played by professional golfers Byron Nelson and Mike Souchak, and was managed by Will Mann, who went on to become the president of the Professional Golf Association (PGA). Additional material includes research compiled by Dr. Harvey Estes for a 2006 exhibit commemorating the club's 80th anniversary. Included within his research files are histories of the club and notes and photographs of many of the original houses and homeowners.