Joe,
As you stated, "What I find curious is, if this article is accurate, attribution of the "moat hole" to Tilly is not correct. It was already in place by the original architect Jim Lang, the pro at the time at Huntingdon Valley. Of course my good friend Phil Young will chime in here to correct me once again..."
It is my GREAT [pleasure to let you know that for the first time in quite a while is that the conclusion you have drawn from what you read is actually PARTIALLY correct!
It feels wonderful NOT to COMPLETELY correct you!
Seriously though, this is one of a number of points being brought out in Tilly Volume II as I becamse aware of it a while ago. Since you put it out, let me show you where else it has always been and, in fact, as far back as 1914 could be clearly seen that the ORIGINAl "Island Hole" was designed by another.
In the December 1914 issue of The American Golfer there is a wonderful photograph of the island green. I will email you it so you can put it on the thread if you'de like. Ten months later, in the October 1915 issue, it is reported that yje Old Yorke Road Country Club course was to be remodelled "to meet the requirements of modern golf. Three entirely new holes will be added and the others will be considerably changed..." It consinued, saying, "Plans are being prepared by Mr. A.W. Tillinghast amd work will be commenced in the fall..."
Ford's article, in the photo captian, states that, "The fifteenth, or lake hole, is the only one of the original nine that remains today as originally laid out..." This statement appears to be incorrect.
In 1917, Tilly published an advertising booklet titled, Planning a Golf Course (which can be viewed on the Tillinghast Association website) in which he included the plan for the Old York Island Hole. In his comments he states, "Originally the island green was open to a mashie-shot from the teeing-ground over the Alps..." The word "originally" clearly indicates that the direction that the green was played from was different BEFORE the alterations were done. On the drawing (I'm sending you that as well) the "Alps" are clearly shown directly to the right of the green and the teeing-ground referred to was from that direction. In fact, it seems to be implying that originally it was a one-shotter by referring to the "teeing-ground" in that manner, and as Kyle pointed out, Tilly turned it into a two-shotter from a different direction.
That the article is incorrect is clearly seen in the description that Ford writes of the hole. "The fifteenth is the longest hole on the course. Between tee and green 540 yards of fairway, with a boundary on the right and trees on the left, must be traversed. The green has two-levels and a pit at the left..." As can be somewhat seen in the photograph, the "alps" are to the right as Tilly described. I believe that what Ford meant was that the green was the only hole not changed from it's original laying out...
If this is so, then the description of the 15th as being of 540-yards, shows that there was ANOTHER redesign of the course AFTER 1917 when Tilly wrote the booklet and January of 1925 when Ford published this article.
So yes, Joe, someone else originally designed the GREEN, but TILLY redesigned the hole... and then someone else redesigned Tilly's work and reused the green once again...