Here is the time line as best I've gathered it. I need to tidy up the presentation, but feel free to suggest changes, adds and deletions. I'll try to accommodate and record them in this one post. Preferably not speculations.
When | | What | | Source |
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Mar. 15, 1907 | | Philadelphia and Ardmore Land Company (PALCO) incorporated. | | Pennsylvania Department of State |
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Feb. 21, 1907 | | Philadelphia and Ardmore Land Co. (PALCO) acquire the Johnson Farm from Gebhard Fecht for $48,000. This is the beginning of the assembly of the 338 acre HDC development. | | Deed |
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Jun. 14, 1909 | | Haverford Development Company (HDC) was incorporated with $100,000 par value.
Subscribers: J. E. Tatnall (68 shares) J. R. Connell (66 shares) E. W. Nicholson (66 shares) | | Pennsylvania Department of State |
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June 24, 1909 | | Haverford Development Company (HDC) acquires 67 acre Connor Estate from Land Title and Trust Company. | | Deed |
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Jun. 10, 1910 | | Sometime before June 10, Joseph Connell, on his own account, retains H. H. Barker to inspect the Haverford property, sketch the property and provide a rough lay-out of a course. On June 10, 1910, Barker inspected the property and submitted a letter, sketch of the property and lay-out of the course to Connell. | | A transcription of Barker’s letter to Connell is included in report by MCC golf site search committee to the Board |
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Jun. 29, 1910 | | Sometime before June 29, Griscom invites Macdonald and Whigham to come over from New York to give the benefit of their experience. On June 29, Macdonald writes to Lloyd giving his view of the merits and issues with the property and his ideas on a 6,000 yard course. | | Report by MCC golf site search committee to the Board and Macdonald letter |
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Jul. 1, 1910 | | The MCC Site Committee reports to the Board that its attention has been called to an approximately 300 acre tract, half owned and half optioned by a Syndicate represented by Joseph Connell, that they considered for the golf course. (At this time, the Syndicate through PALCO and HDC own the Johnson Farm and the Connor Estate respectively, totalling 207 acres. The remaining properties that comprise the 338 acre HDC development, are the Dallas Estate, the Davis Estate and the Taylor estate, totalling 135 acres. There is no information yet available about which of these properties were optioned at that time. Clearly the half owned vs half optioned statement appears to be incorrect.)[/color) | | Site Committee report to the Board |
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Jul. 1, 1910 | | The site committee reported that Connell had offered (presumably some time before July 1) 100 acres, or whatever would be required to lay out the course for $825 an acre. The 100 acres would cost $82,500. | | Site Committee report to the Board |
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Jul. 1, 1910 | | The site committee further notes that they think it is probable that nearly 120 acres would be required for Merion’s purposes and that if it could be obtained at not exceeding $90,000, it would be a wise purchase. | | Site Committee report to the Board |
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Jul. to Nov. 1910 | | Merion and HDC negotiate the land deal for the golf course | | Inferred from the original offer in July and the securing of 117 acres in November. |
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Oct. 31, 1910 | | Rothwell buys the Dallas Estate from the executors of the late David Dallas’ will, for $21,020. | | Deed |
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Nov. 9, 1910 | | Rothwell sells the Dallas Estate to HDC for $1 and subject to a mortgage of $14,020. | | Deed |
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Nov. 9, 1910 | | Haverford Development Company sells two parcels totalling 4 acres of the Connor Estate back to the Land Title and Trust Company for $25,000. | | Deed |
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Nov. 15, 1910 | | Lloyd solicits MCC members to buy HDC stock up to $150,000 to enable purchase and development of a 338 acre tract. He describes the 338 acres as being comprised of 5 tracts and says the will be acquired in the future. The 5 tracts are:
Johnson Farm 140 137/1000 ac.
Dallas Estate 21 ac.
Taylor Estate 56 ac.
Davis Estate 58 ac.
Connor Estate 63 ac. (north of College, 67 ac. in 1908, but two plots totalling 4 ac. sold to Land Title and Trust Co. on November 9, 1910)
Total 338 137/1000 ac.
In this time frame, PALCO owns the Johnson Farm and HDC owns the Connor Estate, while the Dallas Estate has just been purchased a couple of weeks before by HDC. The Taylor Estate and Davis Estate appear to have been under option. | | Lloyd letter to MCC members. |
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Nov. 15, 1910 | | Some time before November 15, MCC secures 117 acres at $726.50 an acre, or $85,000 for the golf course and reports it to the membership on November 15. | | Allen Evans letter to the MCC members. |
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Nov. 15, 1910 | | Contemporaneously with securing the 117 acres for the golf course Lloyd also reportedly secures an option on an additional 13 acres bringing the total for the golf course to 130 acres. | | Two newspaper stories from January 1911. |
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November 15, 1910 | | In the letter from Allen Evans to MCC members, attached to the Lloyd letter referred to above, of the same date, it is noted that the $85,000 price is a good deal made possible by the action of certain members of the Club, who, with others, not members of the Club, have acquired (which contradicts the attached letter, which says they will acquire) a tract of 338 acres, under the name of Haverford Development Co. This property adjoins the grounds of Haverford College, between College Avenue and Ardmore Avenue, directly on the Philadelphia and Western Railway, with a station at either end of the property - a plan of the property is enclosed. | | President Allen Evan's November 15,1910 letter to the membership |
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Nov. 1910 | | Tom P. reports that there was an exchange of letters between Nickelson of the HDC and president Evans of MCC optioning the 117 acres for the MCC golf course. | | Tom Paul’s report of letters between Nickelson of the HDC and president Evans of MCC |
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Dec. 1910 | | Tom P. reports that there was a letter sent from Cuylers to Lloyd suggesting he take the 161 acres of the the Johnson Farm and Dallas Estate into his own name to make it esier ti adjust boundaries. | | Tom Paul’s report of a letter from Cuylers to Lloyd |
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3rd week of Dec. 1910 | | Cuylers gets the MCC Golf Association Company set up with officers, with a certain amount of stock and registered. | | NA |
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Dec. 16, 1910 | | 161 acres comprised of the Johnson Farm and the Dallas Estate was transferred from HDC to a man by the name of Rothwell for $1.00. | | Reflected in a deed dated Dec. 16, 1910. |
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Dec. 19, 1910 | | Three days later Rothwell transferred the 161 acre property to Lloyd. | | Reflected in a deed dated Dec. 19, 1910 |
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Still under debate | | The land now covered by fine homes along Golf House Road was exchanged for land about 130 yards wide by 190 yards long---the present location of the 15th green and the 16th tee. | | Francis reminisces in 1950 US Open Program |
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Jan. 6, 1911 | | HDC acquires the 56 acre Taylor Estate | | Inferred from Deed |
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Jan. 11, 1911 | | Wilson appointed to chairmanship of the Construction Committee and they hold their first meeting of January 11, 1911. | | Tom Paul reports from MCC minutes |
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Feb. 2, 1911 | | Haverford Development Company acquires 58.097 acre Davis Estate from J. Lewis and Carrie Davis. | | Deed |
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Second Week of Mar. 1911 | | “Your committee desires to report that after laying out many different golf courses on the new ground, they went down to the National course with Mr. Macdonald and spent the evening going over his plans and the various data he had gathered abroad in regard to golf courses. The next day we spent on the ground studying......"
"On our return, we re-arranged the course and laid out five different plans. | | MCC Minutes, April 19, 1911 |
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Apr. 6, 1911 | | On April 6th, Mr. Macdonald and Mr. Whigham came over and spent the day… “ | | MCC Minutes, April 19, 1911 |
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Apr. 19,1911 | | Whereas the Golf Committee presented a plan showing the proposed layout of the new golf ground which necessitated the exchange of a portion of the land already purchased for other land adjoining...Resolved that the board approve the exchange.………….. and the purchase of 3 acres additional for $7,500 ( we have always referred to as the P&W railroad property …….. but the club wouldn't actually buy that land from the P&W Railroad ……. until over a half century later) | | Thompson's board resolution |
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July 19, 1911 | | HDC reacquires from Lloyd, the 41 acres of the Johnson Farm left after MCCGA took their 99 acre part. | | Inferred from Deed |
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Jul. 19, 1911 | | Lloyd transferred 120.01 acres of his 161 acre Dec. 21, 1910 deed back to Rothwell who transferred it to the MCC Golf Association Company the same day. The purchase is encumbered with a mortgage of $85,000. | | July 21, 1911 deed |
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