What do you know about ODG archie Wallace Moir?

[Joe Bausch]

Yesterday while at the Free Library of PHL I came upon an article from 1930 where a nine-hole course was built overlooking Barnegat Bay in New Jersey and the architect listed as Wallace Moir.  And I have to admit I had never heard the name before.

The article went on to say he had designed many other courses in the Philly area as well as Pennsylvania.  Hmmm, how could I have never heard of him?!

A quick Google search turned up this lone article from the 1946 Miami News:





A quick check of some databases I have access to has turned up little more.

What other courses did he do?

[Neil Regan]

Joe,

  I have never heard of him either. I also did some googling and found these pieces. I'd guess you have also found them, but in case you have not, here are the links. Nothing of relevance to GCA, but a link to a presumed relative who may know more.(  Janet Moir Mccaffrey j.mccaffrey@comcast.net)

Wallace Moir gravesite

His father James Moir gravesite

Presumed relative Janet Moir Mccaffrey info



If this is your man, his father was a Scottish immigrant, a tailor and a soldier, who became, i.a., mayor of Scranton. His name is ( or was) on the cornerstone of Scranton City Hall.




Wallace Moir

Birth:    Jul. 25, 1875
Scranton
Lackawanna County
Pennsylvania, USA
Death:    Sep. 18, 1956
Philadelphia
Philadelphia County
Pennsylvania, USA


Born in Scranton to the Hon. James Moir (former mayor of Scranton), married Daisy Mae Wenz and had five children: Florence Mildred Moir (Pace), Wallace Wenz Moir, Grace Dorothy Moir (Morris, Crouch), Frances Elizabeth Moir (Huff, Langschur), and James Moir.

[Mark McKeever]

Never heard of him until yesterday.  I wonder what other courses he had a hand in??

Mark

[Joe Bausch]

Neil, many thanks for this info.  I'm following up on it and will reveal later my findings.

[Sven Nilsen]

Joe:

Interesting find.  The "over 50 well known courses" line may be a bit of hyperbole, as the historical record seems to have ignored his work.

Looking forward to see what you come up with.

Sven

[Joe Bausch]

I know a bit more now about the "Wallace Moir" that was dug up by Neil.  This from a relative of that Wallace:

In 1910 he was a sewer engineer in Scranton
In 1920 he  was a foreman for a pile driving company and living in East Lansdowne, PA
Same location for 1930 with occupation listed as surveyor/construction engineer
1940 census info came out this past summer but we haven't been able to locate him yet
He died 18 Sep 1956 in Philadelphia

Need more work!  Stay tuned.

[John Gosselin]

 Another Moir, Gordon, is the Director of Maintenance for the courses at St Andrew. Must be a distant relative?

[Joe Bausch]

I know a bit more now about the "Wallace Moir" that was dug up by Neil.  This from a relative of that Wallace:

In 1910 he was a sewer engineer in Scranton
In 1920 he  was a foreman for a pile driving company and living in East Lansdowne, PA
Same location for 1930 with occupation listed as surveyor/construction engineer
1940 census info came out this past summer but we haven't been able to locate him yet
He died 18 Sep 1956 in Philadelphia

Need more work!  Stay tuned.

Neil (and others),

Janet Moir did some further digging and is very confident the Wallace Moir in her family tree is not this golf architect Wallace Moir.

D'oh!

[Joe Bausch]

Another Moir, Gordon, is the Director of Maintenance for the courses at St Andrew. Must be a distant relative?

Interesting. 

[Joe Bausch]

I recently stumbled upon an article mentioning other courses Moir was involved with, this from the Feb 17, 1928 edition of the Chester (PA) Times: