"TEPaul claims that the 1910 map perfectly shows the 117 acre parcel that Haverford would purchase. But this too is wrong. The Golf Course land pictured is more than 117 acres, for the very reason you provide above; there is too much golf course land across from the clubhouse."
The above is a completely fallacious statement!
1. In president Evans' statement to the board he mentioned the 117 acres for a golf course had been negotiated by Connell and Lloyd.
2. Nickolson of HDC writes a letter to Evans making an offer of the 117 acres for $85,000.
3. After approval by the board Evans writes Nickolson back agreeing to his offer on behalf of MCC. This was not a option between HDC and MCC as your essay contends (the only options were between HDC and a few landowners), it was merely an agreement in principle provided MCC agree to create a golf course. Evan says to Nickolson MCC first needs to set up and register a corporation (The MCC Golf Association Co) and then they will proceed to lay off (he actually said that) a golf course on the 117 acres of land.
4. In Lloyd's circular to the membership on Nov. 15, 1910 explaining the course and the development (HDC) to the west and north he also references the 117 acres had been secured for a golf course and he also refernces in the same circular that the 117 acres for THE GOLF COURE is depicted in green on the Nov. 15, 1910 land plan.
So you are absolutely wrong. The area in green (PROPOSED GOLF COURSE) on the Nov. 15, 1910 land plan is 117 acres!
"The rest of the border looks to be about accurate, and the total purchased was 117 acres, same as in the 1910 plan. So we can net out the differences between the acreage created by the APPROXIMATE road with the acreage created by the final road. Comparing the two, the APPROXIMATE road creates too much land."
Wrong again!
1. The total purchased by Rothwell from HDC on Dec. 16, 1910 was 161 acres.
2. The total purchased by Horatio Gates Lloyd et ux from Rothwell three days later on Dec. 19, 1910 was 161 acres.
Your essay contends HDC sold the land to MCC in the beginning of Jan. 1911. Wrong again. Lloyd et ux NOT MCC would BUY the land and hold the land from Dec. 19, 1910 until July, 1911 at which point he would transfer it back to Rothwell who would immediately transfer it to the MCC Golf Association Co. Your essay reflects none of this seemingly important and significant transfer arrangement that appears to have been done so Lloyd could move certain boundary lines for the proposed 117 acre coursearound at will with the contiguous 221 acres of the HDC land. Apparently you never realized any of that. Lloyd on the advice of Cuylers had taken 161 acres into his own name which included the exact dimensions of the 117 acres for the golf course for the express purpose of being able to move boundaries lines around at will with HDC if needed. It was needed and he did so. Thompson's 4/19/11 board resolution reflected that when it referenced "land already purchased exchanged for land adjoining."
Furthermore, people like Lloyd were high powered businessmen and not dumb about financial negotiations. If he had been negotiating with Connell for the best price he could get from HDC for 117 acres for MCC (which happened to be half the per acre price HDC agreed to pay for the total 338 acres) do you really think he would be out there with Francis visibly creating a routing and design plan with Macdonald and/or Barker?
Not to mention the Dallas estate would not be agreed upon for some time. The MCC records actually indicate MCC felt they should not appear too aggressive for fear of kiting the purchase price of the Dallas estate or perhaps other land.