| Forsyth County Historical Association Forsyth County, North Carolina |
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PLANTATION HISTORY
In the middle 1780’s, two Zimmerman brothers came to North Carolina from Culpepper County, Virginia to “seek their fortunes”. One brother returned to Virginia, but
Reuben Zimmerman remained and purchased a plot of land overlooking Muddy Creek. He took up residence in a log cabin which he built or which may have already been
there.
In 1787, Reuben returned to Virginia and brought to North Carolina his family, consisting of wife Elizabeth and two year old daughter Nancy. Ensuing years saw the arrival
of four more children: sons John, James, and Reuben, and daughter Elizabeth.
Reuben Zimmerman died in 1842 and was buried in the family graveyard, which lies inside the stone walled area east of the present #18 green. After Reuben’s death,
Elizabeth and her five children continued running the farm. Daughter Elizabeth subsequently married Philip Barrow, who bought the interests of the other Zimmerman children
and became the sole owner of the property, increasing its size by further purchases of adjacent land.
By 1845, there were several log cabins on the farm. In addition to the original cabin, there was a kitchen building, a wash house, a smoke house (this building is now
located by the 6th tee), an ice house (which was a hole in the ground with a roof), a barn, and several cabins where 10 to 12 slaves lived. In 1845, Philip Barrow built the brick
house which now comprises the front part of the Pine Brook Club House building. The brick house consisted of six bedrooms, living room, music room, sewing room, and four
bathrooms. The new house was built adjacent to the old log cabin, which then became the dining room. Kitchen facilities continued to be a separate building. Philip Barrow
and wife Elizabeth continued to live in the house until their deaths in the 1870’s raising three children, James, Susan Elizabeth and Reuben.
About 1814, another family was being started, a family which was to merge with the Barrows. This family was started when William Cox married Nancy Leedy, producing
several children. First, there was Joseph Martin Cox, then Mary Louisa Cox, then Romulus Leedy Cox, and perhaps Emmaline Cox. Romulus was born in 1834 and served as
a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army, taking part in the historic battle of Gettysburg. After the war, he married Susan Elizabeth Barrow and then purchased the entire estate
from the Barrows in 1873. From then on the estate was known as the Cox Plantation and was increased in size until it totaled about 1000 acres, embracing all the present Pine
Brook Country Club area, the farm across the road (where Reuben Barrow had built a brick house in the late 1860’s), and all of the land occupied by the housing area
presently surrounding Pine Brook Country Club.
Romulus and Susan had seven children, two of whom died before reaching their first birthday. The surviving daughters, Lula May, Mary (Betty), and Daisey Sue, did not
marry, but the two sons Charles Philip Cox and Robert Martin Cox, married and had children. Charles’ son, Romulus, died as an infant and Robert had two children, Robert
Martin Cox Jr. and Eleanor Sue Cox, who was an important source of information for this history.
Susan Cox died in 1880, following the birth of her seventh child. Romulus lived on at the plantation and was an active citizen in the County, serving as County Treasurer,
and Commissioner for ten years. During the late 1890’s Romulus’ sister, Mary Lousia, came to live with him following the 1897 death of brother Joseph, for whom Mary had
served as housekeeper. Romulus Cox died in 1924, after which son Robert managed the plantation. He also became a leader in the community, serving as a State
Representative from 1917 to 1931.
In 1926, the plantation house was modernized, with electricity and steam heat installed. Interesting notes about the house include the fact that the room now called the
“Blue Room” was the living/music room and that the house main entrance was the door leading to the tiled porch facing the golf course practice green. Also, the floor of the
Blue Room consists of two layers of one inch thick sub-flooring, overlayed with two complete separate floors of hardwood, all resting on large beam joists. (This flooring
arrangement, was discovered in 1984, when the floor had to be opened up to repair a leaking steam pipe.) Also worth mentioning is the fact that the walls of the original log
cabin still survive in the Clubhouse, the logs being enclosed behind the walls of the present “Bridge Room”. Second floor rooms presently used for storage include a full cedar
lined room and a large room which served as the area where, during plantation life, dressmakers came to the home for a period of a week to make all the clothes to be used
by the family during the following year.
The Cox families continued to live in the house until 1952, when the entire estate was sold to the Plantation Homes Corporation, which divided the property for further
development.
Most of the Zimmerman-Barrow-Cox family members are buried in the family graveyard in the woods east of the 18th green. All graves are those of family members except
for one, that of a friend who died while visiting the family in 1820. Outside the southeast corner of the graveyard is a small stone marking the grave of “Colonel”, the family pet
St. Bernard dog.
PINE BROOK COUNTRY CLUB HISTORY
In the early 1950’s, a group of local residents played golf regularly at the Reynolds Park Golf Course. Because of some dissatisfaction with golf arrangements at
Reynolds, one of the group, Robert G. Zimmerman (no relation to plantation founder Reuben Zimmerman) suggested that the group start a golf club of its own. In 1953, Bob
Zimmerman, Wiley Fleenor, Gene Phillips and Ed Semon met for preliminary discussions. They agreed to meet again the following week, with each one bringing three
interested friends. This second meeting was held with 14 men in attendance and plans were laid to proceed with the project. The initial step was to start soliciting 300 charter
members at $300 each.
Membership interest was sufficient to encourage the continuance of the plan and two properties were considered: The Cox farm off Germanton Road and the K. and W.
farm near Old Town School. Wiley Fleenor then arranged for the consulting services of Golf Pro Ellis Maples, who had recently designed a nine hole golf course at Raleigh.
Topography maps were supplied to Maples and he was requested to make preliminary drawings for the two locations. By now it was January 1953, with more organizational
meetings being held. A twelve man Board of Directors was formed with Wiley Fleenor as its President. The membership drive was progressing well and the first Membership
Certificates were issued in February.
At the next meeting, Ellis Maples reported that the K. and W. farm was unsuitable for a golf course and presented his design for an 18 hole course on the Cox plantation.
Negotiations were then started and the Cox farm was purchased for $85,000. By mid 1954, the Charter Membership reached 297 and golf course construction was started.
The front nine construction moved along easily because that area had long been pasture land. The back nine area however, was fully wooded and it took several months of
bulldozing to clear the areas for the fairways. A dam was created to block off the creek and form the last at #15.
While golf course construction was being supervised by Ellis Maples, volunteers were busy converting the Cox home into a club house. Effort in the living/music room area
entailed removing a wall and the stairway leading to the second floor, transforming the area into the present “Blue Room” to serve as the initial ballroom. The Cox dining room
(the original log cabin, now the Bridge Room) was made into a bar/food area similar to the present Turn Room. The Cox garage located at the east end of the Cox house
(near what is now the steel stairway leading to the Turn Room) became the first Pro Shop.
While golf course construction and club house conversion were underway, important fund raising efforts were being conducted. Of the approximate 300 acres originally
purchased, half were dedicated to the golf course and the remainder was subdivided into 115 building lots, with 70 being sold the first year for prices ranging from $2100 to
$2700, the income being used to pay for golf course construction.
Finally the golf course was completed, having the first bent grass greens in the southeast outside the mountain courses. On May 14, 1955, the course opened for play.
Although the day was rainy and cool, everyone wanted to play, and it was hard to get a starting time. The initial foursomes consisted of Ellis Maple and 11 of the 12 Directors,
(Ed Semon was away on a trip). Gam Bates, Sr. was the low scorer for the day with a 72.
Ellis Maples was the initial Golf Pro but remained less than a year. He left in 1956 to design and construct the Boone Golf Club. His reputation grew and he became
nationally famous. Among the additional Maples designed courses are those of Cedar Rock, Whispering Pines, Ground Hog Mountain, Grandfather Mountain, Bermuda Run,
and the Country Club of North Carolina.
In 1957, the swimming pool was put in and Pine Brook continued to grow, with the main ball room and locker rooms being added in 1967, followed by the present Pro
Shop/Cart Barn in 1972. Improvements to Pine Brook continue to be made, including the installation of complete cart paths on the golf course, a fairway watering system, a
new maintenance shed, a new green at #17 hole, an expanded parking lot, the refurbishment of the swimming pool, and further renovations in the club house, including new
air conditioning and heating systems. It is expected that Pine Brook will continue improving, providing an excellent place for golf and country club enjoyment and serving as a
fitting monument to the legacy of Reuben Zimmerman, who came to the area in the 1780’s to seek his fortune and did so by founding a memorable plantation and lineage.
| PINEBROOK COUNTRY CLUB How It Came To Be by Earl L. Lauber Nov. 1991 Reprinting permission by Tony Johnson, Manager of PCC |