1924 Yorktown Country Club Prospective Life Membership Booklet - Never Developed - Rare
The Yorktown Country Club Lifetime Membership booklet offered here cements the leisure aspects of the game with the historical significance of the Revolutionary War. This highly sought after 32 page first and only edition booklet measures 10 3/4" x 7 3/4". Original brown embossed fabricoid, front stamped in gilt, issued to member Mr. Lee Phillips (with his name in gilt on front cover). Privately printed and author is Jean Henri Clos.
The first golf course at Yorktown was completed in 1926, the Riverview Course. The holes on Riverview were all named with historical significance such as the 13th "Pocahontas," the 3rd "Lafayette," the 1st "George Washington," and the 2nd "Cornwallis' Surrender." Construction was still active on the large hotel/manor and the second course, Lakeview, when the stock market crash of 1929 ended all construction. This lifetime membership booklet was likely given to a prominent society member, preferably one who descended from "Patriots of the Revolutionary War." The country club's main goal was to keep the historical value of the site intact while also providing leisure and socialization for prominent Virginians and socialites from all over the world. Some notable names listed in the booklet as Honorary Members include President Calvin Coolidge, President Howard Taft, Marquis de Lafayette,
Lieutenant General John Lejeune, President Theodore Roosevelt, Prince Gelasio Caetani, Baron de Cartier de Marchienne, and many more.
Yorktown's historical significance is immense. The Siege of Yorktown was a decisive victory for the American and French forces against Great Britain. This victory is widely considered the key battle that started the negotiations of peace between England and the Revolutionaries, essentially ending the Revolutionary War. More than 7,000 British soldiers were captured in what turned out to be Marquis de Lafayette's ability to outwit and out-plan General Cornwallis.
Not very often can you associate something awful like the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression with positive effects, but the never fully realized Yorktown Country Club lead to the Yorktown Colonial National Historical Park, ensuring generations to come can experience the importance of the actions that took place at Yorktown. Golf is a sport that has long standing historical roots in general, and many who love the game are also fascinated by the history behind each component.
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