Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Linville / The Eseeola Lodge at Linville Golf Club
The Eseeola Lodge at Linville Golf Club
Linville, North Carolina, United States · Independent · Core Luxury
The MacRae family opened the original Eseeola Inn on July 4, 1892, on about 16,000 acres near Grandfather Mountain, and Linville is often cited as one of the first golf resorts. Fire took the lodge in 1936. Henry Bacon, architect of the Lincoln Memorial, specified chestnut shingles for the replacement, and Donald Ross's course, begun in 1924, still lets lodge guests play.
- 24 rooms
- Opened 1892
- Neighborhood: Linville Historic District
- Architect: Henry Bacon
About The Eseeola Lodge at Linville Golf Club
- The MacRae family opened the original Eseeola Inn on 4 July 1892, after purchasing about 16,000 acres near Grandfather Mountain.
- Linville is often cited as one of the world's first golf resorts, founded by Scottish-descended investors.
- The original lodge burned in 1936; its 26-room replacement was clad in chestnut shingles specified by architect Henry Bacon, designer of the Lincoln Memorial.
- The adjacent Linville Golf Club course was designed by Donald Ross beginning in 1924 and reopened in 1926.
History
The Eseeola Lodge traces its origins to 1892, when the MacRae family of Wilmington and fellow investors, having purchased some 16,000 acres in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain, opened the Eseeola Inn to draw tourists to the crisp air of the Blue Ridge. Being of Scottish descent, the founders soon gave the resort a golf course, and Linville is often cited as one of the world's first golf resorts.
The original lodge burned in 1936, after which an adjacent annex took over as the main house. Clad in American chestnut shingles (since replaced by poplar) specified by architect Henry Bacon—the designer of the Lincoln Memorial—the twenty-six-room lodge retains great rooms bookended by stone fireplaces, a paneled dining hall, and guest rooms with private bark-covered porches.
A block away lies the Linville Golf Club, whose championship course was designed by Donald Ross beginning in 1924 and reopened in 1926; the private course remains open to guests of the lodge. The lushly manicured grounds include a trout creek, perennial borders, and a croquet lawn where traditional attire is preferred.
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