Seeking info and images of Musconetcong Country Club
Hi, I am seeking info and images of Hackettstown's Musconetcong Country Club. It is presently Mine Brook Golf Club and at one time called Hidden Hills Golf Course. What I have learned so far I found in past issues of local newspapers. Dr. Robert J. Trevorrow, who was Centenary College's President, was elected the first President of MCC approx 23 Jul 1920. At that time MCC had purchased the Price Farm for its new course and clubhouse. A Hackettstown resident by the name of Lt. Charles T. Wade of the US Navy supervised the construction of the golf course. Charles T. Wade was the son of former Hackettstown Mayor Charles N. Wade and grew up at 315 Washington St., the present Board of Ed building. Charles T. Wade had a long naval career, at one time teaching math at the US Naval Academy and had patent applications that can be viewed online. Wade served during the SpanAm War and was aboard the USS Bennington after the War on 21 Jul 1905 in San Diego, CA harbor when the ship's boiler exploded and 66 of the crew were killed. Wade, who was an Engineering Ensign, was indicted / blamed for the explosion and eventually acquitted. Eleven men earned the Medal of Honor that day and a Hackettstown local paper managed to claim that Wade was one of them when he was not. Charles T. Wade died 14 Jul 1942 and his remains were buried at sea on 6 Aug 1942. He has a cenotaph grave marker at Union Cemetery. The Musconetcong Country Club golf course opened for play on Memorial Day 1921. A Country Club banquet was held previously in late Jan 1921 and Wade was awarded a silver cup and a bag of golf clubs for having supervised the construction of the original 9 hole course. I would love to know if anyone can tell me the name of the designer of the original 9 holes? Also I would enjoy seeing any early images of the course. Thanks, Karl Jensen
Karl D Jensen As the golf course is in Washington Twp (Morris) perhaps the Washington Twp Historical Society can help you, their website: http://wthsnj.org/ They would also be interested in historical details you uncover. The municipal building probably has a big file regarding the property.
OnTheEdge Thank you On TheEdge for your suggestion about contacting WTHS. I have recently written the Hackettstown Historical Society and have yet to receive a reply. If a well known early golf architect laid out the original 9 holes, that would be a very desirable plus for the golf course's history and make it very popular. Best regards, Karl
Hopefully you do not uncover any video evidence of me dancing during the time that it was The Nook.
hope
Reggie Voter John Lawrence Grace WWII veteran, prominent in Somerset County golf circles with participatory design roles at Fox Hollow and head pro at Fiddler's Elbow, introduced the sport to many in the region, 97 John Lawrence Grace, 97, of Branchburg, N.J., passed away peacefully on May 22, 2019, at home surrounded by his loving family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, May 25, at Our Lady of Lourdes, Whitehouse Station, N.J. Burial to follow at Union Cemetery, Hackettstown, N.J. Visitation will be held at Kearns Funeral Home, 103 Old Highway 28, Whitehouse Station, N.J., on Friday, May 24, 2019, from 6 to 8 pm. John was born on June 12, 1921 to the late William and Catherine Clark Grace. He was the second youngest of nine children. He went to Hackettstown High School and attended Rutgers to study turf management. John enlisted at the outbreak of World War II. He served in the Army Air Corps stationed in Alaska, where he served as a prop specialist maintaining bombers and achieving the rank of sergeant. After the war John returned home to Hackettstown, where he eventually leased the Musconetcong Country Club. He became the pro/ manager at Green Knoll Golf Course when Somerset County opened its first golf course. He was a tremendous athlete and was instrumental to introducing the sport of golf to many. John loved to teach and was known widely for his ability to both introduce and polish the game. He enjoyed golf course construction and was part of the construction of both Fox Hollow Country Club and Fiddler's Elbow Country Club. He stayed at Fiddler's Elbow as the head professional for more than 25 years. He was also past president of the NJ Winter (Golf) League. Upon retiring, John enjoyed going to the gym. First he joined Gold's gym in Flemington, but then signed up to be one of the first members of the Wellness Center in Whitehouse Station. John went there until shortly before his death and he leaves behind many friends. John is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Patricia; his sister, Catherine of Dania Beach, Fla., as well as his daughter, Jeannine Grace Svard, and sons, John M. (the late Maryann Grace), and Sean P. (Cristine Grace). He is also survived by several grand- and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Nancy Grace Romero, and brothers, William, James, Harry and Eugene, as well as sisters, Mary, Alice and Anne.
It apparently had another name also:
"In fact, both siblings grew up "in the business," as their father was superintendent of what was then Musconetcong Golf & Country Club in Hackettstown, now known as Minebrook Golf Club."
https://www.njherald.com/sports/20170714/newton-country-club-recognized-for-its-environmental-program
Thanks again, I do have the Grace newspaper obit. I'll keep looking. One of the early golf professionals of the MCC was a Scotsman named John A. Thomson. He died in 1958 and is buried in Union Cemetery with his wife Bella. Regards, Karl
For all golfers who play Minebrook Golf Club, I want to share interesting information I have found about the origins of the golf course. The original nine holes of the golf course, that was built from 1920 to 1921, were designed by a renowned golf architect named Herbert Strong. Mr. Strong was an English professional golfer who competed during the early 20th century against such golf greats as Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. He was in the thick of the 1913 US Open Championship that amateur golfer Francis Ouimet won. Strong went on to a career in golf architecture up and down the East Coast and into Canada. Strong designed the Canterbury Golf Club in Ohio that has hosted the 1940 and 1946 US Open, the 1964 and 1979 US Amateur and 1973 PGA Championship. Strong also designed the Engineers Country Club in New York which hosted the 1919 PGA Championship and 1920 US Amateur. He also designed the Old Course at the Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania that has hosted multiple USGA Championships. Mr. Strong was one of the founders of the PGA in the United States. Attached is a portion of a 19 Nov 1920 Hackettstown Gazette article, that had a hole by hole description of the 9 hole golf course being built by the Musconetcong Country Club. The article attributes the course design to Herbert Strong along with the consulting of a William Tucker who represented a grass seed company out of New York City. Who knew that our local Hackettstown golf course had such a golf design pedigree. A diamond in the rough.
Two photos are attached of golf professional and architect Herbert Strong. In top photo Strong is to the far right of Jack Hutchinson who is teeing off. In the bottom photo Strong stands in the center of group of golfers. Willie Anderson to the far left was a 4 time US Open Champion and Jack "Jock" Hutchinson to the far right was a British Open and PGA Champion. Fred McLeod was also a US Open Champion.
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