James Walker Tufts
Encyclopedia
James Walker Tufts is probably best known for his founding of The Village of Pinehurst
, North Carolina
(USA). He also founded the Arctic Soda Fountain Co. and eventually merged with A.D. Puffer & Sons (Boston, Massachusetts), John Matthews (New York City, New York), and Charles Lippincott (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
) to form the American Soda Fountain Co. Tufts was the inventor of the Arctic Soda Fountain and was installed as the first president of the merger that formed American Soda Fountain.
Tufts was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts
to Leonard Tufts and Hepzebah Fosdick Tufts. He was "an entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist. He rose from being a sixteen year old drug store apprentice to becoming a wealthy businessman who had the vision and determination to build Pinehurs, in only six months." In 1895, Tufts initially purchased 500 acres (2 km²), and eventually purchased an additional 5500 acres (22.3 km²), of land for approximately $1.25 per acre in the North Carolina Sandhills
, with the vision of building a "health resort for people of modest means". Originally dubbed "Tuftstown" during development, Tuftstown became the village of Pinehurst, and home of the Pinehurst Resort
-- the name was chosen from a list of losing names proposed for Martha's Vineyard
.
Tufts hired the landscape architecture firm started by Frederick Law Olmsted
to do the initial city planning; because his health was failing, Olmsted himself was unable to play an active role.
Pinehurst later became known for its golf courses with the arrival of golf pro Donald Ross (originally of Dornoch, Scotland) in December, 1900. Ross designed four of Pinehurst's golf courses.
Tufts died in Pinehurst in 1902. Pinehurst was controlled by the Tufts family until 1970. James Tufts's son Leonard, and his grandson, Richard
, succeeded him.
Pinehurst, North Carolina
Pinehurst is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 9,706 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the Pinehurst Resort, venue of the 1936 PGA Championship, the 1951 Ryder Cup. The host site for the 1999, 2005,& 2014 U.S. Open Golf Championships, the 2008 U.S....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(USA). He also founded the Arctic Soda Fountain Co. and eventually merged with A.D. Puffer & Sons (Boston, Massachusetts), John Matthews (New York City, New York), and Charles Lippincott (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
) to form the American Soda Fountain Co. Tufts was the inventor of the Arctic Soda Fountain and was installed as the first president of the merger that formed American Soda Fountain.
Tufts was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
to Leonard Tufts and Hepzebah Fosdick Tufts. He was "an entrepreneur, inventor, and philanthropist. He rose from being a sixteen year old drug store apprentice to becoming a wealthy businessman who had the vision and determination to build Pinehurs, in only six months." In 1895, Tufts initially purchased 500 acres (2 km²), and eventually purchased an additional 5500 acres (22.3 km²), of land for approximately $1.25 per acre in the North Carolina Sandhills
Sandhills (Carolina)
The Sandhills is a region in the interior of the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. It is a strip of ancient beach dunes which generally divides the Piedmont from the coastal plain, and is the evidence of a former coastline when the ocean level was higher, or the land lower. The...
, with the vision of building a "health resort for people of modest means". Originally dubbed "Tuftstown" during development, Tuftstown became the village of Pinehurst, and home of the Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst Resort
Pinehurst Resort is a historic upmarket golf resort at Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA. It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments.-History:...
-- the name was chosen from a list of losing names proposed for Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
.
Tufts hired the landscape architecture firm started by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
to do the initial city planning; because his health was failing, Olmsted himself was unable to play an active role.
Pinehurst later became known for its golf courses with the arrival of golf pro Donald Ross (originally of Dornoch, Scotland) in December, 1900. Ross designed four of Pinehurst's golf courses.
Tufts died in Pinehurst in 1902. Pinehurst was controlled by the Tufts family until 1970. James Tufts's son Leonard, and his grandson, Richard
Richard Tufts
Richard Tufts was a notable figure in American golf in the mid-20th century.Born in Medford, Massachusetts, he was a grandson of James Walker Tufts, the founder of Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, which was long America's preeminent golf resort. Richard Tufts grew up in Massachusetts and...
, succeeded him.