Farmington Country Club

Farmington Country Club is a country club in Charlottesville, Virginia, adjacent to the University of Virginia. The octagonal east wing of the clubhouse, constructed in 1802 as an addition to the pre-1780 structure, was designed by Thomas Jefferson. [ [http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/Farmington Farmington, Monticello.org] ]

Farmington Country Club is a private club located in Charlottesville, Virginia at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Known for its commitment to warm, southern hospitality, the Club offers golf, tennis, fitness and aquatic opportunities to its members, as well as fine and casual dining. Farmington enjoys a large number of members who are resident to Charlottesville and the surrounding area, but also offers Nonresident memberships to those outside of a 60 mile radius. These Nonresident members are often alumni (or their parents of friends), of the University of Virginia. Membership is by invitation only.

Farmington History

The Clubhouse

What is now the Clubhouse was originally a spacious plantation house with an elongated wing that contained several guest rooms for the Divers’ extended family. It was originally designed by Thomas Jefferson and completed in 1803. Separate quarters existed for servants, who provided the luxurious living of another age. The farm buildings consisted of rows of box stalls for horses (since converted to locker rooms), large barns, and numerous other buildings. The main house, or Clubhouse, is a large, impressive brick structure. Through the portico, one enters the Jefferson Room. In 1976, the Jefferson Room was restored under the direction of Dr. Frederick D. Nichols, Professor of Jeffersonian Architecture at the University of Virginia.
Similar to the all-weather passageway at Monticello, a covered passageway with fascinating flying buttresses led the plantation’s residents from the main house to the stable. This passageway now leads our members and their guests to and from the Clubhouse, Fitness Center, swimming pool, and the Farmington Grill. The Fitness Center and Grill were added in the late 1990s.
Except for the barns and a number of outlying buildings, all of the original buildings have been retained and updated. The guest wing has been converted into a “Guest Gallery”. Below and in front of this Gallery is the swimming pool. Since the Club opened in 1929, two additional guest galleries have been added, both in keeping with the original design. One is an extension of the first gallery. The second faces the First Tee of the 18-hole golf course and is adjacent to the Farmington Grill.

The Course

The Club’s 27 holes, driving range, putting greens, short game practice area and indoor hitting area offer excellent opportunities for practice, social and competitive golf. The original 18-hole golf course was designed by Fred Findlay in 1928. An additional nine holes were added in 1965 in an area that was once the steeplechase course.

More recently, the Club added a driving range, short game practice area, and an indoor practice facility. In 2003, the Club completed a new irrigation system, and an extensive greens re-grassing project on the 18-hole course in Spring 2004. Farmington has a talented staff of golf professionals, led by Head Pro Rob McNamara (voted Golf magazine’s Pro of the Year in 2002 and PING fitter of the year in 2008).

Farmington’s golf facilities are among the finest in the mid-Atlantic region. The North and South Nines were the site of the 1993 U.S. Senior Amateur Championship and are consistently recognized as one of Virginia’s top traditional golf courses.

Chain of Title to Farmington

July 25, 1745, Michael Holland conveyed this land to Charles Lewis of Goochland.
April 7, 1758, Charles Lewis conveyed to Francis Jerdone of Louisa.
April 11, 1785, Francis Jerdone conveyed to George Divers.
June 1, 1830, George Divers devised this land, by will, to his nephew, Isaac White.
November 23, 1840, Isaac White conveyed to John Coles Carter, 815 acres more or less.
September 30, 1852, John C. Carter conveyed to General Bernard Peyton.
July 3, 1854, General Bernard Peyton devised this land, by will, to his widow, Mrs. Julia A. Peyton.
January 1, 1860, Mrs. Julia A. Peyton conveyed to Mrs. Mary Ann Harper her deed calling for 881 acres more or less.
May 7, 1877, Mrs. Harper devised this land, by will, to her daughter, Miss Lucille Wood, and her son, Warner Wood. Miss Lucille Wood died intestate, leaving her brother, Warner Wood, as sole heir at law.
September 2, 1902, Warner Wood left Farmington to his widow, Mrs. Maggie L. Wood by will.
September 15, 1927, Mrs. Maggie L. Wood and J. W. Fishburne, surviving Executor of deceased Warner Wood, conveyed to Farmington, Incorporated.
April 12, 1979, Farmington, Incorporated sold Farmington Country Club to the membership.

Controversy

Farmington gained notoriety in the late 1960s and early 1970s for its membership policy. The Club has always admitted new members by invitation only. University of Virginia President Edgar F. Shannon, Jr. resigned from the club in the late 1960s over its refusal to admit blacks, and in response the University banned the use of University funds for entertaining in segregated facilities for a period of time.cite book
url=http://repo.lib.virginia.edu:18080/fedora/get/uva-lib:178665/uva-lib-bdef:105/getPageTurner?behav=getImageBrowse&page=uva-lib:179253
title=Mr. Jefferson's University: A History
last=Dabney
first=Virginius
authorlink=Virginius Dabney
publisher=University of Virginia Press
location=Charlottesville
year=1981
pages=480-2] In 1976, University of Virginia President Frank Hereford's membership resulted in controversy at the University and one faculty resignation. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917976,00.html "Jeffersonian Dilemma", February 9, 1976, Time Magazine] ] The incident became the catalyst for social change at the University including the establishment of an Office of Minority Affairs. [ [http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=28674&pid=1518 "Retrospective race relations", by Kristin Hawkins, November 17, 2006, The Cavalier Daily] ] Although Farmington Country Club remains private, and its memberships are by invitation only, it has since implemented a non-discrimination policy that has been in practice since the 1970s. Farmington Country Club does not discriminate on the basis of age, national origin, race, religion or gender.

References

External links

* [http://www.farmingtoncc.com/ Farmington Country Club]