I have recently come into possession of copies of some early deeds for Pine Valley. Following is a summary of the first few, with the remainder to follow as time permits.
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On May 31, 1904 Joseph S Kratz and Ida L Fentin as executors of the estate of Jonas Bowman sold the 184.31 acres that would become the core of Pine Valley to the Lumberton Sand Company. The selling price was $3593.40.
The sale reserved and excepted therefrom a certain right of way to and from Sumner Station on the Narrow Gauge Railroad. The right of way was 10 feet wide and started at the northwest corner of the property and followed the northern boundary of the property and then followed the railway boundary south to the station.
The sale also reserved and excepted a certain tract of land of about 160 acres. The tract of land appears to abut the 184 acres on the southwest side. The implication is that Bowman had originally owned a single larger tract and his executors sold off the 184.31 acre subset of the larger property to Lumberton.
The metes and bounds of the property are according to a survey made by Pires M Sperchers, a surveyor, on November 16, 1901.
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As a slight tangent from the Pine Valley deeds, George A. Crump, along with his sisters Helen and Elizabeth, and his brother Ralph inherited an almost 2 acre property from their mother upon her death, who in turn had inherited it upon her husband’s death. The property was located near the intersection of Maple Terrace and Locust Streets in Merchantville, NJ. On April 19, 1912 George A. Crump bought out his sisters’ (and their respective husbands) share of the family property for $1 (and no other valuable considerations).
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On October 30, 1912 George A. Crump bought from the Lumberton Sand Company the 184.31 acre property that Lumberton had bought from the estate of Jonas Bowman in 1904. The metes and bounds of the property are exactly the same as those from the earlier sale. The selling price was $8,750. There were no other valuable considerations.
The deed contains the same exception as did the Lumberton purchase of 1904 – namely that there was a right of way, ten feet wide from the northwest corner of the property, across the northern boundary and then southward to the Sumner train station.
This deed also had a reservation. The reservation required that, for 20 years, Crump not sell any sand or gravel from the site. It also required that he not allow any sand or gravel to be hauled over the site for the purpose of sale. An exception was allowed for hauling over any public road on the property or along the right of way mentioned above. Another exception was allowed that enabled Crump to sell no more than $100 worth of sand a year to clubs in which he was “interested”.
Following is an aerial that shows where the 184.31 acres are. It is a tight squeeze for the modern course. The early layouts apparently didn’t come as close to the southeast boundary as does the modern course.
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On the 12th of May 1913, George A. Crump sold the exact same 184.31 acre piece of property to the Pine Valley Golf Club for $10. No other valuable considerations are mentioned.
The exception for the right of way was also contained in this deed.
The condition and reservation from Crump’s deed is incorporated in this deed by reference to the Lumberton/Crump deed. The details of the reservation are not articulated in this deed.
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Apart from the facts of this series of deeds and transactions, there are a number of implications to stories and histories about Pine Valley.
For one, the 1927 article in American Golfer by Thomas Uzzell that stated that:
“
Mr. Crump was the son of a British Consul to
this country who was a great huntsman and who
purchased the present property near the village of
Clementon, New Jersey, as a hunting preserve.
The son, inheriting the property, became interested
in golf and sensing the matchless appropriateness
of the land for a golf course devoted himself
wholeheartedly to producing the finest layout
money, devotion, and human ingenuity could
devise. He began the work in 1910 from his home
at Merchantsville near Philadelphia."
must be incorrect.
For another, the Camden Evening Courier article of 1927 by Jack Nunneville that stated that:
"
Mr. Crump bought over 300 acres of ground years
ago for a hunting preserve and tramped it time and
again with his dogs, for he was a great huntsman.
"
in reference to the course location, must be incorrect.
Crump purchased the land for Pine Valley from the Lumberton Sand Company on October 30, 1912. He did not inherit from his father. He did not buy it years earlier. Nor was it part of a 300 acre property. Nor, was it purchased as a hunting preserve. Parts of the property for holes one through four were cleared within five months and Crump sold the property to Pine Valley Golf Club in just over 6 months.