FROM THE ARCHIVES

In the earliest days of Pinehurst, James Walker Tufts had his hands full trying to keep up with the demand for rooms at his winter resort. The Holly Inn was always full, and several other rooming houses were taxed to capacity.

In the summer of 1898, two cottages, the Oak (pictured to the left), and the Hanover (pictured to the right), were joined. Located just beyond the Magnolia Inn, the two large cottages were connected by an addition built between them that included a covered piazza, reading room and additional bathrooms. A spacious veranda and mudroom ran the length of the building, lined in windows and sporting a large open fireplace. The new structure became the Berkshire Hotel, and it could seat 100 people comfortably at dinner.

The Berkshire featured “quiet home-like surroundings for refined people of moderate means,” according to the Pinehurst Outlook. In season, it cost $2 a day, or $10 a week. Croquet grounds were laid out directly opposite the hotel, for the entertainment of the guests. Many guests chose to stay there every season, and the group was genial, forming long-term friendships. They often had croquet matches, card games and “disguise” parties, where guests tried to hide their identity.