During the brutal winter of 1777-78, when Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army camped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the soldiers probably dreamed of moving south. With freezing temperatures and low supplies, Washington called the camp “a dreary kind of place and uncomfortably provided” – a far cry from the modern-day Brentwood. Fifteen years after this famous wintertime camp, a young patriot named Joseph Ferebee, having survived the cold and the Red Coats and the scabies, saw his wish come true. In 1793, he was awarded several hundred remote acres in the southern U.S., thanks to a North Carolina Military Land Grant.
Today, Brentwood’s The Governors Club – a private golf club community – sits on this site. Ferebee sold the land to William Winstead, and over the last 231 years, Winstead’s descendants erected cabins, log homes, and large southern mansions on the property. The story of The Governors Club isn’t that unusual; it’s one of several local neighborhoods with a rich and complex history. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, the City’s Historic Commission will share the backstories of several area subdivisions during Brentwood Speaks at the John P. Holt Brentwood Library.
During the free event, in the library’s Meeting Room B, Historic Commission members will talk about the Brentwood Country Club, The Governors Club, Iroquois Estates, Mayfield, Meadowlake and McGavock Farms. Residents in those neighborhoods are encouraged to attend, but the event is open to anyone, regardless of age, interested in local history.
The City’s Historic Commission was established to promote Brentwood’s cultural history and heritage, enhance the quality of life through the preservation of historic sites, and provide educational programs and activities to the community.
Information on the commission is available at here.
