Rock Hill Country Club – Roddey Estates

See enlargeable PDF this page of the Phifer’s 1959 Map – Courtesy of Marvin Phifer, 2021

The Rock Hill Herald reported on July 19, 1935 – “The City of Rock Hill will open a new park on Saluda Road. The recreational park has been built on the property of the John T. Roddey Estate which has been leased to the city.  A group of citizens hired a gold course architect and provided some of the materials for the course.  The golf course, lake, and bathhouses are being completed and plans are to ad facilities for other sports. Work has already begun on a club house and tennis courts.”  Lifeguards are: Prentise McCoy, Mannie Moore is the assistant. Walter Reynolds is the professional in charge of the course and Charley Reynolds is Supt. of Construction.  The Rock Hill Park open this afternoon, July 20, 1935.”

The Herald reported on Oct. 29, 1941 – “John T. Roddey met with City Council to discuss the expansion of the RH Country Club Golf Course from the present nine holes to eighteen holes. He also discussed the idea of developing residential areas around the course.  The John T. Roddey Estate owns the property which the city has under lease.”

City Directories and History: The John T. Roddey family of Rock Hill, owned extensive properties just south of Rock Hill, on Saluda Road. Their massive farm complex, originally the Spencer Place, was located across from the Rawlsville Road intersection, consisting of; a lovely family home, and extensive farm buildings.  One was a impressively large and handsome gambrel roofed mule barn.

Following WW II, John T. Roddey and family began development of what was often called Roddey Estates.  It was an attractive development for employees of the newly arrived Celanese Industry to build home and start their careers, as well as returning GIs, and other young professionals. Many of Rock Hill future leaders raised their families in the Rock Hill Country Club Estates. John T. Roddey himself, constructed his own home, across the road from what became the Country Club golf course, on the corner of Saluda Road and Rawlsville Road.  ***The RH Record of March 11, 1909 reported, “Mr. and Mrs. Ira B. Dunlap have moved into the Buchanan House on Oakland Ave., Mr. and Mrs. Herbert M. Dunlap have moved into the house vacated by Ira, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Wilson Moore have moved into the house vacated by Herbert Dunlap.”  (Note: the J.W. “Wilson” Moore house shows on the Spencer Farm survey map “RH Country Club“, as being across from the current golf course along Saluda Road,  the approximate location of what became the long-term residence of John T. Roddey.)

R&R HISTORY LINK: the Jesse Spencer Plat – 1842

Country Club resident @291 Fairway Circle, Mr. M.B. Phifer (Red and Muriel), drew the attached map of the Country Club in 1959, showing who lived on specific lots. Mr. Phifer was the manager of Home Finance Co., @152 East White Street. His son, Marvin Phifer, a well known history teacher has shared the map with R&R.com, and is working on short exerts related to early residences named on his father’s map. He wrote,  “Many lots in 1959 were vacant but soon filled with future friends. On the map I noticed the same family name appears in more than one lot. They may have owned two or Dad may have made a mistake in adding an extra one. In the 1960’s everyone knew everyone. Parents were friends with the kids. There were constant parties among the parents, bridge playing and just visiting.” 6.6.21

Roots and Recall welcomes you to contribute your own recollections of these families and individuals.  Just use the comment section, this page.

SEE ENLARGEABLE PDF THIS PAGE

RECALLING THE FAMILIES LIVING IN THE COUNTRY CLUB – CIRCA 1959 by Marvin Phifer, 6.6.21

Country Club Drive:

• #161 – Mrs. Ruth M. Wrenn (1963):
• #191 – The J. Henry Tollison family owned Tollison/Neal Drug Store and were nice neighbors. Lyn was
  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: Tollison and Neal Drug Company

  their daughter. The Tollison family later moved to Myrtle Drive and continued operating the very popular Tollison-Neal Drug Stores in downtown and on Oakland Avenue at Cherry Road.

Fairway Circle:

Pinewood Lane:

• #206 – Mr. Paul G. Gross Home: was friendly and a handsome Greek man, their sons were Robbie and Larry. Daughters were Jean and Marie. Larry was the only golfer I saw hit #3 at the RHCC in two shots. They all looked like their father.

• #237  – Bob (Robert R.) Carpenter: was a well known attorney; his wife, Carolyn worked for Piedmont Medical Hospital and did a lot of charity work in leadership positions. Son Reid, now works with horses and lives in Rock Hill. Their daughter, Lyn works in the local news business. Other daughters Laura and Liza were known as quite the individuals.

• #514 – Johnson Family: Beverly, my sister, was friends with Bert and Sister, as they were older than me.

• #269 – Mrs. Jean M. Hund Family: Sandy, Susan (Tudy), and Judy. Good friends with Sandy and Susan. Parents were quite young and a lot of fun. Mrs. Hund later married neighbor Paul Gross.

• #522 – Ticktin Family: Martha was their daughter. They had an odd house, in an interesting way. Mrs. Ticktin was friendly to Martha’s friends. I remember she had a party there and she was a gracious and fun hostess.

• #— Brittain Family: (Deward and Sloanie) Good friends of my parents, the Phifers. They did not have children but treated us so well. We visited their house often and Deward had a liquor cabinet and loved making Beverly and me ‘monkey blood’. We didn’t know if it had monkey blood in it or not, but it was a treat we looked forward to every time we visited. Later, the Brittains moved but came back to visit and stayed several nights with our family.

Lakeside Drive:

• #401 – William G. Clarkson Family:

• #381 – Ben F. and Peggy Kurtz were very friendly and good friends of my parents, the Phifers. They were also mentioned in most
  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: The Smart Shop

  conversations in some manner in our household. Their daughter, Judy (Judy K. Goldman), was a very popular young lady in the community, attending WTS where she was a cheerleader. The family owned a well known clothing store, “The Smart Shop” in downtown Rock Hill. Mr. Kurtz served on the Board of Directors of the Guardian Fidelity Bank and was a major business figure in Rock Hill. The family moved from #842 Eden Terrace in 1964 to their new home in the Country Club where they lived until the early 1980’s.

  

  Kurtz Family – Courtesy of JKG 2021

  (See Judy Kurtz Goldman’s interview via the Smart Shop Link – this page.) She stated to R&R.com, “Also part of that group of friends (including Red and Muriel Phifer), were Edythe and Wes Langston, Sac and Ginny Smith, Bob and Duff Friedman, Deward and Sloan Brittain, Matt and Kat Hiers, Leah and Bill Cramer, Bob and Inez Gross, Bill and Ginny Clarkson (my parents’ neighbors). I’m pretty proud of myself for remembering all those names — and hope I’m not leaving anyone out!

  The men and women all played golf. The couples socialized together in each other’s homes. Whenever one of the women had a birthday, the rest of the women would gather at the birthday celebrant’s house for drinks at five in the afternoon of the birthday. It was a jolly, lively, lovely group! JKG 6.25.21

• #411 – Wallace and Evelyn Evans: children included Linda and Rocky. Super nice folks! Wallace did one magic trick, eating razor blades and pulling them out of his ear. Evelyn was the sweetest woman, reminded me of Donna Reed. Linda was just like her. Rocky took apart and put together his 1957 Chevy. Later he owned Precision Tune and worked as a pharmacist before that. Linda married her high school sweetheart, Bert, and live in Spartanburg, S.C. Mr. Wallace R. Evans, Jr. was an engineer at Celanese Corporation.

• #421 – (John R.) Sac Smith and Virginia, sons Roddey, Steve and Mike.  Sac owned “Smith Drugs” on Main Street. Steve was big for his
  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: Smith’s Drug Company

  age and was a good football player. After Sac passed, and the children moved away,  Virginia known as Ginny, later lived on Rolling Ridge Road, loved playing piano and was the life of the party.

• #330 – Bertel  R. Johnson Family: Linda was the daughter and became well known in the TV News industry as an anchor. I think her mom was called “T”.

• #451 – Roger H. Whitesides House: Jeandale, their daughter was good friends with my sister Beverly. We still run into her at the grocery store, etc.  She is a ‘hoot’. She had two brothers . They played tricks on trick or treaters on Halloween by dropping water balloons on them from their upper terrace. Their Country Club house was built with some of the architectural parts from the Friedheim house where Fountain Park now
  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: the Friedheim House…

  stands in downtown Rock Hill. See link! 

• #582 – Friedman Family Home: Bob (Robert S.), and Duff Friedman (Robert S. Friedman, Jr.) were two of the Country Clubs best known.  Bob was an attorney and in the development business. They had two daughters, Belinda and Daffney. Their home was so unique, something out of the future – very modern, even their furniture. They had a large swimming pool down by the lake. Bob was a regular golfer with Messiers Smith, Clarkson, and Heirs. He served as the Pres. of the Rock Hill Chamber of Commerce and was well known for
  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: the Citizens Bank building…

  his community leadership. They had an Ocean Drive beach house called the “Foursome”. It was next to the ‘Pokadot’ house on the ocean front, that everyone knew. He once had an office in downtown at the Citizens building and later at #605 Cherry Road. Daughter Belinda now lives in Columbia, S.C., professor at Columbia College.

• #581 – Marshall Family: Marvin Phifer wrote, “Just remember my parents were friends with them and nice folks.” John H. and Eleanor Marshall (V.P. Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company)

• #602 – Richard V. Bridges Home:

• #609 – Aberman Family: Eddie S. and Mary Ann were well known residents of the Country Club and the greater Rock Hill community. He was a highly successful businessman who owned an iron recycle yard and interests in the textile industry.  In 1965, Sol and Edward Aberman, purchased the property and converted it to the production of double-knit fabrics.  This market, which had proved promising, soon declined, and the mill again closed in 1967.  In 1968, the plant was purchased by the Ostrow Textile Company from Charlotte, which moved its operations to the site.  Part of the mill was used for warehousing and a section became a retail business known as Plej’s Textile Mill Outlet.  The Ostrow operation closed in 2000. Mrs. Aberman (Mary Ann), was originally from Charleston, S.C. The family remains one of the few original families who were long-term residents of the Country Club Estates. 

• #616 – George W. Farrow Family:

• #650 – McDermitt (William L.) –  Marvin Phifer wrote, “I remember them due to my sister, Beverly, was good friends with Julie McDermitt, their daughter.”  6.6.21

• #651 – John J. Fantry (Jack and Jane), children: John, Patty – “Quite the friendly parents. Jack loved golf, Jane did cub scouts in her home. John was a friend, played golf, now is an attorney in Winnsboro, S.C. ” 6.6.21   Mr. Fantry was a rep. for Interchemical Corporation.

Sherwood Circle:

• #131 – Beverly T. Taylor (1963):

• #141 – Charles W. Long (1963):

• #151 – Arthur R. Vaughn (1963):

• #161 – Thomas E. Edwards (1963):

• #170 – Frank and Martha Fairey: purchased their first Rock Hill home on Sherwood Circle in the summer of 1952.  Frank S. Fairey, M.D., had come to Rock Hill to join the surgical practice of Dr. W.B. Ward and his partner, Alton G. Brown (their office was at 301 N. Confederate Ave). Perhaps one of the reasons they moved to the County Club, was their kinship with its developer, Mr. John T. Roddey.  Both Dr. and Mrs. Fairey had extensive family members throughout York and Chester counties.  As Dr. Brown later stated, “Frank (Dr. Fairey) was a great asset to the partnership, he was a gifted surgeon, but equally important, he was kin to most doctors…”  They found a home without air-conditioning, two small bedrooms, and a yard void of any landscaping.  As a passionate gardener, he set out immediately to transform the yard with azaleas,
  

  Strait, Risher and Wade Fairey in the den at Sherwood Lane, ca. 1956 Courtesy of the AFLLC Collection – 2022

  boxwood, candytuft and other local flowers.  Martha Buice Fairey, looked after the house and their two sons; Strait and Wade.  A third son was born in 1956, Risher R. Fairey. Strait and Wade enjoyed playing with their neighbors including but not limited to: the Andersons, Pilchers, Underwoods (who lived next door),  Keys, Brooks, and Phifer.  They attended school at Oakdale Elementary and loved swimming in the pond behind the Underwood home as well as doing sports and exploring much of an undeveloped Country Club.

  

  R&R HISTORY LINK: Doctor Ward’s office on N. Confederate Ave…

  Membership in the country club also provided the ability to swim, play golf, and practice tennis. While living at the Sherwood Circle home, the Fairey’s added a family room, a third bedroom and second bathroom.  In 1958, the family moved to 882 Myrtle Drive, the Fairey’s new home, thus their name does not appear on the Phifer map of the Country Club. See the location in 1959 of the Stover residence. Never the less, they were an early family unit that enjoyed six years of activities related to the Country Club.  (Submitted by W.B. Fairey, 2021),  H. Harold Suggs (1963),

• #171 – Horace C. Prevatte (1963):
• #180 – Adrian D. Shelley (1963):
• #202 – Dan O. Leftwich (1963):
• #212 – Florence P. Adams (1963): Mrs. Adams was a 2nd grade teacher at Oakdale Elementary School
• #231 – James E. Pryor, Jr. (1963):
• #241 – John A. Schnelzer (1963):
• #251 – Donald D. McCraw (1963):
• #261 – William T. Hall (1963):
• #301 – Ben B. Aycock, Jr. (1963):
• #312 – James H. Saye (1963):
• #321 – Under Construction (1963):
• #322 – Robert J. Gordon (1963):
• #332 – William H. Griffith (1963):
• #341 – J. Martin Kee (1963):
• #342 – Herman L. Kyle (1963):
• #351 – Willis N. Hanna (1963):

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R&R HISTORY LINK: Early landowners in the Country Club area – Mayhugh Heritage Map

R&R HISTORY LINK: the J.T. Roddey home on Oakland Avenue…

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