[MassHistPres] MassHistPres Digest, Vol 69, Issue 1

[Susan Hollister]

Stacy:

This reference may be a bit off your topic but in Sharon PA there is a
public 9 hole golf course that is free to anyone.  It was set up by a
wealthy industrialist, Frank Buhl, at the turn of the century and there is
a nice video at the following link https://www.buhlpark.org/golf that talks
more about it.  Although it is not strictly for employees of his company it
clearly has a sense of being a benefit for the working man and woman to
provide healthy recreation.  Below is a clip from the Buhl Club website
that talks a bit about the history specifically related to the area known
as Buhl Farm or Buhl Park which is where the golf course is located.

Excerpt from https://www.buhlclub.org/

The Buhls also purchased 300 acres of land in the middle of the Shenango
 Valley with an eye to the future recreational welfare of the community. In
1915, Mr. Buhl transferred to the Buhl trustees the endowment to take care
of the upkeep for an arena he designed as a town recreational facility for
the people.

Mr. Buhl requested the area be known as Buhl Farm rather than Buhl Park.
Although Mr. Buhl never asked anything of the people, he was adamant in
establishing the name Buhl Farm. Supposedly, early amusement parks were
coming into their own at that time and Mr. Buhl felt their backers were
working in devious ways to eke the pennies and nickles out of the
workingman.

His Buhl Farm was for these men and their families as a healthful
recreation where they wouldn’t have to spend a cent. He directed 75,000
trees and shrubs planted in the farm and he hired his assistant to continue
the layout project. Buhl built the casino on the lake, and had a nine hole golf
course laid out. Playgrounds, picnic groves and an athletic field with
grandstands were available to the public. Everything except the light
lunches provided at the casino were free to the people of the community.

-- 
*Susan Hollister*
shearchmit at gmail.com
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