Henry Fownes
- Published on this site: 21-10-2020 19:54:20
Share on twitterHenry Clay Fownes, born in Pittsburgh in 1856, made his fortune in iron manufacturing. With his brother, William C. Fownes, Henry formed the Carrie Furnace Company, which was bought out by the Carnegie Steel Corporation in 1896. It made Fownes a wealthy man, and in retirement he was content to serve as a director on several boards and play a lot of golf. At 45, he played in the 1901 U.S. Open and, according to a 1911 newspaper article, at the age of 55 he won a local tournament with a handicap of five.
Fownes’ goal after his company was sold was to build a golf course on a plateau overlooking the Allegheny River northeast of Pittsburgh. In 1903, he organized a golf club to fund the project, bought some 200 acres and drew up plans for the course. With a crew of 150 men and some two dozen mule teams, Fownes spent a year building Oakmont on old farmland where wide, sweeping vistas made it ideal for a links-style course.
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