Before the timber was shaped, the gardens planted, or the fairways laid out, this land was home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee — the original inhabitants of the Blue Ridge Mountains whose connection to this terrain reaches back thousands of years. The Cherokee lived in these valleys and ridges with a deep sense of stewardship and community, crafting homes, farms, and village life in harmony with the rhythms of the mountain seasons. 

Their legacy of respect for place, resilience and hospitality is woven into the very spirit of Kenmure today.

Early Highlands and the Estate Era

Beginning in the 19th century, as families from the Lowcountry sought cooler summers and a mountain retreat, the land that would become Kenmure was first assembled into private estate holdings. Notably, Dr. Mitchell Campbell King acquired hundreds of acres in the 1830s and by the 1850s had built a grand mountain home known as Glenroy. Constructed with master-craftsmanship (including ship-builder techniques), that house still stands as the heart of our clubhouse and property.
Over the years, successive owners shaped the land into an elegant retreat — meadows, gardens, carriage paths — and in the 1920s the estate was renamed “Kenmure,” drawing inspiration from Scottish roots and the Gordon clan’s Kenmure Castle, blending heritage from across the sea with mountain grace.

From Estate to Country Club

In the later 20th century, the vision became one of a full private club and residential community: an 18-hole championship course designed by Joe Lee, modern sporting amenities, and dining and social spaces anchored around the original manor house. Many of the club’s homes and facilities were added with sensitivity to the land’s contours and historic character, with the mansion serving as the clubhouse – a bridge between past and present.