If you’ve lived in the Winston-Salem area for very long, you have probably enjoyed spending time in beautiful Tanglewood Park. Tanglewood Park is a historical park and recreation area located in Clemmons, North Carolina. It is positioned on the Yadkin River between Clemmons and Bermuda Run. Attractions in the park include fishing lakes, paddleboat rentals, the Tanglewood Park Arboretum and Rose Garden along with the the historic house built in 1859 (now a bed and breakfast), a public pool, tennis courts, horse stables with horseback riding, not one but two championship golf courses and the Tanglewood Festival of Lights, a local favorite at holiday time. There are plenty of places to wander and enjoy the beauty of this exquisite park.
The History of Tanglewood Park
Tanglewood is rich in beauty, history and southern charm. The property now known as Tanglewood Park was part of land claimed by Sir Walter Raleigh for Queen Elizabeth on March 25, 1584. The lineage of the land goes from John Cartaret, 2nd Earl Granville who acquired a 60-mile stretch of land in western North Carolina in the early 1700s to William Linville, who settled with his family here by 1747 or 1748, acquiring seven land grants along the Yadkin around the shallow ford. More Europeans came to settle in the Yadkin River Valley, including William Johnson, an immigrant from Wales. In 1757, 10 years after Linville built a cabin on the land we know as Tanglewood, (and just four years after the Moravian settlement of the Wachovia Tract in the nearby communities of Bethabara and Salem), William Johnson purchased the mile square central portion of what became Tanglewood from William Linville.
After acquiring the property, Johnson built a fort overlooking the Yadkin River to protect his family and their neighbors from attacks during the French and Indian War. This spot is now marked by a monument just south of the Manor House. In 1765, Johnson died and was buried on the highest hill in the area called Mount Pleasant. In 1809, a simple frame church was built next to his grave and remains today as one of the park’s architectural attractions. Although services are no longer conducted there, many weddings are held at the Mount Pleasant Church each year.
In 1859, James Johnson (a Johnson heir) had the 18-room Manor House built on a hill in the center of the estate. The house was a gift to his daughter, Emily, as a wedding present.
The property was sold in 1921 to William Neal Reynolds, brother of tobacco entrepreneur R.J. Reynolds. At that time, the Tanglewood tract was enlarged to more than 1,100 acres, and the Manor House expanded to 28 rooms. Mr. Will, as he was called, raised and raced thoroughbred harness horses and established Tanglewood Farm as a home to some of the country’s finest pacers. In the Manor House, Mr. Will had a “Trophy Room” dedicated to his trophies. Mr. Will was a horse lover, and this tradition is carried on with Tanglewood Farm. Trail rides, hayrides and carriage rides are available by reservation.
The Manor House is now a Bed & Breakfast Inn with 10 guest rooms, impressive staircases, the Trophy Room, 1920s Room and Rock Fireplace Room. It is rumored that Mr. Will’s spirit makes friendly visits to the house from time to time.
William’s wife, Kate, a horticultural enthusiast, was an essential part of beginning the extensive native and ornamental plantings at Tanglewood and employed German master gardener, Mr. Frank Lustig, who continued her plans. He contributed the 800-bush Rose Garden on the Manor House lawn, the Arboretum behind the house and the nearby Fragrance Garden to the estate. He devoted 60 years of his life to this endeavor, continuing to work even after the death of his employers.
Since the Reynolds couple had no children, they wanted others to benefit from the beauty, elegance, history and recreation their country estate had to offer and, in 1951, they willed the Tanglewood property to the citizens of Forsyth County to share as a public recreational park.
How did Tanglewood get its name?
There are several stories on how Tanglewood was named. One version is that, while strolling through tangled underbrush where timber had been cleared, the name occurred to Kate Reynolds. Another possibility is that Kate Reynolds took the name from the book Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne which she frequently read to her children.
Yet another version is that the heirs to the Johnson family had noticed the tangled undergrowth, and they named the farm Tanglewood.
Kate Reynolds wrote this poem about Tanglewood:
“The seat of creeks and mighty trees,
Of fertile soil and balmy breeze . . .
Twould fill a page, had I a book,
To tell the joys of Tanglewood!”
1974 PGA Championship
In 1974, the 56th PGA Championship was played at Tanglewood Park. Lee Trevino, with four major titles to his name, used a putter he found in a friend’s attic a few days prior to claim the title.
The 56th PGA Championship took place August 8th-11th and coincided with the resignation of President Nixon, who left office on Friday, August 9, 1974.
Home of the Vantage Championship
Tanglewood Park was the home to the Vantage Championship, a Champions Tour event conducted from 1987-2002. In 2002, the tournament purse was $1,600,000 with $240,000 going to the winner.
A notable fact about the Vantage Championship is that, in 2001, the tournament was canceled, due to the September 11th attacks, to mourn the victims of the crash.
