American Legion Country Club

ESTABLISHED: 1927

The idea of the American Legion Country Club came about in a classroom of the Mount Union High School in 1924.  Retired local banker, RPM Davis organized a meeting of local citizens and businessmen to design plans and financial backing for this immense project.  The course was designed and crafted by reknowned course architect, Tom Bendelow from Chicago.  The initial plans included 27 holes, a swimming pool, boat docks, tennis courts, a dam across the Juniata River, Stables for horseback riding, a children's playground, and 987 lots for homes of club members and stockholders.  It was called the Juniata Valley Colony Club.  The main clubhouse building was built in 1928, the swimming pool was operational, as were the tennis courts. The dam was built and 18 holes were ready to be played.  The initial membership list for 1928 included 674 people, including Governor JS Fisher, former Governor William Sproul, Penn State President Ralph Hetzel, and Pennsylvania Railroad President General WW Atterbury.  200 men were on the payroll of the Juniata Valley Colony Club, making around 25 cents an hour.  RJ Rutherford, from State College, managed and maintained the course for the first few years.  The Eastern Sea Board Disaster of 1936 struck and flooded and washed away the dam and did extensive water damage to the golf course.  The Juniata Valley Colony Club was forced into bankruptcy and was sold in it's entirety to Robert Yocum, a member.  Yocum then sold the club to it's current owner, the American Legion who rebuilt the clubhouse in 1947 and added many of the amenities the club boasts today.