Today, the name President Circle sounds like another Summerville neighborhood.

More than a century ago, though, the property looked very different.

Instead of homes and quiet residential streets, visitors would have found one of the most impressive resorts in the South, complete with an 18-hole golf course, swimming pool, bowling alleys, tennis courts, stables, elevators and a porch lined with around 150 rocking chairs.

It was called the Pine Forest Inn, and among the people who passed through were two men who served as President of the United States.

When People Came to Summerville to Get Away

Long before Summerville became part of the Charleston area’s suburban growth, people were traveling here for an entirely different reason.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Summerville had become known as a retreat beneath the pines. Visitors came inland from Charleston and from much farther away, drawn by the town’s cooler surroundings, pine forests and reputation for healthier air.

Hotels and inns sprang up to accommodate them, helping turn Summerville into a resort destination.

And in 1891, the Pine Forest Inn took that idea to another level.

Built on roughly 60 acres, the four-story hotel offered about 150 sleeping apartments along with amenities that would have been remarkable for the time. It had elevators, its own power plant, a telegraph office and long-distance telephone service.

This was not simply a convenient place to spend the night.

People came to the Pine Forest Inn for the experience.

Golf, Horses and 150 Rocking Chairs

Guests could bowl, play billiards or shuffleboard, swim, play tennis or croquet, hunt and fish.

The resort’s golf course eventually grew to 18 holes across approximately 130 acres in an area associated today with Corey Woods.

There was also a stable capable of housing around 50 horses.

And perhaps one of the easiest features to picture was its enormous glassed-in porch, reportedly filled with approximately 150 rocking chairs.

Imagine arriving in Summerville by train, checking into a grand hotel among the pines and spending the afternoon rocking on the porch before dinner.

For a period of Summerville’s history, that was tourism here.

A Presidential Visit We Can Actually See

The Pine Forest Inn attracted wealthy travelers and prominent guests, including Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.

Roosevelt’s connection is especially well documented.

The Library of Congress preserves photographs from 1902 showing President Theodore Roosevelt, First Lady Edith Roosevelt and others gathered in front of the Pine Forest Inn during his visit to Summerville.

Another period publication preserved by the Library of Congress includes an image of Roosevelt’s party at the Inn and describes the hotel as being beautifully situated among the forest trees and sumptuously furnished.

That makes this more than a story passed down through local history.

We can actually look at a photograph of a sitting president standing at a Summerville resort that no longer exists.

So What Happened to It?

The Pine Forest Inn’s popularity eventually faded.

It closed during the 1930s before reopening in 1939 under T.W. Salisbury. During World War II, the enormous building was used to house military officers and defense workers.

After the war, it took on another unusual role when it became the Adventure School, a progressive school that reportedly produced only one graduating class.

Eventually, the old wooden structure stood vacant.

Concerned about the possibility of fire, Salisbury ultimately had the building demolished. Before it came down, however, portions of its interior were salvaged. According to Visit Summerville, mantelpieces and other pieces from the Inn ended up in homes around town.

So while the hotel itself disappeared, pieces of it may still be scattered throughout Summerville.

A Neighborhood With a Very Appropriate Name

Today, the former Pine Forest Inn property is home to the residential community known as President Circle.

Once you know the history, that name suddenly makes a lot more sense.

The grand hotel is gone, the golf course has disappeared and guests are no longer arriving to spend their winters beneath the pines.

But one particularly visible reminder remains.

The entrance gates to the Pine Forest Inn still survive.

They once marked the entrance to a resort that welcomed travelers from across the country.

Today, they stand as one of those pieces of Summerville history that can be easy to pass without realizing what used to be there.

Did You Know?

The Pine Forest Inn once offered an 18-hole golf course, swimming pool, bowling alleys, tennis courts, a stable for roughly 50 horses and a porch filled with around 150 rocking chairs.

Its guests included Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and photographs of Roosevelt’s 1902 visit are still preserved by the Library of Congress.

The resort itself is gone.

But the next time you hear President Circle, remember that the name points back to a time when Summerville was not just a small town beneath the pines.

It was a destination.

Sources

Visit Summerville — The Magnificent Pine Forest Inn

Library of Congress — Photograph of Roosevelt’s 1902 visit

Library of Congress — Period publication featuring Roosevelt’s party at the Inn

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