The Greenbrier Heritage: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

White Sulphur Springs grew in the first half of the nineteenth century as the southern "Queen of the Watering Places". The springs resort first became the standard summer destination for wealthy Virginia low-country residents seeking reprieve from heat, humidity, and disease. As its popularity increased and it gained status as a socially exclusive site, the spring attracted elite guests from all areas of the South. The resort, now known as The Greenbrier, remains one of the country's most luxurious and exclusive resorts. For many years, Sam Snead was the resort's golf pro. The resort has another significant place in golf history; in 1979, it hosted the first Ryder Cup to feature the current competitive setup of the United States and European sides. Indeed golf in the United States began near White Sulphur Springs when the Montague family founded Oakhurst Links in 1884, making it the oldest organized golf club in the country. In 1992 the Washington Post revealed that the resort had been the site of a "bunker", the Emergency Relocation Center, which was intended to house and protect the U.S. Congress in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War. -- Wikipedia