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Tchefuncta Club Estates: The First 50 Years

by Stacey Paretti Rase

Last Easter, I was given a copy of “The First Fifty Years of Tchefuncta Estates.” The spiral-bound book was a gift from someone who knew at least three things about me: that I had grown up in St. Tammany, have lived happily in Tchefuncta for the past three years and was planning on remaining in the neighborhood for the long haul. Little did he know how much the area history has always intrigued me, or that I would spend the better part of Easter Sunday with my nose buried in the fascinating book, coming up for air only to share a funny story or interesting fact found within its pages.

The book carefully recounts the Covington subdivision’s history, including initial letters from its founders to the first stockholders, original development brochures and priceless photos taken during those early days. There is even a “family tree” of the neighborhood, which lists the name of every family who resided at each lot in the subdivision, dating back to 1960 (Some homes are still occupied by their original owners, while my family is the fifth to call our home “home.”)

Who would take on the task of collecting such a large amount of information? The idea was conceived by three women—Georgyee Watson Burke, Gail Howard and Janet Layne—who were not only passionate about the special surroundings in which they raised their families, but also felt it was important that the story be documented. The information was edited by longtime resident Jean Taylor and was later dedicated to Howard, who passed away before the first book was printed.

I initially expected that the story of TCE’s history would be of interest only to those who had lived there. But, after reading the account, I recognized that anyone who had the experience of either visiting or living on the northshore over the past fifty years might enjoy its tale. Much of the information that follows here was taken either from the book itself or from my interviews with the book’s contributors.

It can be said that Tchefuncta Club Estates might never have been built if the golf course at City Park hadn’t been so crowded in 1955. The busy New Orleans course had made the procedure of securing tee times somewhat of a hassle, prompting two young southshore men to dream big. It was June of 1956 when Bill Vice and Charlie Cary met with a Mandeville realtor to look at a tract of land on the Tchefuncte River known as “Emfred,” so-called because it was situated next to an inlet of the river by that name. The land, which belonged to Emma and Alfred Suter, was perfect for what the young men in the oil business were looking for—suitable ground on which to build their own golf course and clubhouse. Excited by what they saw, the men reported to their golf group and began collecting the $6,000 needed to purchase the land. Interest in the project was high, but when the time came to exercise the option to purchase, they found themselves short of the required amount. Enter Kent McWilliams, who happened to be at Manchac’s Restaurant in Mandeville and overheard the young men discussing their dilemma. The successful entrepreneur and philanthropist would later be quoted as saying, “I put up some money for something, but I’m not sure just what it was for.” The deal was signed on October 22, 1956.

The Early Years

In addition to Cary, McWilliams and Vice, the subdivision’s original Board of Directors included Tommy Blakely, Dudley Couvillion, Larry Funkhouser, Shannon Harrison, Lyle Harvey, Cel Kerlin, Red Nelson, Bob Potter, Weldon Ramseur, Sandy Saer (the only remaining board member still residing in Tchefuncta) and C.A. Von Hoene. It wasn’t long before the scope of the land project grew. The founders decided to collect enough money from each investor to lay roads in the new subdivision. Original plans for the development included campsites, or small weekend homes, but that concept was quickly abandoned as enthusiasm grew and it became evident that everyone involved wanted to build permanent year-round homes.
A letter addressed to stockholders in the spring of 1957 outlined the project’s progress.

After allowing land for roads, a school [which was originally planned], recreational areas and golf course, we have room on high land for the equivalent of about 390 lots ranging in size from 150’ x 200’ to a little over an acre. Engineering estimates on developing the high land indicate a cost of $1,439,600…This amounts to an average of $3,691 per lot on the 390 lots. We estimate the market value of a lot…is at least $4,500. At a meeting on Tuesday, May 7th, we plan to have a drawing for the order of selection [of lots]. Wives are invited to this meeting.”

The first 144 persons who joined in financing the original option had the first choice of the lots, with names drawn from a hat for the order of selection. Georgyee Burke, who, with her late husband, John Watson, was one of the original lot owners, remembers those days well. “People in the city thought we were all crazy,” she says, referring to the move to the northshore. “But we couldn’t wait to move to the country. When our number came up—we were number 60—we were given two weeks to choose our lot. We had to give the board our top ten choices, in order of preference.

“For almost five years we had waited for the time when we could move in,” she continues. “Our boys wanted to spend all of their free time there. They used to say, ‘Don’t take us to Mardi Gras—take us to Tchefuncta!’ They loved to go on picnics and shoot targets out in the woods. When we finally moved into the beautiful area in 1960, with the tall pine trees, the dark nights with no street lights, isolated from the outside world, but with good friends nearby, it was like a dream come true.”

Jean Taylor also recalls the atmosphere of those days, as each family walked the heavily wooded lots, trying to find just the right area for their dream home. “I was seven months pregnant, but I traipsed through the woods, none the less. I grew up in Vicksburg, and I remember liking the land out here so much because it was somewhat hilly and it reminded me of that.” Jean still enjoys living in the home that she and her late husband Ed built in 1968. It sits on Oaklawn Drive, and its claim to fame is that it housed the subdivision’s first hot tub. “Oh, the stories I could tell about those days!” Jean exclaims. “That could fill a book on its own!”

Before the Watsons or the Taylors ever moved into their happy homes, there were Daymon and Billie Wingfield—Tchefuncta’s true pioneers. The couple, with their three small children, moved into the Suter family’s original summer home in 1957, when the subdivision was little more than 900 acres of wilderness. Their nearest neighbors were the land’s caretakers, who lived two miles away and were accessible only by a narrow trail that was little more than a cow path. The family was cut off from all communication, but, according to TCE lore, Daymon rectified this by stringing a line through the woods to the Tchefuncta entrance. “There were many times when the trail road to the entrance was impassable,” the history reads, “and Billie would take the children by boat to the Covington Country Club, where they kept the car. Though the inconveniences were legion, the Wingfields said those early, rain-soaked years were rewarding, exciting and wonderful.” In 1964, the Wingfields moved into their new home at 79 Riverdale. The Suter home was rented until 1969, when it was moved to the site of Tchefuncta Country Club, where a portion of it became the present club’s golf pro shop.

Off To Work We Go

Tchefuncta residents’ daily commute to the southshore was made easier in 1956 with the opening of the Causeway. Before the Causeway, Tchefuncta’s pioneers were forced to travel through Slidell or Manchac to get to the southshore. The bridge’s opening brought a newfound convenience to the subdivision’s first residents, and, since they were a tight-knit group, it was only natural that carpools soon formed. Van Wilson, who still lives in TCE, recounted memories of his carpooling days for the history book:

Some of the carpools were affectionately nicknamed ‘The Early Birds,’ ‘The Old Maids,’ ‘The Pack Rats,’ ‘The Old Reliables’ and the “Esso Carpool.’ Daymon Wingfield bought a horse named Buckshot for $25 to ride up to the barn where he had left his car so he could meet the carpool. On other occasions, his car was left at the Covington Country Club. He would meet the carpool “one if by land and two if by sea.”

Later, a charter bus was started, with martinis served on the way home. One of the riders got off at the barn [at the subdivision’s entrance] by mistake one evening. Some say he flew home. You might say that carpools were sort of like marriages—for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, as long as we both shall live.

In a letter to residents dated August 18, 1960, the Board of Directors reported on the commuter pool as such:
Commuting is working out quite well. A 7:00am start puts you in your downtown office at 8:00am. For the occasional time when you must stay late, there is the Covington bus. The underground telephone system is in so you can call your wife to pick you up at “Frenchie’s.”

A True “Country” Club

A story on the history of Tchefuncta Club Estates would not be complete without mention of its Country Club, which has remained vibrant over the course of five decades. Tchefuncta Country Club opened its doors in 1960, consisting of a small clubhouse, swimming pool and two tennis courts. A nine-hole golf course opened in 1961. The clubhouse had a tiny kitchen, but wives made good use of it, preparing sandwiches to sell to golfers. The early years saw problems with the golf greens, as gravel came up with the new grass. But, in classic Tchefuncta style, resident families adopted a green and removed the surface gravel by hand.

Club membership dues stood at $6 per month for many years. When they were raised to $10, nearly 100 members, mostly New Orleans residents, resigned. A financial crisis ensued. As only sixty families lived in the Estates at the time, it became evident that the club would not survive without opening its doors to members who lived beyond the subdivision’s gates. To this day, the club has continued to have both resident and non-resident members.

In 1968, member Don Murray proposed a plan for the club’s expansion. The club borrowed money from Louis Ross’s Citizens Bank in Covington in 1969.

The second nine holes of the course were built, the clubhouse expanded and one tennis court added. There was another expansion in 1974, adding two tennis courts and men’s and women’s locker rooms.

Today’s well-loved events at Tchefuncta Country Club had their roots in those early years. The most popular golf event, then and now, is the annual member-guest tournament, Swingfest. The T-Bird swim team is still going strong after many decades, as cars crowd the streets of the neighborhood during each swim meet event. And the most important characteristic of the club, embedded by its founders, remains—the festive social atmosphere among club members that is unrivaled on the northshore. The membership total currently fluctuates between 500 and 550; Tchefuncta remains the only private member-owned country club in the area.

Community Spirit

The most distinguishing icons of Tchefuncta Club Estates throughout the years has arguably been the neighborhood’s horse barn. The old red barn was TCE’s original landmark—the first thing seen when crossing the old cattle guard at the subdivision’s entrance. Many families brought their horses to live at the barn well before their own homes were completed. At times, there were as many as twenty horses living there. By 1992, the horse population had dwindled and termites were discovered in the structure, but neither fact deterred the community. Volunteers came forth to participate in a Save the Barn campaign, and a host of members in the northshore community pitched in to refurbish the beloved structure.

The barn remained a constant throughout the Estate’s first fifty years. There was a resurgence of interest in horses and the barn over the past decade; the building remained at its full capacity, with a waiting list of those who wished to board their horses there. Tragically, the structure burned to the ground on May 4 of this year. While residents were grateful that none of the livestock was harmed, they were devastated by the loss of such an historic structure. The Estates is committed to rebuilding the barn—bigger and better than ever. A recent newsletter to residents stated, “TCE would not be complete without the horse barn.”

Tchefuncta’s Renaissance

Fifty years ago, a group of forward-thinking men seized opportunity and created their dream environment. Today, the group of men and women who comprise Tchefuncta’s Board of Directors find themselves in a position of protecting that atmosphere. Last summer, the Estates purchased a 300-acre tract of land on its northern boundary from the Slaughter family, to ensure a buffer against encroaching commercial development. The subdivision plans to build a 110-home addition (a combination of 35 one-acre lots and 75 one-quarter-acre lots for garden homes) on part of that land. The sale of lots in the new addition will help to fund what is perhaps Tchefuncta’s most ambitious project since the origins of the subdivision itself—a new $5.5 million clubhouse, approved by club members in May of this year. Club Board President Gary Hemphill says that he is honored to be a part of building a structure to be enjoyed into Tchefuncta’s next fifty years. “It’s a rare opportunity to be a part of something so positive and lasting. All of us have benefited immensely from the foresight of those who built this facility fifty years ago. Now it’s our turn.”

Copies of “The First Fifty Years of Tchefuncta Club Estates” are available for $15. For more information, contact Georgyee Burke at 892-1958.