Southern Charm at Greenbrier, PA

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
celebrated the grand re-opening of
Greenbrier after WWII, when it had
been repurposed as a 2,000 bed
military hospital.

Greenbrier Hotel has hosted 26 US Presidents,
starting with Van Buren in 1841. There is a
massive underground bomb shelter (112,000
square feet) that was built in the 1950’s and kept
in secret readiness for decades as a space to house
Congress in case of disaster. Which also explains
why there is a 7,000 ft. landing strip at the
airport for a town of only 3,000 people.
Eisenhower was very fond of Greenbrier
(probably because of the golf). Eddie Fisher
and Debbie Reynolds honeymooned here.

High Tea at the Greenbrier includes a grand piano,
a waltz and waitresses bringing in cookies to
the tune “March of the Cookies”.

Greenbrier, about 1938, was quite a place to send
a daughter for cotillions, where they might hope
to catch the eye of an eligible gentleman.

Greenbrier’s current golf pro Emeritus is none other
than Tommy Watson, who stopped and chatted
with us. Mike commended him on his patience,
to which Tommy said, “In the right context, you
need to use anger when you play. Sometimes you
have to get all red-assed on that ball!”