Originally called The Buckwood Inn, the seasonal resort was designed and constructed by C.C. Worthington, a wealthy New York engineer and business owner, in 1910 and 1911. As a testament to Worthington's engineering savvy, he chose to build the Inn out of an innovative substance - concrete - and craftsmen constructed floors and walls of 12-inch thick cement.

When the Inn opened its doors in May 1911, it stood solid, elegant and fireproof - unlike wooden structures so common in the era. Worthington built numerous state-of-the-art amenities into the resort, but perhaps the most remarkable attraction, and his most cherished, was the meticulously planned golf course. Designed by famous turn-of-the-last-century golf architect A.W. Tillinghast, the Inn's golf course - built on an island - quickly became known as the "Gem of the East." The Inn is rumored to have hosted one of the first meetings of the PGA, and in 1938 the Inn hosted the historic PGA Championship where Paul Runyan defeated the Inn's resident golf pro, Sam Snead.