CityView Magazine

62 | November/December • 2014 The Rockefellers of the Sandhills though the famous family is long gone, memories remain and are told by Fayettevillians By MiRiaM lanDRU A family whose last name is syn- onymous with wealth and pros- perity around the world roamed the outdoors in Cumberland and southern harnett County, in what were the famed and exclusive overhills. A few of them also made their home at Long Valley Farm which is now north Carolina's newest state park, Carver's Creek. is large family would be none other than the rockefellers. Nowadays, the wealthy are usually associated with hav- ing more luxurious hobbies like shopping and traveling to the South of France or other exotic locales. ere is no doubt the Rockefellers partook in such, but they also en- joyed the lush, natural landscape the Sandhills had to offer for outdoorsy activities. Overhills served as a ritzy, yet rus- tic, hunting and outdoor club reserved for only the wealthi- est industrialists and millionaires beginning in 1913. Percy Rockefeller, nephew of the infamous Standard Oil tycoon John D., acquired Overhills prior to the Great Depression. Overhills was an oasis while others were suf- fering in pre-war America. e over 40,000-acre property featured a Donald Ross designed golf course and attrac- tions that included: fishing, swimming, polo, tennis and foxhunting. (Donald Ross is also the same gentleman who designed the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course). And foxhunting is what brought Rudolph Singleton Sr., a professional huntsman, to Overhills to work for Percy. If that name sounds familiar to you, it is because he is the father of Rudolph Singleton Jr., a longtime, prominent Fay- etteville attorney. Rudolph Sr. moved to Overhills from Lexington, Kentucky. During the depression, he was at- tracted to the area not only because it was a job offer from a Rockefeller, but also because his wife was from nearby Sampson County. e senior Singleton served as the estate's master huntsman, presiding over the foxhunting. e jun- ior Singleton only spent two years there, from 1933 to 1935. However, he recalled that those were some of his best years, where he spent his days making mischief. Once, he even released 24 rabbits from their cages. "I was a daring four- year-old," said Singleton Jr. He remembered how Percy and the rest of the Rockefeller clan plus influential guests would only spend a few weeks there out of the year. e rest of the time it was a private and a rather exclusive playground for those who worked and served the esteemed family. Unfortunately, Percy died in 1934 and Singleton Sr. was faced with a decision. ough he had a job offer from other Rockefeller landowners in Old Chatam, New York, he chose to stay closer to his wife's home. ey eventually settled in a quaint home on General Lee Avenue, where their only child grew up in the Fayetteville community. ough Overhills is long gone since it was acquired by Fort Bragg in the mid 1990s, memories of it still remain FEAtURE Rudolph sr., Jr. and the iii in 1978 The Darden sisters with their father, Troy

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