GAHS honored Black History Month with a tribute to the Meadowbrook Country Club. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was founded in 1959 and developed by the black community as an alternative for families who were not able to gain membership to white country clubs due to segregation laws. The club experienced its greatest membership growth and financial stability through the 1960’s and built all the major facilities during that time. The Country Club offered a lake with a wooden pier, a picnic area, a putt putt course, a driving range, a nine-hole golf course, a clubhouse, boathouse, two clay tennis courts and a Junior Olympic size swimming pool.
The 1960’s was the heyday of success for the Club in terms of membership and financial stability. Circumstances changed in the 1970’s when two significant events took place. The younger generations began moving away from the area and the passage of the Civil Rights act of 1964 which outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places and employment. This began to open formerly all-white private clubs for blacks to play. The Club was purchased by the Town of Garner in 2016 to expand the Parks and Recreation Department services with active recreation parkland.
