A 100-year-old golf club in Parsonsfield was destroyed by fire overnight.
The fire was reported late Wednesday night at Province Lake Golf Club in the western York County town. Fire departments from both Maine and New Hampshire responded to fight the blaze.
A photo posted on Facebook by the Wakefield, New Hampshire, fire department showed buildings at Province Lake Golf fully engulfed in flames.
Details about the cause of the fire were not immediately available.
In a Facebook post, the operators of the golf club described the heartbreak of learning that fire swept through the clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant.
“We shed a lot of tears, huddled together and watched as fire ravaged our second home. We did it as a family, like we do when we work everyday,” the post read. “This post is emotional. We are emotional. We are raw, broken hearted and hurt. Standing in the snow watching a fire rip away what we have worked so hard for and cherish took pieces of us with it.”
The club computer systems and group emails were destroyed in the fire, but the club will post Facebook updates for bridal parties with weddings scheduled. Staff will also reach out to couples when possible.
There were no reports of injuries from the fire, according to New Hampshire television station WMUR.
The golf course was opened in 1918 by Joseph Emery and his friends and business associates. Emery, a native of Dover, New Hampshire, served as president of Lord & Taylor in New York City, according to the golf course website.
The Facebook post said employees plan to celebrate the club’s 100th anniversary and host tournaments and weddings.
“We lost a piece of history but not PLG itself,” the Facebook post said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
