Right from its inception in the 1920s, Biltmore Forest has played an integral role in the distinguished social history of Asheville, N.C. Edith Vanderbilt, the widow of industrialist George W. Vanderbilt, was instrumental in acquiring the land from the Biltmore Estate in 1920. Included in the land purchase was a site for a country club. Along with a group of leading town citizens, including Junius G. Adams, Burnham S. Colburn, Thomas W. Raoul and William Knight, she created a charter membership.

Once blueprints for the town were created and the first houses were being built, the club hired Donald Ross to design the golf course. Edward L. Palmer, of Biltmore, was chosen as the architect for the clubhouse and Chauncey D. Beadle, of the Biltmore Estate, selected as the landscape architect.