Road History
Back in the 1990’s, Jackson, New Hampshire began the long process of making the changes necessary to implement the 911 Emergency System. Ellie Lang at the town office called to ask for help with Wentworth Resort, Mirror Lake and Jackson Falls. Since all of those areas were part of the original Wentworth Hall property, we focused on historical names. Let’s start with some recent history.
Now for some more recent history. In the fall of 1982 Ernie Mallett and his family purchased Wentworth Hall with plans to restore it as they did Stonehurst Manor in North Conway. This was a much larger project, but Ernie and Mike were up to the task of breathing new life into the jewel of Jackson. First the hotel, then the townhouses.
In July 1983 in the New Hampshire Historical Society’s Newsletter, Volume XXI, No. 4, they highlighted the reopening of Wentworth Hall. For those of you who missed that issue, I’ll quote the article.
“On July 1, after 12 years of vacancy and neglect, the once-glorious Wentworth hall in Jackson reopened as an hotel after a full year of painstaking renovation.
The renovation work was done by Ernest J. Mallett of North Conway, who had earlier put his talents in restoration carpentry to use on that town’s Stonehurst Manor. Although 30 of the original 39 buildings which comprised Wentworth Hall had to be razed – “They were unrestorable,” Mallett says; “they’d seen too many winters, too many heavy snows with no one taking care of them” – many of their architectural elements were saved and reinstalled in the main building, the Thorn Mountain House built in 1869 by Joshua Trickey.
Trickey’s daughter married Marshall Wentworth, who over the years added many cottages to the complex so that, by the 1920s, it could accommodate 350 persons. Wentworth Hall had its own electric plant, farm, stable, laundry, blacksmith and print shops, telegraph office, casino, and 18-hole golf course. It also had a greenhouse, boutique, five-piece orchestra, and a swimming pool at Jackson Falls. According to Jackson’s Georgianna Peavey and Elizabeth Breen, Marshall Wentworth also held a party each year for the children of the town; they all received printed invitations.
Perhaps because of such gestures and because of Wentworth Hall’s importance to the Jackson economy, townspeople have long had a fondness for the sprawling hotel, an attitude that Ernest Mallett seems to have adopted. Mallett put his crews to work milling lumber to match the many surviving patterns used to construct the various buildings – the shingles, the balusters on the porch rail, the beaded roof planking on the porch ceiling. Even ornate plaster composition ornament around the lobby fireplace was replicated where it had been damaged.”
Now back to the 1800’s and the basis for many of our street names. Joshua Trickey (Joshua Loop) was born in Jackson in 1802 and spent his youth on a farm near Black Mountain. He lived there with his family hosting a number of artists until, according to the History of Carroll County, he sold Iron Mountain to the Iron Mountain Mining Company and purchased the farm of John Chesley near Jackson Falls. There he continued hosting travelers and enlarged his home to accommodate his increasing number of guests. “He was prominent in developing the resources of Jackson, and in many ways connected with its prosperity. He was the village merchant, proprietor of a stage-route from North Conway to Jackson, owned and operated grist and saw mills, opened the tin mine, and no person ever did more to promote its interests.”
In 1869 Captain Trickey built the Thorn Mountain House, the present Wentworth Hotel, for his daughter Georgia (Georgia Lane) when she married Marshall C. Wentworth. Marshall Wentworth was born in Jackson in 1844. He served in the Civil War, enlisting at the age of 17. Although General was an honorary title, he served bravely during the war. The General and his wife built on Captain Trickey’s hostelry creating a grand summer resort called Wentworth Hall and Cottages.
General Wentworth built the first house on the right on Carter Notch Road for J. Bracket Hurlin, his superintendent of buildings and grounds. (Hurlin Lane). Tim and Heidi Shellmer live there today. Tim, a fine photographer, (www.Shellmer.com), >but first brought his talents to The Wentworth Hotel (www.TheWentworth.com) >as a skilled designer and project manager of the renovations. Quite a few years ago Fritz Koeppel hired Tim for the lobby renovations and they have been creating beauty ever since as they renovate cottage by cottage. Although used as a residence, Hurlin House is a commercial condominium unit within Wentworth Resort Townhouse Condominium as are The Wentworth Hotel and Wentworth Golf Course.
The duplex townhouses next to the Thompson House Eatery were built on the site of the Fairview building. (Fairview Drive) It is hard to tell from the picture, but it was 3 stories high plus attic rooms and about 150’ long. It was built as the Glen Ellis House and was on the main road into the village across from the Thompson House Eatery. When I was told that it was across from T.H.E., I assumed it was across the present road by the 17th hole. But nothing is as it seems. In those days, the main road went between the buildings where the Thompson House’s driveway goes down to the Ellis River. It was later known as The Fairview. I don’t know at what point in its history it became The Fairview, but Bea Davis said that she was the telephone operator the day the call came in to say that it was on fire. It was never rebuilt after the fire and was one of the relics left standing from the Wentworth Hall days. I just ran into Chris Doucette, a Jackson native and son of Arthur and Rachael Doucette. He was showing me a very wide angle picture of Jackson Village. I explained that I was trying to learn more about the Glen Ellis House and trying to confirm that it was once called The Fairview. He said his father had a sign from the building and we could borrow it. I took the sign over to show DD Warren and John Bruni. When DD designed your new signs, she had no idea she was recreating history. Comparing the fonts, they look very similar.
Cottage Drive is between two of the original Wentworth Hall Cottages, Fairlawn and Amster.
After finishing with the Wentworth Hall historical names, we went to a golf theme and Chipper Point was born. Sand Trap Lane didn’t sound too appealing to the folks up on the hill so it was changed to Fox View Lane after that pesky red fox that used to steal golf balls right in front of your eyes. And yes, The Red Fox Pub and Grille is named after that critter.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little bit of local history. Enjoy the rest of the summer and have a grand fall, Kathleen