Behind-the Scenes Tour and Talk: Historic Bretton Woods and Crawford Notch

What: Behind-the Scenes Tour and Talk: Historic Bretton Woods and Crawford Notch

Sponsored by the N.H. Preservation Alliance, with WhiteMountainHistory.org

When: Friday, August 19, 2011; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Registration and morning talk at Grand Ballroom, Omni Mt. Washington Hotel; then self-guided touring with experts at over a dozen sites

For more information and registration: www.nhpreservation.org or 603-224-2281

Photos available

The Preservation Alliance is taking you behind the scenes in Bretton Woods and Crawford Notch for our annual summer lecture and tour, on Friday, August 19, in partnership with WhiteMountainHistory.org.  The statewide historic preservation group has assembled a great line-up of over a dozen sites, and top-notch experts to answer all your questions about the “lost” history of this region.   Discover the treasures in the Mount Washington Hotel’s rarely seen water-powered print shop, and meet the last printer to operate the presses here.  Tour the rarely-open Stickney Chapel with its Tiffany windows and original lighting fixtures, altar and pews.  See the fortress-like granite villa that eccentric dentist and photographer Samuel Bemis built in the 1860’s, as well as the home that Cog Railway-inventor Sylvester Marsh built for himself.  

At each stop, scholars and experts will be available to answer your questions about the fascinating hidden history of this rugged and scenic region. 

This event is part of the White Mountains Cultural Festival: Eight Days of Weeks, coordinated by the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire to celebrate arts, heritage and environment in the White Mountains and the 100^th anniversary of the Weeks Act.

Register on-line at www.nhpreservation.org or by calling 603-224-2281. The cost for the tour is $25 for Alliance members or $30 for non-members; this includes continental breakfast courtesy the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, lunch or dinner voucher for 20% off at any of the hotel's several restaurants, and a printed map and guide of the tour sites.  

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The day begins with an illustrated tour overview with Rick Russack and Dave Govatski, experts on White Mountain history.  Displays of historic photographs will be presented by the Twin Mountain-Bretton Woods Historical Society.   Spend the afternoon touring on your own to over a dozen notable sites using our exclusive map and guide.

On the Mount Washington Hotel property, in addition to the print shop, we'll have access to the stables and the Bretton Arms Inn, built for the chauffeurs of wealthy hotel guests.  As you tour along Route 302, you'll learn about the primary role of the railroads in opening up the mountains to tourists at Fabyan's station, still standing across Route 302 from the once prominent Fabyan's Hotel.  You’ll see the Crawford House's railroad station and artist studio, the Shapleigh cottage, where an artist in residence created paintings that sell for thousands of dollars today.  The story of logging and land protection is illustrated by a visit to the first building constructed on the White Mountain National Forest, a ranger's station built in traditional log-cabin style.  Take a short side trip to see the Cog Railway Museum, and hear the tragic story of the Willey family, victims of an 1826 landslide.  We’ll even show you the gravesites of some of the areas most colorful characters--Ethan Allen Crawford and his wife Lucy, Eleazar Rosebrook, and Abel and Hannah Crawford. 

Major support for the N.H. Preservation Alliance's summer lecture and tour has been provided by the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, with additional support from Northway Bank.

Co-sponsors include WhiteMountainHistory.org, the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, the Twin Mountain-Bretton Woods Historical Society, and the Twin Mountain-Bretton Woods Chamber of Commerce. The Preservation Alliance is the statewide membership organization dedicated to the preservation of historic buildings, communities and landscapes through leadership, education and advocacy. 

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