looking back
Bike riding on the trail today. Inset: Mile marker to Boston.
He continues, “In the old days there might be one bathroom at the head of the stairs for eight or ten rooms. Few people will accept that today, and it was hard for the big hotels to renovate and adapt. My grandfather couldn’t afford to build a huge hotel, so he built three- and four-bedroom cottages for families to share. Because they’re smaller, our cottages as well as the main building and annex were easier to modernize.” The train brought the summer people north to Concord or Claremont and then on to Potter Place near Andover or to Lake Station in Newbury. A Concord Coach carted visitors from Potter Place to Elkins and New London. Steamboats picked up visitors at Lake Station, dropping them off at hotels along the shore.
From Trains to Autos
With hundreds of tourists visiting Sunapee every summer, several steamboats cruised the lake. Some of the steamboats had lyrical, ladylike names like Captain Nathan Young’s Mountain Maid and the Woodsum brothers’ Lady Woodsum and Armenia White. Others were named for local landmarks like the Ascutney and the Kearsarge. The steamboats didn’t just carry tourists to their hotels; they were part of the local entertainment. Sightseeing tours were popular, both day and night. Throughout the day, the boats’ captains pointed out the sights, but they 62 i m a g e •
SUMMER 2012