We almost lost the Wentworth. The hotel was in such bad shape at the turn of the 21st century, according to one architect, that it could not have lasted another two years. Built in 1874, closed in 1982, the restored Victorian resort was on its last legs when these photos were taken for SeacaostNH.com in the year 2000.
We Almost Lost the Wentworth
For two decades Seacoast residents watched Wentworth by the Sea hotel deteriorate on a bluff in New Castle, NH. Each year, it seemed, there was a new owner, and the 256 acres that once surrounded the structure shrunk to four acres as the property was sold and resold by developers. Things got so bad that the Wentworth was used as a haunted backdrop for the film "In Dreams". In the movie, a man was eaten by a dog in his ruined hotel room. It doesn’t get any worse than that.
Today, with the hotel restored by Ocean Properties, it is difficult for new visitors to believe the building was on the nation’s most endangered list just a few years ago. Modernized, redesigned and bustling with activity, the 1874 Wentworth is again the center of a small universe. So lest we forget how close we came, here are a few images from the files of Seacoast photographer Ralph Morang. -- JDR
Sea Dogs: Celebrating 15 Years May 13, 2008 PORTLAND -- Charlie Eshbach, President/General Manager, Portland Sea Dogs, will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Sea Dogs with the publication of a new history of the team, “The Portland Sea Dogs: Images of Baseball.” FREE
LIVESTRONG Day May 13, 2008 EXETER -- Wear yellow. Honor and support people affected by cancer in our community. Enjoy a new exhibition of art by cancer survivors. Learn about the Lance Armstrong Foundation's programs to unite people to fight cancer, and meet a member of the LAF s...
Be a Herbal Apprentice Course May 14, 2008 CANTERBURY -- Fee: $175, members $160
Drive away the winter blues by delving into herbology. This course provides hands on experiences, making tinctures, soaps and herbal salts, for example, to connect you with the early spring. We will also concentrat...
American Independence Museum's Opening Day May 14, 2008 The American Independence Museum opens for the season in Historic Exeter, New Hampshire. Museum hours are 10am to 4pm, with the last tours at 3:30pm.
Veggie Teens and Raw Food May 14, 2008 EXETER -- Raise Your Vibe Wednesdays at Blue Moon. Blue Moon Natural Foods, 8 Clifford Street, Exeter, sees this spring as an opportunity to explore what each of us can do to make healthful choices for people and the planet. Some of these solutions com...
Writer Louise Erdrich May 14, 2008 PORTSMOUTH -- One of the most gifted, prolific and challenging of contemporary Native American novelists, Award-winning novelist Louise Erdrich will be a part of our Writers on a New England Stage series on May 14. Her new original novel The Plague of D...
Lighthouse Buffet Dinner May 16, 2008 The main event this evening will be the American Lighthouse Foundation's first “Lighthouse Trivia Challenge.” This will be a Jeopardy-style competition, complete with buzzers and sound effects. The winners of the early games will compete in a final roun...
Meteors, Meteorites and Comets May 16, 2008 CONCORD -- Planetarium Educator Bob Veilleux will explain why you can collect meteorites - but not meteors or comets. Learn about these fascinating solar system interlopers, where they come from, how you can see them, and how they are related. See and...
Mother Courage May 16 - 17, 2008 Our mainstage season wraps up in May with the Senior Youth Repertory Company production of Bertolt Brecht’s epic masterpiece Mother Courage and Her Children. Through Brecht’s stark vision, the play relentlessly questions the distinctions between war, bu...
Books & Blooms Sale May 17, 2008 BRENTWOOD -- Our Annual Books & Blooms Sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 17th from 9 - 11:30 am! Come to the Mary Bartlett Library, 22 Dalton Road in Brentwood, to purchase lots of books for little money - and purchase great plants at great prices. Pl...
WENTWORTH BY THE SEA
