Robinson on Wentworth on Wednesday
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wbsrmp00MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

Hope to see you at my lecture on the history of the Wentworth Hotel in New Castle, Wednesday, January 5 at 7:30, sponsored by the Exeter Historical Society. This week marks the fifth printing of my hardcover history (Peter E. Randall, Publishers) of the old hotel and, if you haven’t heard the story yet, here’s a rare chance to get the whole scoop. (Details below)

 

 

WHERE: Baptist Church on Front Street next to the Historical Society (in the old library) in Exeter, NH 

WHEN: Lecture begins at 7:30 pm 

WHO: Exeter Historical Society 

WHAT: The Life of Wentworth by the Sea 

Built in 1874, Wentworth by the Sea hotel in New Castle was among the best-known Victorian luxury resorts on the New England coast. NH historian J. Dennis Robinson captured the full story in his hardcover book “The Life and Times of a Grand Hotel. Published in 2004, the book went into its fifth printing this week and is the topic of Wednesday’s Exeter Historical Society lecture.  

Author J. Dennis Robinson traces the story of the thriving resort through two world wars, a dozen owners and the 20 treacherous “limbo” years when the Wentworth was listed among the nation’s most endangered treasures.  Wentworth-by-the-Sea gained world attention in 1905 when it housed delegates to the peace treaty that ended the bloody Russo-Japanese War and for which President Teddy Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize.  

Robinson tells tales of the hotel’s flamboyant owners, its wealthy and important guests and loyal employees, including Wild West marksman Annie Oakley. A richly researched architectural and social history, the book received national honors for history writing. Robinson’s lecture includes almost 200 slides from the book. Robinson is the author of sveral history books including the award-winning history of Strawber Banke Museum and an upcoming volume about the War of 1812 tall ship Privateer Lynx, due in 2011. He is also editor of the history Web site SeacoastNH.com and a popular columnist for the Portsmouth Herald.   

Robinson's lecture will outline the full story of the hotel and its impact on New Hampshire’s smallest town, formerly Great Island. Never-before-published photographs introduce the original owners, the Campbell family of New Castle. Their bankruptcy opened the door for Portsmouth “robber baron” Frank Jones. Jones transformed the boxy hilltop hotel into an exclusive summer paradise for wealthy Victorians. The hotel re-opened in 2003 after a $26 million redesign and renovation by Ocean Properties of Portsmouth.  

Books ($35) will be available for sale and signing after the one-hour talk. The public is invited.