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Author Seeks Historic Wentworth Stories |
| PORTSMOUTH NH (November 15, 2002) -- Do you
remember the Wentworth Hotel? Writer J. Dennis Robinson wants to
talk with people who have stories or artifacts to share about one of New
Hampshire's oldest grand resort hotels.
Robinson is researching a book chronicling the 1874 New Castle facility. The book is a collaboration between Ocean Properties, the company that will re-open the famous hotel next year, and the Friends of the Wentworth, the nonprofit agency that helped save the endangered building from extinction. "It's a compelling history," Robinson says, "and one that I've been interested in since I met the former owners back in the early 1980s. I�m looking especially for unique anecdotes, records and images to flesh out the story." Robinson will draw much of the material for the history from a collection of documents and photos currently archived at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. He plans to assemble the story and images during the winter. The hotel, currently being renovated, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2003. Peter E. Randall, who has published roughly 300 books locally, plans to release the book by next fall. "The grand seacoast hotels � like the Passaconnaway, the Champernowne,
the Appledore and the Farragut -- are gone,� Robinson says. �Even at their
peak, Wentworth by the Sea was the grandest. Its history tells us a lot
about how this region has evolved.�
The original hotel was about the size of the surviving historic section, according to Robinson, and was painted a mossy green. Ale Tycoon Frank Jones modernized the facility in the late 19th century with water closets, steam-powered elevators and large elegant rooms. In 1905 the hotel owners hosted Japanese and Russian delegates in the famous Treaty of Portsmouth, for which Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize. For much of the last two decades the hotel languished and some of the property was subdivided and turned into condominiums. Then in 1999, Ocean Properties of Portsmouth, announced plans to revive the famous hotel. "This is the ideal time to celebrate both the future and the history of the hotel," says Tom Varley, Vice President of operations for Ocean Properties. 'This new book will bring those two worlds together." Robinson invites those with documentary material and oral histories to write or call him with information. But don't delay, he says. The first draft of the book is already in progress. Robinson can be reached at his Portsmouth office by calling 603-427-2020. Written and printed material can be sent to the author c/o Ideaworks, PO Box 7158, Portsmouth, NH 03802 or by email to [email protected]. For more on the history of the hotel, visit www.SeacoastHistory.com and click on Wentworth by the Sea. Located in New Castle, NH, Wentworth By the Sea Marriott Hotel & Spa is a 168-room full service resort hotel managed by Ocean Properties, Ltd. |
| Contact:
Wentworth by the Sea Marriott Hotel & Spa 603-442-7322 www.wentworth.com Stephanie Seacord
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