You may not find John Barrymore and Greta Garbo on the guest list, but The Wentworth is truly a grand hotel in the European tradition, with a history that reaches back a century and a half to the golden age of New England resorts. At the turn of the century, Wentworth Hall sported an attractive casino, with spacious billiard parlors, a cafe and a handsome ballroom where the guests danced every Wednesday and Saturday evenings. As a guest booklet from the 1920s stated: “Wentworth Hall is situated in an amphitheater, rimmed by the noblest mountain peaks of the region.”
On one side is Mount Washington, on the other Kearsarge, both within easy driving distance of The Wentworth Inn. Thorn Mountain, Tin Mountain, Spruce Mountain, Doublehead, Black Mountain, Giant’s Stairs, Iron Mountain, the Moat Range and a host of other peaks guard this happy valley, which is encircled by the Wildcat and Glen Ellis rivers.
Our storied past can be felt throughout The Wentworth, a comfortable hotel, managed with contemporary efficiency and amenities, but echoing a gentler tradition of turn-of-the-century New England innkeeping. You’ll find memorabilia of the hotel and its varied clientele, letters, artwork and a thousand memories preserved for your moments of leisurely browsing.
In 1869, Joshua Trickey built The Wentworth as a wedding gift to his daughter Georgia Trickey and her husband-to-be, General Marshall Wentworth. Before they were to be married, General Wentworth respectfully asked Mr. Trickey for his daughter’s hand in marriage. We are lucky enough to have this very personal and intimate handwritten letter at our historic hotel to this day. Be sure to take a look at it during your stay.
