Ron Resden's Photo Archives (Set 10) of the Sunset Hill House Resort
Bob Jensen at Trinity University 

In Summer of 2017 a friendly stranger walked up our drive
He introduced himself as Ron Resden, a gunsmith from Guildhall, Vermont
He recalls both the old iron mine of Sugar Hill, NH and the 1880 Sunset Hill House Resort that was torn down in 1974
At one time he worked and lived in the resort's dormitories

Our cottage sits where the main hotel of the 1880 SHH Summertime Resort was located
I previously wrote about the history of this resort
Scroll down to Cottage History at
http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm
To date you will see sets of pictures Ron has sent me.

Ron still keeps feeding me history pictures of the SHH Resort that he buys over time.
In this Set 10 you will find some of his latest finds


The SSH Resort in Sugar Hill was popular 1890s -1960s along with the many other summer resorts in the New England mountains and along water fronts.
Before the days of air conditioning families from the sweltering cities would check in for weeks or even months to cool off in these White Mountains
Children were often parked in nearby summer camps, and husbands commuted by passenger trains on week ends
On week days vacationing wives enjoyed reading on the big front porch, bowling, hiking, and playing golf, tennis, shuffle board, etc.
There was also a casino that guests found entertaining
This is the historic context in which the following pictures should be viewed (explaining why women are featured in so many of the photographs)

Ron Resden was a young man who lived in one of the SHH employee dorms
He has fond memories of his youth and repeatedly sends me pictures of the SHH Resort
Of course most of the photographs were taken before his time
The SHH Resort was closed in the winter season
Most of the buildings (including the big hotel) were torn down by 1974
Our cottage was once on the golf course before it was moved where
to the site of the torn down big hotel

Below are some of the postcard pictures sent by Ron in March 2021
Before automobiles there the train depots in Sugar Hill and nearby communities where guests
Were met by horse carriages ant taken to the SSH Resort or one of the assorted other
Resorts in or near Sugar Hill
The SSH Resort was the largest and had a casino, bowling alley, golf course, tennis court, etc.

 

 

 

A large dining staff served meals to over 300 guests seeking cool mountain air in the summer months
Below is the dining room staff that served the meals early on in the thriving days of the SSH Resort

 

 

It's amazing how the SSH Hotel could serve three meals a day to over 400 guests and staff
There was before refrigeration of food
The hotel raised much of its own produce
Suppliers brought food daily on ice such as seafood from the coast
Much of the food was also shipped in via trains that also brought the guests to Sugar Hill

 

Below is part of an 1892 supper menu

 

South of the SSH Resort was the smaller Lookoff Hotel that competed over some of the years
Note that the mountain views are east and west of the hotels
The view toward the north shown below does not show the mountains
The small village of Sugar Hill is west and the village of Franconia is east

 

 

These are the White Mountain views from the SSH Hotel's front porch that faced toward the east

 

Lafayette, Lincoln, and Cannon are about 10 miles east in the Kinsman Range

 

In the northeast 28 miles away is Mt. Washington in the Presidential Range

 

 

 

 

 

We attend the Sugar Hill Community Church shown on the left of the following 1896 postcard

 

In the SHH Resort there were three "cottages" alongside the golf course (behind the hotel) that could be rented with resort privileges

Cottage 3 is now a private home still in place alongside the golf course

Cottage 2 burned down ---
www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/CottageHistory/Fire/FireSet01.htm

Cottage 1 (that became our retirement home in 2006) was moved in 1977 up to the site of the hotel after the hotel was torn down
http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/CottageHistory/OldSite/Set01/Set01.htm

http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/CottageHistory/NewSite/Set01/Set01.htm 

 

 

Why were over 100 such big summer resorts in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Canada demolished after 1960?
The answer is complicated but widespread air conditioning was a major cause
Families no longer had to leave the cities to cool off in the mountains
Some that took vacations in these mountains headed north on new super highways, found lots, and built their own vacation homes
After the 1960s cruise ships commenced to compete with resorts for expensive vacations

Three large and expensive resorts that still operate in New Hampshire are:
Mt. Washington (Omni) Resort in Bretton Woods ---
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_Hotel

Mountain View Grand Resort in Whitefield ---
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_View_House

Wentworth by the Sea in Newcastle ---
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wentworth_by_the_Sea

 

Cottage

Set 01 of my cottage pictures --- http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm
Set 02 inside the cottage --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/2009/Tidbits090723.htm
Set 03 inside the cottage
--- www.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Cottage\Inside/Set03/Set03InteriorCottage.htm 
Set 04 inside the cottage
--- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Cottage\Inside/Set04/Set04InteriorCottage.htm  
Photographs of Putting a New Rubber Roof Under Our Widow's Walk
http://cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/CottageHistory/WidowsWalk/WidowsWalk.htm

Indoor  Plants --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/IndoorPlants/IndoorPlantsFavorites.htm
Amaryllis --- http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/2008/Tidbits080212.htm   

Video:  The Inn on Sunset Hill (just down from our cottage) ---
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5cqUX0LcbU&t=9s

 

Cottage History

Sunset Hill House Resort History Set 01 ---
http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/CottageHistory/Hotel/Brochure/Brochure1900.htm   

Historic Photographs (Set 01) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/01ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 02) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/02ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 03) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/03ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 03) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/03ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 04) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2019/04ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 05) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2019/05ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 06) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2019/06ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 07) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2019/07ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 08) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2019/08ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 09) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2020/09ResdenSSH.htm

Historic Photographs (Set 10) of the Sunset Hill House Resort Shared by Gunsmith Ron Resden from Vermont
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/2021/10ResdenSSH.htm

 

After the Sunset Hill House Resort was nearly all demolished in 1973, our cottage (before it was ours)
was moved in 1977 from the golf course across a tennis court and up to where the former hotel site.
I show pictures of the preparation work prior to the moving the cottage and its four fireplaces
     http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/CottageHistory/OldSite/Set01/Set01.htm

Next I show pictures of the move to the new site
     http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/CottageHistory/NewSite/Set01/Set01.htm 

Next I show the pictures of a 1980 spectacular fire inside one of the remaining three cottages
www.trinity.edu/rjensen/tidbits/CottageHistory/Fire/FireSet01.htm

Iron Ore From Ore Hill and Historic Iron Works Operations in Franconia
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Resden/IronMine/Set01/01IronMine.htm

Sunset Hill House Hotel:  The American Dream ---
http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rjensen/temp/SunsetHillHouse/SunsetHillHouse.htm

Part 1 of the History of the Homestead Inn Torn Down in 2015
http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Hotels/Homestead/Set01/Set01.htm

Part 2 of the History of the Homestead Inn
http://faculty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Tidbits/Hotels/Homestead/Set02/Set02.htm 

 

What is now the Sunset Hill House Hotel is a renovated resort building called the Annex that was once one of the dormitories for hotel staff ---
The Sunset Hill House --- https://www.thesunsethillhouse.com/

 

More of Bob Jensen's Pictures and Stories
http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/Pictures.htm

 

Blogs of White Mountain Hikers (many great photographs) ---
http://www.blogger.com/profile/02242409292439585691

Especially note the archive of John Compton's blogs at the bottom of the page at
http://1happyhiker.blogspot.com/

Question
Are there trails in our White Mountains of New Hampshire that have ice in summer as well as winter?
See "The Ice Gulch, Would I do it Again" by John Compton, August 5, 2011 ---
http://1happyhiker.blogspot.com/2011_08_05_archive.html

Okay, you might ask, is there really ice in the Ice Gulch, even in August? Yes, there is! The next photo shows one small patch of ice. There were many larger patches, but they were at the bottom of some of those deep gaps that I mentioned above. I took some photos, but none of them really turned out, even with using a flash to illuminate these dark, dank, deep spots.

 White Mountain News --- http://www.whitemtnews.com/

 

On May 14, 2006 I retired from Trinity University after a long and wonderful career as an accounting professor in four universities. I was generously granted "Emeritus" status by the Trustees of Trinity University. My wife and I now live in a cottage in the White Mountains of New Hampshire ---
http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/NHcottage/NHcottage.htm

Bob Jensen's Blogs --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/JensenBlogs.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called New Bookmarks --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Tidbits --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
Current and past editions of my newsletter called Fraud Updates --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudUpdates.htm
Bob Jensen's past presentations and lectures --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/resume.htm#Presentations   

 

Our address is 190 Sunset Hill Road, Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Our cottage was known as the Brayton Cottage in the early 1900s
Sunset Hill is a ridge overlooking with New Hampshire's White Mountains to the East
and Vermont's Green Mountains to the West

 

 

Bob Jensen's Threads --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm

Bob Jensen's Home Page --- http://facuolty.trinity.edu/rjensen/