Souvenir Of New England's Great Resorts In State Library Of Massachusetts

Press release from the State Library of Massachusetts:

June 1, 2021

Souvenir of New England's Great Resorts by George H. Haynes

Moss Engraving Company (New York, 1891)

It’s June, so we must have summer vacations on our mind! This month’s Collection Spotlight is Souvenir of New England's Great Resorts that dates to 1891. Within its pages are images and descriptions of seventeen of the premier Gilded Age resorts found on the northeast coast - including the Hotel Chatham on Cape Cod and the Hotel Vendome in Boston!

The Hotel Chatham opened in 1892 and its description reads, “Its magnificent furnishings, spacious piazzas, bowling alleys, billiard rooms, electric lights throughout the house, together with the purest of water, perfect plumbing and drainage, steam-heat and open fires, combines to make this one of the best equipped of modern hotels.” The Hotel Vendome, which opened in 1871, was a luxury hotel located in downtown Boston, but boosted that it would be a ideal home-base for those who were exploring Massachusetts’ coastline, writing “excursions can easily be made to the neighboring seashore resorts and return to town the same day. Railroad tickets may be procured in the hotel, and all arrangements for baggage, car seats, lunches, etc. will be attended to if desired.”

This press release was produced by the State Library of Massachusetts. The views expressed are the author's own.