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| The hotel survived a devastating
fire, the Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression and major
upheavals in the tourism industry. In fact, when the Fort William Henry was
opened in 1856, as the first elegant resort on Lake George, the United
States included only 31 states, and the town of Lake George, New York was
still known as Caldwell. In its second century, the hotel is still thriving as the oldest resort on Lake George. Fort William Henry's commanding location on a grassy expanse overlooking southern Lake George attracted thousands of high-society travelers between 1855 and 1908. The resort was elegant and big, expanding from a 150-room inn to a massive 1000-room resort with the most luxurious amenities for its time. In 1868, the hotel was sold for $125,000 to Roessle & Sons of Albany who raised the entire front section so a new 16-foot main floor could be built under it and topped it with a fifth floor. The project cost $200,000 - more than the original purchase price of the resort. The expanded hotel was elegant. Its furnishings were of the latest fashion - dark and heavy - and rooms were lighted by gas that was produced on the hotel grounds. A huge dining room offered a stunning view of Lake George and the Adirondack Mountains. Near the dining room were the cigar shop, news stand, billiard room and the telegraph office where hourly stock market quotations were available to its affluent guests. Ambitious visitors enjoyed lumber wagon rides up nearby Prospect Mountain and boat rides to Tea Island, where they sipped tea in a small tea house. They could walk to the ruins of neighboring Fort William Henry, which was destroyed by the French in 1757 during the French and Indian Wars. But mainly the well-to-do guests camped out on the Fort's high-society porch, showing off elegant fashions and jewelry and hobnobbing with each other and observing the arrival of each new guest as they debarked from the stage coaches. Each Thursday evening, Fort William Henry hosted a grand ball complete with a lavish multi-course dinner and a full orchestra providing music for dancing. In 1909, a devasting fire destroyed the hotel but only a year later, a new, simpler but still classic Fort William Henry took its place. The new hotel had private bathes, steam heat and Chippendale and Colonial furniture. Most importantly, it was fire-proof. Today, the original ballroom still enchants guests. Fort William Henry Hotel History http://www.fortwilliamhenry.com/History/Index.cfm Below is a later view of the Hotel, The grounds are
looking very spectacular by now. |
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