Sinclair House Hotel Financial Records

The Sinclair House was a popular summer resort hotel located in the small town of Bethlehem, New Hampshire, in Grafton county in the White Mountains. Starting in the second half of the nineteenth century, the White Mountain region attracted middle-class and upper-class summer visitors who took advantage of the lake, forests, and outdoor recreation in the area. The Sinclair House was originally opened in 1865 by businessman and politican John Sinclair. The hotel was expanded several times over the ensuing decades growing to more than 300 rooms to accommodate the increasing number of visitors. The hotel offered food and drink in addition to modern facilities, and the hotel grounds included numerous recreational activities including billiards, bowling, baseball, tennis, and other pastimes. By the 1880s, the hotel was owned and operated by John W. Durgin and Warren Fox. The Sinclair remained a staple of the summer scene in Bethlehem throughout much of the twentieth century. The hotel closed in 1976 due to declining business, and the building was destroyed by fire in 1978.