Today's musing comes from a small envelope full of old pictures taken in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Pairing each location with a photo taken today, a striking contrast appears as the history of Baldpate comes out through its changes.
Baldpates 2nd Floor Back Entrance:
An entire staircase is missing today, as well as an extra room attached to the second floor. The trees are different too as the skinny birch in the mid-ground of the old photo is missing today. A large pine has also cropped up to replace the other pine in the old photo as rear guard of the inn.
Baldpate's Back Office:
This image was one of the hardest locations to identify out of the old photographs in the envelope because of how strikingly different the back office has become. The desk, seen in the 1960's photo, has been succeed by a green filing cabinet and printer. The only recognizable landmark from this photo is a window that, today, is completely blocked off.
Dining Room Entrance:
There have been some slight modifications to the layout that includes the modern maitre d' station and bathroom hallway. A slight repositioning of the snowshoes and the addition of the twisty log are some changes in the decorations.
Baldpate's Front Desk:
A major upgrade to our lobby, we have gone from shag carpeting to hardwood floors! Other than this drastically positive change and some minor shifts in decoration, the desk has seen little change in the last five decades.
Our Front Porch:
A spitting image of the past, our front porch has miraculously stood the test of time. Just the additions of a new bench and some stickers in our window have changed the look of the porch.
The Kitchen:
By far the most dramatically overhauled section of the Inn, the old kitchen is unrecognizable in the face of our modern facility. The room has been so drastically stripped and redone that discerning where the original 1960's photograph was taken is next to impossible. Although much has changed, the basic elements of a kitchen can be seen reflected in both old and new.
Building exterior:
The foliage surrounding the Inn has definitely grown significantly from the 1960's to the 2020's. The other major difference between these photos is the old deck on the roof of the Baldpate. It is said that every 4th of July the guests were invited to the deck to watch the fireworks in the valley below. While the days of the deck are long past, our 24/7 live-stream camera remains on the roof giving glorious views of the valley.
Kitchen Roof & Deck:
There's something to say about this transformation. For one, we have an air conditioner now! If you look carefully, you can see the growth of two pine trees just behind the inn.
Telephone Booth:
Lastly, the story of the missing telephone booth. Directly to the side of the main entrance, this telephone booth stood until just a few year ago. Of course times have changed and guests no longer need to use the booth as cellphones give that freedom. The taxidermied bird that adorned the top of the booth remains, however his perch has become our brochure stand.
If you like this look back into Baldpate history, then you also might like our 100 years blog! Check it out at
https://baldpate100yearsbook.blogspot.com/ !
Written by Adam Dohn
Museum Curator
