Editing Sugar Hill, New Hampshire (section)

== History ==

[[File:Sugar Hill Lupine.jpg|thumb|left|Sugar Hill is known for its [[lupinus|lupine]] blooms every June.]]
Incorporated in 1962 out of the town of [[Lisbon, New Hampshire|Lisbon]] after considerable litigation, Sugar Hill is the most recently incorporated town in the state. The name "Sugar Hill" comes from the large groves of [[sugar maple]]s within the town limits.

Offering clean air and panoramic views from atop Sunset Hill Ridge of both the [[White Mountains (New Hampshire)|White Mountains]] and [[Green Mountains]], the community became a fashionable [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] resort. First attracted by paintings of [[White Mountain art]]ists, the wealthy arrived by train to escape the heat, humidity and pollution of summers in [[Boston]], [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[New York City|New York]] and [[Philadelphia]]. Several hostelries were built, including the Hotel Lookoff. But the grandest was the Sunset Hill House, built in 1880 after rail service arrived in neighboring Lisbon Village (Sunset Hill Station). With the longest porch on a single side in New Hampshire, the [[Second Empire architecture|Second Empire]] hotel accommodated 350 guests and 300 staff. Patrons found amusement in the casino and [[bowling alley]], or on [[carriage]] rides touring nearby [[Franconia Notch]]. Built in 1897, the 9-hole Sugar Hill House Golf Course, together with its 1900 clubhouse, are the oldest in the state and are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]] played the [[links (golf)|links]].

With the advent of automobiles came a decline in grand hotels, however, as tourists were no longer restricted by the limits of rail service. The Sunset Hill House remained open until 1973, longer than many of its type in the region. But it closed at season's end, when the furnishings were sold at auction. The aging structure was demolished in 1974, although its annex survived and was purchased in 2013 by new owners, to reopen in 2015 as "The Inn at Sunset Hill".
[[File:Otto Lang Peckett's 1936.jpg|left|thumb|Otto Lang, ski instructor, on slope near Peckett's Inn – 1936|247x247px]]

=== Peckett's-on-Sugar Hill ===

Robert P. Peckett Sr. acquired land on Sugar Hill around 1900 and founded the Peckett's-on-Sugar Hill Inn.<ref>Memories of Peckett's Inn, #11 [[New England Ski Museum]] 1984</ref> While hosting winter guests early in the century, the need for increased clientele prompted him, with the assistance of his wife, Katharine Peckett, to establish the first resort-based ski school in the United States.<ref>''New Hampshire and the Emergence of an American Ski Industry'', November 10, 2009, by Jeffrey R. Leich, New England Ski Museum</ref> The first two ski instructors were [[Germans|German]]; they introduced the [[Arlberg technique]] developed by [[Hannes Schneider]] at [[St Anton am Arlberg|St. Anton]]. In 1931, Sig Buchmayr joined the staff. Kate Peckett brought in several more European instructors including [[Otto Lang (film producer)|Otto Lang]] to teach the Arlberg system. Among pupils were [[Nelson Rockefeller]], [[Averell Harriman]], [[Lowell Thomas]], [[Charles Minot Dole|Minot Dole]] and Roger Peabody.<ref>[http://skiinghistory.org/history/timeline-important-ski-history-dates http://skiinghistory.org/history/timeline-important-ski-history-dates]</ref> Subsequent efforts by Kate, the [[Civilian Conservation Corps|CCC]] and others resulted in the development of the Taft Ski Trail and other facilities on the [[Cannon Mountain Ski Area]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/cccskitrails/NewHampshire/cannonmtn.php |title=Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire - New England's Alpine CCC Ski Trails}}</ref>

=== Image gallery ===
<gallery>
Image:Sunset Hill House & Annex, Sugar Hill, NH.jpg|Sunset Hill House {{circa|1906}}
Image:Mount Lafayette from Sugar Hill, NH.jpg|[[Mount Lafayette]] from Sugar Hill in 1913
Image:Road in Franconia Notch, White Mountains, NH.jpg|Carriage ride {{circa|1905}}
Image:Green Mountains, Sugar Hill, NH.jpg|Green Mountains from Sugar Hill {{circa|1920}}
Image:Sugar Hill town hall 5.JPG|Town hall
</gallery>