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Circa 1900. "Group at the Balsams. Dixville Notch, White Mountains, New Hampshire." The hotel staff, all of whom are upstairs these days. View full size.
The three on the hill in the rear row were known, left to right, by their fellow employees as Light-In-The-Head Lettie, Smackback Jack, and Anxious Annie.
Lettie fell off the train on the spur in front of the hotel one afternoon and hit her head, although some thought Jack pushed her. In any case, that was the day they both earned their nicknames. It was further rumored that Annie did indeed witness the incident from one of the attic dormers, and she knew that Lettie had just the day before given Jack his walking papers. Poor Annie at first became nervous whenever jack came physically close to her, but then worried continuously, eventually becoming addicted to Paregoric as a calmative.
18 yards of material in their dresses and men will part their hair in the middle for the staff photo.
The people in the front row look like regular folks, just like anyone you might see on the street today. But as you go back in the group, many of the people have the dead-eyed stare of characters in old horror movies. I'm sleeping with the light on tonight.
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