Some photos of the abandoned Crawford House taken in 1977. The fireplace can still be seen in one of them. Shortly after the building was destroyed by fire.

The lady at the edge of the frame has a quality that is almost like a portrait to the point where I wonder if it might indeed be a painting.

My great-great-grandfather Asa Barron bought Crawford House in the 1870s. I've never seen any interior photos before now! Thanks so much for putting it up.

I am guessing the ghostly image behind the chair on the right is the lady of the house hovering. I wish they would try to get the wrinkles out of that carpet.

Maybe I'm crazy, but this scene looks pretty inviting to this Southern boy, especially if I was up in New Hampshire on a cold winter day and this fireplace was serving its purpose. I love the intricacies of the masonry, the wallpaper, the decorations. I'm guessing a colorized version of this photo would be amazing.

At first I thought that the strange little alcove to the right of the fireplace was a lavabo for hand washing, such as one might find in a corner of a 19th Century commercial dining room. But, no. The LOC's highest resolution scan adds a bit more clarity to the wheel-cut lettering on the globe, and it appears that this is a "brand-name" spring water dispenser for the convenience of the hotel guests. The little sink below has a glass tumbler, and the legible words on the globe are "Spring Water." I can't quite make out the proper name, though. Not Lithia and not Poland. Perhaps Merritt?

So what's with the sink and soap dispenser to the right? It looks like they cut out a part of the wall later and added a sink. Is this a room or the lobby?

To the right of the fireplace.

What in tarnation is that light fixture? It can't be electric; it has a chimney. Is it gas? Why are there two control chains?

Also note the key in the key-stone. I think it's an example of early 20th-century brick-laying humor.

[The chains are for gas on and gas off. And I guess more gas/less gas. - Dave]

So there's a key in the kinda-sorta keystone of the fireplace, and a Greek key meander pattern in the hearth rug. Coincidence, or are the furnishings nagging me, again?

The spittoon behind the rocker on the right is decidedly cleaner than others we have seen recently.