The Tip-Top House is a historic former hotel in

Mount Washington State Park Mount Washington State Park is a parcel perched on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Summer seasonal amenities include a cafeteria, restrooms, gift shops, the Mount Washington ...

in Sargent's Purchase,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Built in 1853, it is the oldest surviving building in the summit area of

Mount Washington Mount Washington is an ultra-prominent mountain in the state of New Hampshire. It is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorio ...

, and is believed by the state to be the oldest extant mountain-top hostelry in the world. It features exhibits concerning the mountain's history. Located near the modern summit building and other visitor facilities, it is open for a fee to visitors from early May to early October.New Hampshire.com – The Tip-Top House
/ref> It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1982.

Description

The Tip-Top House stands directly adjacent to the summit of Mount Washington, at the tallest mountain in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

. It is located on the southwest side of the summit, just north of the summit station of the

Mount Washington Cog Railway The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing Rack railway, cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mount Washington in New Hampshire, United States. It uses a Rack railway#Mar ...

and the parking area at the end of the

Mount Washington Auto Road The Mount Washington Auto Road—originally the Mount Washington Carriage Road—is a private toll road in southern Coos County, New Hampshire that extends from New Hampshire Route 16 in Green's Grant, just north of Pinkham Notch, westward a ...

. It is a roughly rectangular structure, 1-1/2 stories in height, with walls of rough-cut granite. The stones are mortared together, but the joints are set deep and the mortar is barely discernible. The main entrance is set off-center on the southern short end, in a simple rectangular opening. The sides have rectangular window openings. The interior is largely reflective of a rebuilding effort following a 1915 fire, in which it was gutted.

History

The building was erected on Mount Washington in 1853 to compete with the Summit House, a nearby hotel established in 1852. Built by Samuel F. Spaulding at a cost of $7,000, the Tip-Top House was made of rock blasted from the mountain. On clear days, a telescope was placed on its flat roof to create an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

, although in the early 1860s the flat roof was replaced with a pitched roof. Beginning in 1877, the building functioned for seven years as a printing office for ''Among the Clouds,'' the mountain's newspaper.New Hampshire Division of Parks & Recreation – The Tip-Top House
/ref> When the newspaper moved to a different location, the Tip-Top House was abandoned and fell into disrepair. A three-story, 91-room hotel was built atop Mount Washington, together with a weather observatory. All of these buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1908, except the Tip-Top House, which was renovated to function again as a hotel. When the Summit House was replaced, however, the Tip-Top House burned; it was rebuilt as an annex to the Summit House, then abandoned in 1968. Now a state historic site, the Tip-Top House was restored in 1987, including its flat roof.

References

External links

New Hampshire Division of Parks & Recreation – The Tip-Top House
{{NRHP in Coos County, New Hampshire Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire Hotel buildings completed in 1853 Defunct hotels in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Coös County, New Hampshire Mount Washington (New Hampshire) Hotels established in 1853 1853 establishments in New Hampshire National Register of Historic Places in Coös County, New Hampshire Museums in Coös County, New Hampshire

Description

History

See also

References

External links