- ABC News
- May 18, 2012
AC
DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. (AP) - Decades of history and hospitality have been sold at auction in the latest step toward restoring the nearly 150-year-old Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, known for hosting the earliest voting in the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Saturday's auction included more than 2,400 items, many encompassing the entire contents of guest rooms and other spaces. Mahogany chairs were being sold in groups of eight, dishes stamped with the hotel logo in sets of 10 and everything from towels and sheets to tablecloths in groups of 25. Some of the quirkier items included chairs from the resort's ski lift, an antique fire pump truck and an old barber's chair, which sold for $1,600. More than 2,500 people, most of them registered bidders, showed up for the auction, said Scott Tranchemontagne, spokesman for Balsams View LLC, which bought the hotel in December. "We're obviously pleased with the turnout, and the bidding has been robust," he...