An Historic Day at the Hawthorne Hotel

Last week I received a phone call from Peter Poor, a resident of the North Shore. He told me he had a photo of his grandfather, Frank Poor, who was one of the founders of the Hawthorne Hotel. I was immediately interested in talking to this person, and seeing what he wanted to show me -- a photo of his grandfather taken at the opening of the Hawthorne Hotel, or as it was known in those days, the Hotel Hawthorne.

We arranged to meet, and that meeting took place yesterday.
Here is a photo of the photo that he shared with us.

It shows his grandfather standing just to the left of the floral presentation piece which was presented as part of the opening ceremonies.  It seems the opening of the Hawthorne was a matter of great celebration and tremendous pride.

Frank Poor was the founder of Sylvania (yes, THE Sylvania), which became one of the largest employers in Salem.  His interest in having a first-class hotel built in Salem was for the huge number of business people who were coming to Salem, in some part because of his business.

As a member of the Salem Rotary Club, Frank was appointed one of a committee of two, who researched the possibility of the hotel, and then created the entity, with the support of both the Salem Rotary Club and the Salem Chamber of Commerce, which then sold stock in the hotel in order for it to be built.  Frank was its largest shareholder.

If you click on any of these images, you will be able to see them more clearly.

Peter Poor with Kristie Poehler, our Regional Director of Sales and Marketing, and resident historian.

We were given this photo by Mr. Poor, and we plan to conserve it and then hang it in the hotel, as part of our collection of hotel memorabilia.

I hope you enjoy this "sneak preview" and that you have the opportunity to see it in person some time.

There will likely be more to come, so stay tuned!

Juli