The Laconia Historical and Museum Society is pleased to present its summer exhibition, “Are We There Yet? a history of roadside motels and cabin colonies,” on view at the Laconia Public Library from June 4-October 31, 2009.
The word ‘motel’ has been around since the 1920s but didn’t become a regular roadside fixture until the early 1950s. The earliest motels in the New England area were cabins built by homeowners and boarding houses to accommodate the roadside traveler. Soon pre-fabricated cabin colonies and motor courts of the 1930s-1940s paved way for the more modern motels situated along major tourist routes and highways. By 1964, there were an estimated 61,000 roadside lodging sites across the country.
“Are We There Yet?” will chronicle the development of roadside accommodations and the factors that account for the rise and fall of these architectural attractions. Special emphasis will be placed on motels and cabin colonies of Laconia, Lakeport and The Weirs. The Society thanks guest curators Fred Clausen of Proctor’s Lakehouse Cottages and LuAnn Walsh, former owner of Luann’s Cottages, as well as volunteer exhibition assistants Dave Ball and Mary Ellen Boudman. This project is co-sponsored by the Laconia Public Library and Lakes Region Association.
The Laconia Historical and Museum Society is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting the history of the City of Laconia, New Hampshire, including Lakeport and The Weirs. Contact: Jennifer Carroll-Plante, Executive Director. PO Box 1126, Laconia, NH 03247. 603.527.1278.
lhmslpl@metrocast.net.
www.laconiahistorical.org.