GAYLORDSVILLE, Conn.—A GoFundMe account has been established for the Merwinsville Hotel in Gaylordsville, a living piece of history that has been painstakingly drawn back from ruin by more than a half-century of volunteer labor.
The building, which was a bustling stop on the Housatonic Railroad Line in the 19th century, is now desperately in need of exterior paint.
Sylvanus Merwin, a 19th-century entrepreneur, managed to discover where the Housatonic Railroad planned to build the line in the early 1840s and purchased the land on which to build the hotel 182 years ago. He then negotiated a right-of-way with the railroad and agreed to use the hotel as a station and a meal stop. It was the perfect halfway point between the shore on Long Island Sound and summer homes in Pittsfield, Mass.
The hotel was unique for its time. There were four first-floor dining areas, bedrooms on the second floor, and a grand ballroom with dressing rooms on the third floor. In the basement was a kitchen and a bakery, with food being sent up to diners by the dumb waiter.
The hotel was also a stop for the east-west stagecoach, adding to activity at the building. But it declined after railroad dining cars were implemented. It was rescued from ruin by a dedicated group of volunteers that formed the Merwinsville Hotel Restoration, Inc. in 1971.
Over the decades, the building has served its community as a gathering place, a railroad station and a center for local events. But the grand, three-story wooden building—measuring more than 5,300 square feet—has not been repainted in more than a decade. After so many years, it now needs urgent care to preserve it for future generations.
A $10,000 grant from the 1772 Foundation and Preservation Connecticut has allowed Merwinsville Hotel Restoration to begin painting and repairing the exterior. The volunteers matched the $10,000 but the entire painting project is estimated to cost more than $35,000.
Another $10,000 is needed to pay the final bill. Merwinsville Hotel has also encountered unexpected repairs to rotten wood, and a carpenter is working on these necessary fixes.
As of this posting, $275 has been raised.
For more information, or to donate, visit https://gofund.me/07635b8a.