© 2013 RC deWinter ~ All Rights Reserved

This beautifully-crafted Hitchcock chair sits in a quiet front corner of the bar at The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington, Connecticut. Built in the grand Victorian Gilded Age style of 1891, there was no other accomodation in the state that rivalled its luxury at the time. Orignally called Conley’s, Frank and Alice Conley spent $40,000 – a fortune in those days – on the decor, which featured marble floors, oak furniture antiques, two dining rooms and 52 guest rooms, each equipped with hot water. The inn changed hands several times over the years and was finally reopened as The Yankee Pedlar Inn in 1940. There are several ghost stories attached to this venerable lodging, the most popular of which is that Alice Conley, rumored to have died in Room 353, still wanders the halls of her hotel, checking to see that all the guests are comfortable. Her rocking chair in the inn’s lobby has also reportedly been seen rocking on its own, with no occupant visible.

Digital oils from an original photograph shot January 27, 2013.

Tech specs: Photoshop 7, Akvis Oils