Grove Park Inn Postcard Asheville

Except for the recent addition of a massive spa, the historic Grove Park Inn remains much as it was when this postcard was printed in the mid-1950s.

Whenever I bring friends up to Asheville, I make a point of waltzing them through the Grove Park Inn. There's so much to recommend it: take a ride up to F. Scott Fitzgerald's (link to related eBay auctions) room on the antique elevator, built into the side of the lobby chimney. The elevator operator will give you the nickel tour, and it doesn't cost a dime.

There are some who say the old part of the hotel is haunted, and the ghost of Zelda (link to related eBay auctions) screams in the night. Well, I don't know about that, but the secret, old lobby will make you feel as if you've just stepped off the Southern Pacific (link to related eBay auctions) at the turn-of-the-century, and walked into life as it might once have been lived. And it all still exists--the Mission furniture, the old rooms, and throw rugs--as it once did. And as likely as not, there'll be no one there except you.

And it will always be that way, in the sleepy heart of the Grove Park Inn, as long as the mountain ridges turn gun-powder blue in the setting Appalachian sun.

Read my Postcard Collecting Resource Guide.

Comments

[jp]

What a great blog! I've often wondered if there are people "like me" out there who are fascinated by seemingly insignificant bits of paper from the past (and not just the more conventional forms of collected ephemera). Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm! I've bookmarked this blog.

Forgive me for asking a question not related to your original post: Are you aware of any sources on the collecting of negotiable paper (e.g., checks, promissory notes, and bills of exchange)? As a transactional lawyer, I find these items particularly interesting -- much to the dismay of my wife, who collects "normal" things, like ceramics and decoys.