Dixon’s Point
The location was once known as Horse Shoe Bend.
From a stereoview by one of the earliest Laconia photographers, W.L. Wilder. Handwritten on the back is “View of Laconia as you enter the village near Taylor House”.
Looking right down the mouth of the Winnipesaukee River as it enters Lake Winnisquam. From a stereoview by W.L. Wilder.
A view from a higher vantage point of Dixon’s Point and the City of Laconia.
Dixon’s Point (indicated with red arrow) was named after James L. Dixon, who owned the entire spit of land, located at the end of Winnisquam Avenue. Dixon purchased the land in 1884 from Richard Gove, when it was known as Gove’s Point, and kept it until at least 1901, when he put it up for sale. The sale included “…about two and one-fourth acres of land, with nice grove, located at the mouth of the Winnipesaukee River and projecting into Lake Winnisquam, commanding the finest view of the lake and the Belknap mountains to be obtained anywhere. Buildings include a brick cottage house with seven rooms, with good stable and carriage house. Also a large dancing pavilion and restaurant; pavilion is 70′ x 40′, with a fine floor for dancing; cafe is 16′ x 20′.”
Dixon’s name is still associated with the spit of land, although today it is known as Dixon Point, dropping the apostrophe ‘s. The principle landowner is now the Lake Winnisquam Point Marina, at 75 Winnisquam Avenue. The brick cottage house is still there, now a private home, at 89 Winnisquam Avenue.
Daytime view of Dixon’s Point. Taken from the cupola atop the Vue De L’Eau hotel. A photo from the rooftop of today’s Saint Francis center would probably reveal a similar view.
Same photo of Dixon’s Point, colorized for a nightime effect.
A contemporary view of Dixon’s Point, taken from ground level at the top of the hill fronting the Saint Francis center. The view of Dixon’s Point and the City of Laconia is obscured by the line of trees.
An old postcard titled “General View of Laconia, N.H.” nearly matches the previous, contemporary view. In front of the house are a line of saplings that are full grown by the time of the contemporary photo.
Close up contemporary view of Dixon’s Point taken from the WOW trail. Contemporary photos on this webpage were taken on a beautiful spring day, 4/26/2024.
Various other old postcard views of Dixon’s Point.
Birds-eye View of Laconia, from Vue de l’Eau Hotel. Photo from the Illustrated Laconian, 1899.
Two Different Hotels – Side by Side
There were two different hotels located adjacent to each other at this location where these pictures of Dixon’s Point were taken.
To the south, on the Belmont side of the Laconia/Belmont city line, stood the Bay View House. Built by Stephen Taylor in 1869, the hotel was first known as Taylor House or Taylor’s Hotel. The Bay View House was later renamed the Ewebin Inn, and then renamed again the Terrace Hotel, its final name. The structure was burned down in a controlled burn in 1963. As of 2024, the land remains a vacant lot.
To the north, on the Laconia side of the Laconia/Belmont city line, stood the Vue de L’Eau hotel. In 1948, the Vue de L’Eau hotel was torn down by the New Hampshire Catholic Charities in order to build its “Home for the Aged”, which opened a year later, in September, 1949. The Saint Francis Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and the Bishop Bradley Senior Living Community now occupy the location in the 1949 brick building. The Community advertises itself as “Senior Living with a View.”
Edward E. Taylor, whose parents owned the Bay View House, founded the Taylor Home on Union Avenue in Laconia in 1907. Over the years, the Taylor Home has greatly expanded to become the Taylor Retirement Community with hundreds of living units on 104 acres.
Taylor Home, circa 1910.
Taylor Home, 1950s view
The Vue De L’Eau Hotel
The new Vue De L’Eau Hotel opened in April, 1897. The name means “Water View” in French. An earlier version of the hotel was listed in the 1892 “Summer Excursions” booklet published by the Concord & Montreal railroad.
The Vue De L’Eau is seen from Lake Winnisquam. The Bay View House is off-photo, to the right.
The Vue De L’Eau Hotel is seen on the hilltop off in the distance. The photo is taken from the location of what is now Bartlett Beach, on Lake Winnisquam.
The Bay View House
The following photo of the Bay View House is from a stereoview by photographer George H. Tebbetts.
An identical view, just taller. Published by Laconia stereoview photographer W.L. Wilder. Handwritten on the back is “Distant view of Taylors Hotel”.
Bay View House postcard, circa 1910. The cupola of the Vue de L’Eau hotel can be seen on the far left. Although the postcard is captioned Laconia, the hotel was actually in Belmont, just over the Laconia/Belmont town line.
The Ewebin Inn
The Bay View House was renamed the Ewebin Inn in the 1920s. The train tracks seen in the foreground are still there, along with the adjacent WOW recreational trail, and Court St/Route 3.
The Terrace Hotel
In 1940, the Ewebin Inn was renamed the Terrace Hotel, the hotel’s final name. The Terrace Hotel continued in operation until 1960, then lay vacant for three years until it was purposely burned.
The view from the terrace of the hotel. Postcard postmarked in 1944.
A contemporary photo of the same view, from the empty lot where the Terrace Hotel once stood.
A circa-1910 postcard with a similar view.
Another circa-1910 postcard
Contemporary view of the Saint Francis center.
View of the empty plot of land where the Terrace Hotel once stood, still vacant as of 2024. Left of center, the Saint Francis center can be glimpsed through the woods. On far left, the Laconia/Belmont city line is marked by a colored sign.
Train Tracks at Bay View
A view of the train passing by the Winnisquam shoreline, in front of the Bayview, in 1911, shortly before arriving in Laconia.
1907 color view of the same scene with no train. The view is looking away from Laconia towards Horse Point and the undeveloped part of Lake Winnisquam.
An old postcard view of Laconia from Horse Point.
A contemporary view of Laconia from the point.
