Grayling
Michigan
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Town Of Jackson
About Us
Gray’s Inn, a 250-guest hotel also located in Jackson Village close to the covered bridge closed in 1968 and was vacant until it burned to the ground in 1983. (The land was purchased by the town in 1988 and the town offices were recently built on this site.) In 1971 the Wentworth was temporarily closed and sat boarded-up and dilapidated for the next decade. Wentworth Hall was purchased by new owners in 1972 who intended to tear it down and build a modern hotel and vacation chalets. The Jackson Falls House was removed in 1979, leaving only a barn. A post office was built prior to 1979 and was followed by a commercial/office building. Other large Jackson hotels also suffered economic hardship. The Iron Mountain House closed as a hotel and the Eagle Mountain House nearly closed before selling rooms as condominiums in 1987.
With an eye toward revitalizing the tourist business and Jackson's economic fortunes, in 1972, The Jackson Resort Association began a feasibility study to develop a major cross-country skiing facility in Jackson. This grew into the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation which today maintains a world-class network of ski touring trails and facilities.
In 1982 the 233 acre Wentworth Hall property was purchased by developer Ernest J. Mallett, Jr. who invested more than $2 million into the complex. The structurally unsound and functionally unstable buildings including the casino, Fairview, Riverside and other surrounding cottages were removed until just nine of the thirty-nine buildings remained. A total of seventy-six townhouse units were constructed in 19 buildings around the perimeter of the golf course on a 86 acre parcel which was subdivided from the original property.
In the early 1980s federal energy laws were passed that gave hydro-electric companies the right to pursue property for hydro-electric projects. The Jackson Falls area of the Wildcat was threatened with just such a hydro-electric project. To forestall this, a group of residents and town officials began seeking a "Wild and Scenic River" designation for the Wildcat.
To faciliate this effort, Ernie Mallett and his family deeded land from the Wentworth property along Jackson Falls to the town. The deed stipulated that no structures, including a hydro-electric dam, could be built on this land. (Ernie Mallet also donated land to the town cemetary for additional grave sites and to the church for a playground.) The "Wild and Scenic River" designation was achieved in 1988. At the same time, the town approved zoning ordinance changes that created a river conservation district to further protect the Wildcat.
The Wentworth was acquired by Fritz and Diana Koeppel in 1988 and continues to serve as an elegant country inn. Of the thirty grand resort hotels that were once present in the White Mountain region, Wentworth Hall is one of only four grand resort hotels remaining open for business today (the others being The Balsams, the Mount Washington Hotel and the Mountain ViewHouse.)
Although many of the grand hotels of Jackson are now gone, the splendor of this Village remains. Visitors now come year round to enjoy the views, covered bridge, white steepled church, water falls, mountains, and rolling farmland. They now stay in country inns, B&B's, lodges, or the only remaining grand hotel and sample local flavor in the restaurants.
Tourism has revived from the doldrums of the late 60s and early 70s. The old Iron Mountain House has been replaced by the new Red Fox Pub and the old Jack Frost ski shop has been replaced by the new Snowflake Inn. The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation has moved to a new headquarters building shared with the Wentworth Golf Club in the summer. The network of ski trails is among the best in the world and attracts many winter visitors.
Gray’s Inn, a 250-guest hotel also located in Jackson Village close to the covered bridge closed in 1968 and was vacant until it burned to the ground in 1983. (The land was purchased by the town in 1988 and the town offices were recently built on this site.) In 1971 the Wentworth was temporarily closed and sat boarded-up and dilapidated for the next decade. Wentworth Hall was purchased by new owners in 1972 who intended to tear it down and build a modern hotel and vacation chalets. The Jackson Falls House was removed in 1979, leaving only a barn. A post office was built prior to 1979 and was followed by a commercial/office building. Other large Jackson hotels also suffered economic hardship. The Iron Mountain House closed as a hotel and the Eagle Mountain House nearly closed before selling rooms as condominiums in 1987.
With an eye toward revitalizing the tourist business and Jackson's economic fortunes, in 1972, The Jackson Resort Association began a feasibility study to develop a major cross-country skiing facility in Jackson. This grew into the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation which today maintains a world-class network of ski touring trails and facilities.
In 1982 the 233 acre Wentworth Hall property was purchased by developer Ernest J. Mallett, Jr. who invested more than $2 million into the complex. The structurally unsound and functionally unstable buildings including the casino, Fairview, Riverside and other surrounding cottages were removed until just nine of the thirty-nine buildings remained. A total of seventy-six townhouse units were constructed in 19 buildings around the perimeter of the golf course on a 86 acre parcel which was subdivided from the original property.
In the early 1980s federal energy laws were passed that gave hydro-electric companies the right to pursue property for hydro-electric projects. The Jackson Falls area of the Wildcat was threatened with just such a hydro-electric project. To forestall this, a group of residents and town officials began seeking a "Wild and Scenic River" designation for the Wildcat.
To faciliate this effort, Ernie Mallett and his family deeded land from the Wentworth property along Jackson Falls to the town. The deed stipulated that no structures, including a hydro-electric dam, could be built on this land. (Ernie Mallet also donated land to the town cemetary for additional grave sites and to the church for a playground.) The "Wild and Scenic River" designation was achieved in 1988. At the same time, the town approved zoning ordinance changes that created a river conservation district to further protect the Wildcat.
The Wentworth was acquired by Fritz and Diana Koeppel in 1988 and continues to serve as an elegant country inn. Of the thirty grand resort hotels that were once present in the White Mountain region, Wentworth Hall is one of only four grand resort hotels remaining open for business today (the others being The Balsams, the Mount Washington Hotel and the Mountain ViewHouse.)
Although many of the grand hotels of Jackson are now gone, the splendor of this Village remains. Visitors now come year round to enjoy the views, covered bridge, white steepled church, water falls, mountains, and rolling farmland. They now stay in country inns, B&B's, lodges, or the only remaining grand hotel and sample local flavor in the restaurants.
Tourism has revived from the doldrums of the late 60s and early 70s. The old Iron Mountain House has been replaced by the new Red Fox Pub and the old Jack Frost ski shop has been replaced by the new Snowflake Inn. The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation has moved to a new headquarters building shared with the Wentworth Golf Club in the summer. The network of ski trails is among the best in the world and attracts many winter visitors.