Sugar Hill, NH

Sugar Hill New Hampshire…Bette Davis’s Butternut Farm.

In the late 1930’s Ms. Davis purchased a small farm, and had a barn dismantled in Vermont and moved…to create a beautiful home away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. This is where she went between pictures to recharge and relax in a small quaint community in the White Mountains.

Not only did she love the area but at one time she found love in the White Mountains. The story goes she was hiking along the Bridal Veil Falls path, when she became lost in the woods. An employee of a local Inn name Arthur Farnsworth guider her back to the trail, and befriended Ms. Davis. Shortly after the rescue they were married (New Years Eve 1940). Tragically Arthur Farnsworth died after a fall resulting in a fractured skull three years later. There is a plaque mounted on a boulder near the site of their first meeting, and it can be seen if you are hiking along the Copper Mine Brook to this day.

A lasting Tribute can be seen in the Town of Sugar Hill NH. Bette Davis had brought a Piano from New York that remained in the Butternut Farm house until the 1960’s when it was given to the town and has been used by the North Country Players for the local play house and performances over the years.

In 2000 a New York man purchased the Estate and has since made extensive repairs to Butternut Farm.

If only the walls could talk, there would be a lot of history to tell in that old farm house.

I hope you enjoyed a look back at some of the small towns and famous people that made things interesting over the years in Northern New Hampshire.