Wakefield ยท Lakes Region: Wakefield
The Wakefield Inn
Built about 1816 for seaman William Frost, who couldn't pay for it, so locals called it 'Frost's Folly'; an inn since 1890, now with seven rooms.
- Built
- c. 1816NRHP nomination: the three-and-a-half-story Federal main block was built about 1816 for William Frost; the southern ell is said to be 18th century. The inn dates itself to 1804 and says the house became an inn in 1890.
- Style
- Federal
- Type
- Inn
- Rooms
- 7
- Area
- Lakes Region: Wakefield
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The house was built for seaman William Frost, who wanted the tallest and grandest home in Wakefield Corner; when he could not pay for it, builders Isaac B. and Jacob H. Chesley took it over. Locals called it ‘Frost’s Folly’. It became an inn in 1890, served by stagecoach lines and, from 1895, the railroad, and was later known as the Elmwood Inn and the Spiral Staircase Inn. It stands among the historic buildings of the Wakefield Village Historic District.
Good to know
- Breakfast: available
- Address: 2723 Wakefield Road, Wakefield, NH 03872
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.