eBay Tuesday: Lighthouse Inn Bar

There's a bit of pathos about the Lighthouse Inn, the rambling hotel at 6 Guthrie Place. According to this guide, it's nearly 110 years old and got its start as a steel magnate's vacation destination, with the structure switching over to an inn in 1927. It's a beautiful building but for the past couple of years it has stood empty, its windows boarded up, the structure a commanding but vacant presence overlooking the beaches along Pequot Ave.

The Lighthouse Inn took a few black eyes in recent decades, including a terrible fire in 1979 that injured over a dozen firefighters and caused some $650,000 in damage. The consensus on TripAdvisor balanced out at a three-out-of-five rating, with several harsh reviews complaining about poor conditions or service. The closing finally happened amid employees' complaints about payments and fraud charges against the owners, of which some have been dismissed.

For all that, the old building still has quite a bit of character left. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, and one legend says a bride who died of a broken neck on her wedding day still haunts the inn. The inn guide's review is particularly glowing, praising the decor, food, and nearby attractions.

This week's choice for a New London item on eBay seems to portray one of those attractions. A chrome postcard of one of the interior locations at the Lighthouse Inn is for sale by gold-coast of Nashville, Tenn. It's possible we'll come across this seller again, as they're offering nearly 36,000 postcards and other items and 40 have a New London theme. The listing bills the postcard as a 1950s view of the inn's Captain's Gallery bar, and the retro furniture kind of steals the view. Look closely, though, and you can also see the somewhat surreal painting behind the bar and, partially eclipsed in the hallway, a painting of a tall ship. The Eagle, perhaps?

This might be the same location as the 1902 Tavern mentioned in the guide. Here, the authors say, you could find clippings of New London history, a "long, sociable L-shaped bar," and a live jazz group on the weekends.

The item is selling for $9.99 plus a dollar for shipping and handling. The auction ends at about 10:15 p.m. on Thursday.