The Seaside Inn (formerly the Seaside Inn & Cottages) is an Inn in Kennebunk, Maine which has been in continuous operation under the same family since 1667, making it one of the oldest companies in the United States.
| Seaside Inn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Kennebunk, Maine |
| Address | 80 Beach Avenue, Kennebunk Beach |
| Coordinates | 43°20′55″N 70°28′45″W / 43.34861°N 70.47917°W |
| Opening | 1667 |
| Owner | Trish and Ken Mason |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | John Gooch |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 22 |
| Parking | none |
| Website | |
| www.kennebunkbeachmaine.com | |
History
editJohn Gooch, the first settler in the Cape Neddick area, arrived in the area 1637.[1] At some point, he established the Inn, and, by 1667, he was commissioned by Ferdinando Gorges, an agent of King Charles II, to "reside on the ocean-front peninsula at the mouth of the Kennebunk River and ferry travellers across the River."[2][3][4] The inn has been in continuous operation by the Gooch family since its inception. In 2018, it remained owned by John Gooch's twelfth-generation descendants.[2][3][5]
Literature
editThe early Gooch family history was chronicled in the 1929 novel Arundel by American author Kenneth Roberts.[4][1][6] Additionally, current owner Trish Mason has written a work of non-fiction entitled The Seaside House: Maine Innkeepers which tells the complete history of the family and running of the inn.[1][6]
Awards
editThe inn was recognized by New England's Yankee Magazine as the Maine lodging with the "Best Family Ties" in 2009.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c Wigglesworth, Shelley (October 1, 2009). "Inside the Seaside". The Portsmouth Herald. SeacoastOnline.com. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b "7 Companies Older Than America - number 4". Inc. July 3, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Crotty, Liam (January 1, 2004). "FACES of the Kennebunks Online Exhibition". Brick Store Museum. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Amatulli, Jodi (July 11, 2004). "Kennebunkport is a logical halfway stop". New Haven Register. HighBeam Research. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Olson, Karen E. "At the Seaside: Where Gooch first began to greet on the coast of Maine". New Haven Register. Seaside Inn official. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Bodwell, Joshua (January 19, 2012). "Innkeeper of local history, too". The Portsmouth Herald. SeacoastOnline.com. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Maine Lodging 2009". Yankee Magazine. May 28, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2013.