Seaside Inn

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
Opening	1667; 358 years ago (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

John 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

The 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

The inn was recognized by New England's Yankee Magazine as the Maine lodging with the "Best Family Ties" in 2009.^[7]