America's Oldest Family-Run Inn

12th-generation innkeeper Tricia Mason believes that Seaside Inn & Cottages in Kennebunk is the oldest family-run inn in America.

The Seaside has been in her family since at least the mid-1600s. That's when Mason's ancestor John Gooch answered the call of Fernando Gorges, agent for King Charles II, to ferry travelers across the mouth of the Kennebunk. Gooch sailed from England and settled here, most likely in the 1650s. Because travelers often needed to spend a night or two before the crossing, he offered rooms and meals. [Link]