A Brief History
William Norwood owned a very popular tavern in Pigeon Cove near the location of the current Post Office. In 1856, however, his thriving business came to an abrupt halt when Hannah Jumper and 200 townswomen (plus 3 men) launched a raid destroying all the alcoholic spirits in Rockport. So, now thanks for Hannah Jumper, Mr. Howard was out of the tavern business, and turned to the lodging a trade just beginning to discover Rockport. The Pigeon Cove House, his 36 room boarding house on Granite Street, joined what would later become a thriving area with 750 guestrooms in Pigeon Cove thanks to the carriage trade route 1, and soon the street trolleys that followed with stops all through Gloucester to Lannesville.
It is said that Henry David Thoreau brought Ralph Waldo Emerson to Cape Ann for a hike along the Atlantic Coast. Emerson fell in love with Pigeon Cove, and for the next few summers he brought his family to vacation here from Concord, Massachusetts. Emerson found inspiration in the rocky coast, which is evident in his poetry.
In 1866, not long after her husband’s death, Mrs. Norwood sold the inn to Mrs. Robinson for $9,000. In 1871, Mrs. Robinson had the building moved to its present location, where it was run by the McGuire Family until 1911. After almost two years of extensive renovation, The Pigeon Cove House was reopened as The Hotel Edward. When the "New Building" was added, and the super secure safe we treasure at the front desk was glided into position fwhere is has remained.
The Oxton Family operated The Edward from the 1930’s until 1964 when the Wemyss Family bought the inn and renamed it Ralph Waldo Emerson, in honor of the inn’s most celebrated guest. It was at this time, the room that Emerson was believed to have stayed, was named appropriately, the Emerson Room, it being a small newly positioned as an ocean view room equipped with a writers desk.
In the tradition of the Grand Old Hotels of Cape Ann, the Emerson Inn By The Sea enjoyed a return to the elegance and splendor of yesteryear when, in 1998, Bruce and Michele Coates restored this beautiful, historic hotel in a manner befitting the company of Emerson, Thoreau and Alcott. This return to the atmosphere of an earlier, more gracious era. During this time, the Coates brought in finer dining, sterling silver, and the areas most sought after event venue. Being an important part of Rockport's Temperance history for more than 150 years, enjoyed in 2005, the first glass of wine legally consumed with dinner in the Grand Café, a traditional French restaurant. The Coates hosted hundreds of weddings, memorials, and parties over the years, serving as the preferred location for any formal event and rotary meetings.
The Inn boasted many wine spectator Awards and hosted talented chefs who beat Bobby Flay and flattered the Phantom Gourmet. Living down the street, Bruce decided to join the retirees in Rockport and sold to MIGIS Group, from Maine on 2015.
Investing in modernizing the building, the Migis Group added Mitsubishi units to ecologically provide heat and AC, they replaced rope hung windows, removed much of the famed toille wallpaper and modernized all of the rooms with new bedding and furniture adding TVs and fiber optic internet and solar farm programs for the building. They envisioned magical wedding weekends- as they introduced the concept of taking over the whole inn to celebrate special occasions with family, friends, or colleagues under the same roof (an idea that lives on for a few lucky couples every year). In 2020, they decided to divest their Massachusetts properties, reducing their holdings outside of Maine. The timing was not ideal, as after few months of showing the property to those hoping to build condominiums or medical rehabs—COVID happened. A nightmare for the world, and an opportunity of a lifetime for new owners Kimberly and Bart to realize a childhood dream. In February 9, 2021, the Emerson Inn by the Sea, returned to Massachusetts hands, to be operated again by a loving and passionate independent owner. Today, the inn offers timeless Cape Ann memories that include local art, music, and cuisine. Each visitor is treated as a close friend, as they experience New England on the rocky shores of Pigeon Cove- with the elegance and optimism of a new era.
