New England's Colonial Inns & Taverns by Olia Maria;

Author:Olia, Maria;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 4519032
Publisher: Globe Pequot

But plenty of other people did. And they stayed. As Marcia tells it, “People were looking for a way to start out on their own. And the natural resources of the area beckoned them.”

Around this time, Hancock was home to seven taverns, including the Hancock Inn (then Noah Wheeler’s inn), built in 1789. By the early 1800s, the inn was known as the Fox Tavern, and Hancock was a stop on the heavily traveled Forest Line Stage between Vermont and Boston. The railroad predominately carried farm produce from northern New England to the city and returned with provisions such as salt, tea, and rum and the latest shop goods. By the mid-1800s, the railroad put an end to the stage business in Hancock, but by then cattle drovers were regularly stopping in town. The herders moved cattle seasonally between Massachusetts and New Hampshire—and the cattle trade is always good business for taverns.

It was in 1915 that the inn was first called the Hancock Hotel. Room renovations at this time led to two important folk art discoveries: a full room landscape mural by itinerant artist Rufus Porter and an original 19th-century wall stencil from famed artist and Hancock resident Moses Eaton.

Today, with its wood floors, fireplaces, and period antiques and reproductions, the inn still radiates the sort of warmth that immediately sets travelers at ease. Jarvis says, “We don’t want the spaces to lose anything from its charm and authenticity of being a country inn. The building will take care of some of that for us. It has 200-year-old plumbing. It is drafty. The floors do slope, and the rooms can be small. “

All of the inn’s 13 guest rooms are light filled and tastefully decorated in elegant American country-inn style (matelasse coverlets, rustic antiques, and original art), with a wide range of bed sizes from twin to king. Some rooms have gas fireplaces, and others have claw foot tubs or two-person spa tubs.

Modernity is here as well—beds have 600-count sheets and each room has a TV and free Wi-Fi. Man’s best friend is welcome here too, as one room is set aside for guests traveling with their dog. In fact, golden retriever host Potter greets every guest with a friendly wag.

Breakfast is included in the room rate and served at individual tables in the sunny back porch. The Hancock Inn kitchen offers freshly squeezed orange juice, seasonal fruit, coffee cake, homemade granola, and a choice of several entrees, including pancakes and local eggs cooked to order, accompanied by a choice of house-made sausage or corned beef hash (or both). They even make their own English muffins.

The Hancock Inn is also a fine dining destination. Dinner is served to both guests and the public seven nights a week from May through October and five nights a week Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year. Chef Rob Grant has been at the helm for more than a decade, creating menus that feature an array of sustainably-grown food from area farms. Says

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