Charles Ashley Hardy, a prominent Boston stockbroker, acquired the land that now houses Chatham Bars Inn in 1912. A year later the Main Inn, nine seaside cottages, and a golf course had been constructed. And at four o'clock in the afternoon on June 9, 1914, Hardy officially opened Chatham Bars Inn, an elegant oceanfront resort surrounded by piazzas and terraces.

Overlooking Pleasant Bay and the Atlantic, with "surf and still-water bathing, sailing, and motor boating in land-locked waters, the best of deep-sea fishing, harbor fishing, and shore bird shooting," it became a popular hunting lodge for well-to-do sportsmen. In 1915 a pier was constructed to connect the main beach to a sand bar and in 1922 the golf course opened to the public.

 

 

A tragic hunting accident brought Hardy's life to an abrupt end in 1924, and the ownership of the hotel was transferred to newly created Chatham Associates. During World War II, the Chatham Bars Inn served as a retreat for the Dutch Royal Family while they were in exile in the United States (other famous guests include Henry Ford, Henry Morganthau and William Rockefeller). In 1953 Chatham Associates sold the inn to a local businessman, and in 1961 the hotel pier was dismantled.

Today, Chatham Bars Inn  is owned by a large corporation, has been extensively renovated, and the grounds are ever-expanding along Shore Rd.   However, the Inn still does retain the simple elegance that defined its earliest conception and a drink on the veranda overlooking Chatham Harbor is a 'can't miss" for visitors to Chatham, even those who are not hotel guests.  The Inn's staff happily provides blankets for chillier nights!

 

Chatham Bars Inn