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Hoxie House, lost Mystic landmark may be rebuilt on site where it burned
ACCORDING TO A MAY 8 article in The Day, the old Hoxie House, a long-lost Mystic landmark, may rise again. Owners of The Whaler's Inn at the corner of East Main and Cottrell streets are considering replacing the present modern structure.
The original hotel, built by wealthy merchant Benjamin Franklin Hoxie in the eve of the Civil War, was destroyed by one of Mystic's memorable fires on Jan 2, 1975. It was then the property of Dorothea and Barksdale Macbeth, who had made considerable effort to renovate the ancient building, renaming it Whaler's Inne Hotel. From those ashes rose the more modest structure that today houses Bravo Bravo and its outdoor dining area.
Given Mystic's penchant for fire it's no surprise that the 1861 Hoxie House was built to replace an earlier establishment, Mystic Bridge Hotel, which burned along with other buildings on Sept. 22, 1858. According to an item in the Norwich Weekly Courier, this lodging house was "complete with every convenience for a public house - barn, stable, ice house, etc. In the basement were three shops which were let with the hotel."
That earlier hostelry came into being sometime after 1819 when the first bridge crossed the Mystic River, replacing the unreliable ferry. Nathaniel Clift and Ebenezer Denison, enterprising owners of a wharf and store near the site, were the proprietors. The property on which it stood was probably part of the original land grant to Indian fighter George Denison and had passed to George's descendants. Nathaniel Clift's wife was Eunice Denison, Ebenezer's sister.
Shortly after the fire, in November 1858, wily B.F. Hoxie bought the hotel site from his brother-in-law, Hiram Clift, one of Nathaniel's 10 children. Hoxie had plans to popularize Mystic as a fashionable summer resort, and he was no idle dreamer. A fabulously successful businessman, he was in partnership with Joseph C. Cottrell and Charles Mallory outfitting Mystic vessels and was also a partner in the Maxson & Fish shipyard at West Mystic. One of Mystic's finest clippers, the B.F. Hoxie, bore his name. Locally he is still remembered by the B.F. Hoxie Engine Co., which he helped form in 1875.
In building the new hotel, Hoxie spared no expense. The second story boasted a long balcony with lacy iron grillwork. An ornate cupola topped the third floor, offering a sweeping panoramic view of countryside and sea. Shops and offices filled the first floor, guestrooms the second and third. The owner lavished $6,000 on elegant and stylish furnishings to attract the summer trade. He envisioned hordes of fashionable clients enjoying the region's celebrated scenery and healthful sea air.
He had not expected the Confederates to fire on Fort Sumter in 1861. When Hoxie House opened in May of that year maritime Mystic had plunged feverishly into the Union war effort. A few regular boarders and a stream of transient businessmen patronized the new hotel, but they spent little time sightseeing.
Peace had its costs
When peace came the dismal postwar economy did little to encourage a modish summer resort. The hotel was a haven for traveling salesmen while the local paper reported with horror in May 1870 that alcohol was served there. Later, under the management of Hoxie's son Ira, it became a favorite spot for social events. After the dedication of the John Mason monument in 1889, Connecticut's governor and 150 guests enjoyed a memorable dinner and many local groups held banquets in the dining room.
The hotel passed out of the family after B.F. Hoxie's death and through the years lost its elegance. There was little left of its early promise. But one part of B.F. Hoxie's vision has been realized. The village of Mystic has become a popular tourist destination.
Whether they come for the salt air and scenery or for other purposes, they do come and the time may be ripe for an elegant Hoxie House.
By Carol W. Kimball, The Day |
