History of Chatham Inn
Established in 1830, Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating inn on Cape Cod. Originally built as a private home by Gideon and Reliance Small, English immigrants who settled in Chatham nearly two centuries ago, the property soon evolved into a welcoming retreat for travelers to the cape.
The Early Years
In 1884, the Smalls’ son Sylvester and his wife Augusta renamed the property “the Travelers Home.” It became a lively seasonal retreat and served as headquarters for the Norfolk Hunting Club, whose members famously arrived in town by train, accompanied by hounds and horses.
A decade later, the couple sold the inn to a local syndicate led by Captain Joshua A. Nickerson. In 1898, new owner John P. Farmer purchased the property and renamed it Monomoyick Inn, honoring the indigenous Monomoyick tribe native to lower Cape Cod. Farmer owned the inn for nearly 40 years before his wife sold it to Carl and Doris Chandler in 1936.
The Chandlers added the inn’s first restaurant, serving breakfast for 50 cents and dinner for $1.25, a simple but defining touch that made the inn a true community fixture. In 1953, George Noyes purchased and renamed it The Cranberry Inn, a name that would remain for the next six decades.
Two years later, the McGaw family took over, followed by Mary and Richard Hamilton in 1963. The Hamiltons had a personal connection to the property: Richard’s mother had worked there in 1886, and Mary herself had waited tables there as a young woman in 1929. Under Mary’s care and charisma, The Cranberry Inn earned a reputation for its warm hospitality and home-style dining.
Reimagined for a New Era
After several ownership changes in the 1980s and 90s, the inn entered a new chapter when Jeff and Kayla Ippoliti purchased it in 2000. Their vision was bold: to transform the beloved historic property into one of the premier boutique hotels and dining destinations in the country. Over four years, they redesigned and rebranded the inn with refined, contemporary interiors, modern amenities and a fine dining restaurant that honored its sense of place.
Today, nearly 200 years after its founding, Chatham Inn Relais & Châteaux continues to embody the enduring spirit of Cape Cod hospitality.