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By Hilary Nangle
Globe Correspondent / May 10, 2009
As seen in the Boston Globe May 10, 2009

Authenticity is in, say travel trend analysts. For the real deal, few places can compete with two family-run Maine properties, Seaside Inn in Kennebunk and Libby Camps in northern Maine. The Seaside dates from Colonial times, and Libby from the late-19th century. Remarkably, each has remained in the same family for the duration.

Seaside Inn
Tricia Mason is the 12th-generation innkeeper at the motel and cottages spread across about 20 acres bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, the Kennebunk River, and Gooch's Creek. "My parents made history a really important part of who I am," Mason says. "I know it sounds kind of corny, but I really feel tied to the land; it's part of who I am."

The Seaside has been in her family since at least the mid-1600s. That's when Mason's ancestor John Gooch answered the call of Fernando Gorges, agent for King Charles II, to ferry travelers across the mouth of the Kennebunk. Gooch sailed from England and settled here, most likely in the 1650s. Because travelers often needed to spend a night or two before the crossing, he offered rooms and meals.

Mason remembers taking a book from the family library when she was in her early teens and heading to Gooch's Beach, the long stretch of sand fronting the property. As she read "Arundel," a historical novel by Kenneth Roberts, an eerie feeling came over her. "Suddenly I realized that I was sitting on the land he was describing, and that some of the characters were my ancestors," she recalls.

Mason believes the Seaside is likely the oldest family-run inn and the fifth-oldest family-run business in the country. "We have families that have worked here for generations, and guests who have been returning for generations," she says. Most are lured by the location. It's the only place in Kennebunk without a road separating it from the ocean. Accommodations range from The Homestead, a cottage dating from circa 1725, to a 1978 motel, with rooms overlooking the grassy lawn to the dunes backing Gooch's Beach and out to the open Atlantic.

Although Mason grew up on the property, her parents encouraged her to pursue her own interests. She studied animal science in college, and after graduation, managed a horse farm in Rhode Island, where she met her husband, Ken, who was then in the Coast Guard. In the mid-1990s her parents called and said, "Someday we want to retire; is this something you want to do?" After much deliberation, Mason realized she couldn't say no. "After 12 generations, you really can't say, 'I don't feel like it.' "

Although her parents still reside on the property, Ken manages the business. Mason has been working from home on projects, such as writing the property's history, while raising their son, Jack, 8, and daughter, Ellie, 4.

As they look to the future, the Masons' goal is to maintain the business and its family atmosphere and retain their employees year-round. "It is kind of an honor to be here, a beautiful spot. I feel responsible for it," Mason says. "We're stewards of the land. It doesn't really belong to us, we're just maintaining it for the next generation."

Author Hilary Nangle can be reached at hilary@hilarynangle.com