Stories, Memories & Thoughts on the OH

Tell us about your favorite Ocean House memory!

This section is for remembering all those great times you had while at the OH. Maybe you met someone special or became engaged there. Maybe you worked there one summer and had some funny times. Whatever the memory, why not share it with others who've had similar experiences? Just email us at info@theoceanhouse.org. If you wish to be on our e-mail list for updates, click on "Contact Us."

11.5 Million Can Never Buy the Memories of the "Grand Lady"
I'm not sure how I found about the Ocean House, I think it was sometime back in the late 80's. It might of been when I was looking for a little getaway for my wife and I in a Rhode Island magazine. Now, I'm the type , or I should say I used to be the type, before I met the Grand Lady that needed to stay at "resort" type of hotel, the kind that came with a TV, A.C., king size bed, wake up calls, carpet, mornng paper by your door, etc. etc. etc.

I remember my first time calling to make reservations, I asked the gentleman what the room was like - he said there's no tv, no air conditioning, no fans, no fancy paintings on the walls, no wake up calls, no clock radios, but the food is good and it has a great beach. Being the beach lovers that my wife and I are, we said let's give it a shot. I guess it was a good choice because we went back every year until it closed.

From the very first time we walked into the Ocean House we knew that this beautiful lady had just entered our hearts and would become a very special member of our family. I remember sitting in the lobby trying to add pieces to the half finished puzzle, watching thunder storms at night from the porch, walking to town to watch the sun set and getting an ice cream, standing on the wall of the marina and seeing the top of the Ocean house as if it was looking over the town and protecting it, falling to sleep at night to the sound of the crashing waves and the gentle ocean breezes coming through your window, walking the beach and thinking how in the world does Sam remember everyones name, and does that guy with the curly hair really sell any of those antiques in that store. (now I wish that I did buy one of those Ocean House hats from him). I can go on and on, but for the fortunate people who knew the Grand Lady, I'm sure you know what I mean, and for the people who were not fortunate enough to have a chance to meet her, I hope the stories that you read about her will capture a little part of your heart.

My father is 81 years old , and for years he would always say "nothing stays the same" now that I'm a little older I know what he means. But I also know that things happen for a reason, I may not always understand why they happen, but this time I know why I opened that page in that magazine back in the 80's.

Thank you Ocean House for the memories, you will always be a part of us.

Dave Moriarty - Waterbury, CT (posted May 3, 2006)

Video of the Ocean House from the Water
Traci De Santi sent in this wonderful video taken of the Ocean House off East Beach last fall. Although less than a minute these are the last shots we know of from the water of that fabulous Yellow Landmark.
Click here to view this video (MP4 file)

from Traci DeSanti (posted May 3, 2006)

Ocean House Video
Hi, I loved Ocean House and recently checked out your website. I teach students to use Windows MovieMaker for a variety of integrated school projects. I clipped down a video that I had taken at Watch Hill years ago and am sending it attached. Feel free to make it available at your website.
Click here to view this video (WMV file)

Gayle Gaudreau, Computer Resource Specialist
Wethersfield Public Schools
(posted May 3, 2006)

First Beach Trip
When my cousin's daughter Dionna was a toddler, I brought her to the beach for her first visit. We had lunch on the outside porch at Ocean house and went down to the sand. Her mother did not like her to get dirty, so she panicked when she stepped into the sand and it clung to her feet. I tried to explain to her that she must get her feet dirty, since it was the beach, and there was nothing but sand for miles around! As soon as we got down to the water, she screamed with delight as the waves crashed over her feet and legs. I had to hold her, so my back was arched since she was so tiny. Every time I tried to take her back to the beach and away from the water, she screamed and cried until I brought her back. After quite some time and a sore back, she was hooked and we became beach buddies. Every summer for a number of years we came to Watch Hill and even today, as a teenager, she smiles when I tell her the story of her first trip to the beach! I can't wait until the new Ocean House re-opens so we can stay there.

Submitted by Linda L. Percoski (posted March 3, 2006)

Long Weekends at the OH
In the early 70s I had a roommate in Boston who grew up in Westerly and she often talked about a little seaside town call Watch Hill where her family ran a newsstand. In the fall of 1990 my husband and I were driving back to Ipswich, MA from a long weekend in Mystic, CT, taking the scenic route home. I asked my husband to take a detour and ride through this little town. If was off season and very quiet, but we both found the Village of Watch Hill enchanting. The next spring we made a reservation and stayed in the Watch Hill Inn and when we went to the beach we saw the OH and certainly had to explore the place – we loved it and made reservations for dinner that night. From that year on up until the last summer it was opened, we spent a long weekend at the OH every summer. The first few years there, people still dressed for dinner and I remember there was this little old “lady” just a wisp of a thing, who stayed there every year (I think for the summer or at least for a month). She always wore a dress or skirt (even at the beach) and dined alone. I think Sam once told me she had come to the OH as a little girl.

Sometime in April we’d book a corner room with an ocean view for a long weekend in July. We have so many wonderful memories of the OH, long walks on the beach, sunsets, sitting on the great porch in evening having a cocktail and enjoying the fantastic view. One evening in particular there was a terrific thunderstorm (one of the best, if not the best, we’ve ever seen) unbelievable flashes of lightening – It looked like a scene from “Victory at Sea”. I’m so sorry that this beautiful treasure, the Ocean House, is no longer gracing Bluff Avenue.

Submitted by Roberta MacDougall (March 2006)

"Pretending" at the OH

I never stayed at the OH but when I was 16 and could drive to the beach with friends my girlfriend and I would sneak onto the porch (at least we thought we had to) and sit at one of the tables pretending to be "rich" and then we would stroll down to the beach. I always said when I got older I would stay there because it was such a grand place and I love old hotels. I never did get to stay there but I really wish I had, it was such a beautiful place.

Submitted by Susan M. (Jan. 27, 2006)

Growing Up Near the OH

Being born and raised in Watch Hill, the Ocean House served as a landmark of different purpose through out the years. One of my earliest memories is watching Smokey the Bear go by on “The Stinger” I think it was called, fire truck during fire prevention week. My family was standing on the wall watching the parade pass by.

When I was able to operate a power boat at the age of about 13, a new view was created and a navigating tool recognized. The yellow building was often the first to appear through fog and haze.

We used to play bingo there as well. “OK now we will do the Big-O for Ocean House” It was a great occurrence to win 8 or 10 dollars on a humid summer night at the hotel.

At 17, I moved in to the Tudor style house on Bluff Ave. directly next door to the OH and listened to All in the Family play many summer nights from my 4th floor bedroom.

Winters were really quiet in those days, so exploring around the property was common.

At 18, the bar became my greatest hazard to navigation in Watch Hill. I can also assure you that there is poison ivy wound through the stone wall along Bluff Ave in front of the hotel.

Perhaps my favorite view anywhere comes from “Makeout point on the one way street” which is the little turnout on Niantic Ave. The Ocean House, Harkness House and Watch Hill Light all line up beautifully from this spot.

I Look forward to the re-birth of this grand hotel and the start of new memories from its restoration.

Submitted by David Emmet (Jan. 11, 2006)

My dearest Steven,
This memory I will share with you.....

The Ocean House

It seems as memories of days gone by find us at turns in our lives when we least expect them. This magnificent charmer found it's way back into my heart and scurried up fond memories through you my very dear friend. I had not thought of the days long gone when life seemed effortless and simpler. My children were small when first we met this charming lady...alight in all her finery...glowing like a beam of sunrays against a blue and peaceful sea. My fondest memory which will always be preserved is sunset...a time when the sky appears to be showing the world her pageantry and life. As we sat each evening on the porch basking in the final rays of summer light, aromas coming from each pore of this great Goliath.encased us...coupled with salt and sea the smell of my children's hair as they lay against my chest...feet swinging in the breeze as if to some distant melody that only they could hear and this rare and precious moment consumed my senses. I can remember writing post cards to family in the writing room and the giggles from my children as we told of our adventures....a time that time cannot replace....but tucks these precious memories in secluded attics of our minds to be dusted off and felt and treasured again in another place and time!

I do hope that this will bring you joy! For it is joy for life that brings us peace!

Submitted by Barbara Wickenhauser

Summers at the OH

My family rented a place on Bay Street in the late 70’s through the early 80’s. The Ocean House and its staff are such a huge part of my summer memories of growing up in Watch Hill. Bingo night, lunches on the patio and the most beautiful porch ever! The Ocean House was everything Watch Hill stands for. History, hospitality and majestic beauty!

Submitted by Kaiti Trahan, Wethersfield, Connecticut/ Atlanta, Georgia

Ocean House Memory Lane...

My first visit to the Ocean House was as a young teenager as a guest of a family who vacationed there along with five other families. The drive to the Ocean House was memorable as we played car games coming up from Greenwich and stopped along the way at Sailor Ed's for clams. I distinctly recall my first view of the hotel as it rose up coming from Westerly as I was awed by the sheer size and grace of the structure. We hopped out of the car and heard the ocean and of course, the first thing we all wanted to do was get into our suits and head down to the beach. This was the beginning of a long-standing friendship with Sam the lifeguard who I remain friends with today.

We young girls were allowed our own room and this room had a view to the east and down into the kitchen. We befriended some of the help who invited us to gatherings on the beach in the evenings. The staff was always welcoming, helpful and we had the same waiters in the mornings and for dinner so we got to know the kitchen staff pretty well. We also played ping-pong and of course, Bingo which I had the dubious honor of winning one evening.

I went with these families for several years until I was old enough to visit the Ocean House as an older teenager with my friends. With one buddy in particular, we made an annual trip and we stayed in rooms throughout the hotel. I enjoyed just about every view and naturally went sneaking up the stairs to the floors that were closed. In my twenties we started going a bit more frequently and we enjoyed the porch dining during the days. Watch Hill was a great place to walk in the evenings, bike during the days, of course read and swim by the beach, and take advantage of the strolls through town by the carousel at night. We always got an ice cream and meandered in town after dinner.

In my thirties, I was fortunate to share the Ocean House with my family as one of my brothers rented a home on Bluff Avenue for several years while his children were young. Often I would stay at the Ocean House as I loved the charm of the grand old lady and began to investigate its history. The little gift shop sold an array of items and every year I would by a tee shirt with the logo -- some of which I still haven't worn yet but am thankful I purchased. One year, another brother came to stay at the Ocean House with his wife and young daughter and he commented on the slant of the floor. I said that added to the charm of the stay as there were a lot of original fixtures, furniture, elevators, glass, and no major renovations to the rooms. The transom windows, the claw-footed tubs, the oversized windows to catch the ocean breezes, and the lack of modern amenities all contributed to a vacation that was a throw-back in time. No longer serving meals in tuxedos or reserving tables for a week at a time, it still was an event to dine in the oversized dining rooms. The ball room had the most spectacular view and I believe much of the originals windows were in tact.

I began visiting Watch Hill at least twice a month on the weekends and often would spend the day at the Ocean House then head up to Newport for late day tennis then back to the Ocean House for the night. After my brother stopped renting on Bluff, I would make day trips to the Ocean House arriving early in the morning, pay the parking fee which enabled me the use of the Hotel showers, porch and beach. Sam was overseeing the beach along with his wife who both always gave me a big, warm welcome and I felt safe swimming under watchful eyes. I'd put my bike on the back of the car and head down Ninigret for a long ride then head back to the beach for a walk along the shore then a bite on the porch. The beach in Watch Hill is one of the nicest in the Northeast and provides a beautiful backdrop to walk along the shore.

The town of Watch Hill hasn't changed too much although there is a lot more traffic since the casinos opened. My last overnight in the Ocean House was in 2001 for several days where I met a woman who had been going to the Ocean House since the 60s. We enjoyed the evenings together for dinner then headed downstairs where there was live music. We'd heard about the pending sale and hoped that whomever bought the Hotel would renovate rather than demolish. I'm glad she's still standing and hope that future generations understand what a gem she is, so unchanged in over a century. I consider her one of the most important structures in the country and hope she lives to see another century.

Submitted by Laura P. Dickey

My contact with and memories of the Ocean House are rather limited. Of course I've visited, if not frequented, the bar and taken only a few meals in the dining room. Certainly, in my years, there has always been better food available. My memories of note..... In May of 1971 when I was living on Bluff Avenue I walked my five and eight year old children over to prowl around the Ocean House. We found an open door to the cellar and started climbing the numerous levels. We explored the sleeping rooms in the wing which I think was closed (for not meeting fire code?) and then climbed on to the attic. There we were treated to a century of old boxes and trunks with several stashes of beer bottles left by summer help who no doubt found the attic to be a refuge and perhaps romantic opportunity. We climbed on up through the open hatch beneath the flag pole and enjoyed what is obviously the best view in Watch Hill.

Perhaps my favorite room was the writing room off the foyer to the right. Seeing those old wood and wicker writing desks with the pockets for post cards took me back to my youth in WW II. How times have changed since we would write Aunt Josephine a card from our vacation hotel.

Submitted by Dick Holliday