Historic Beach House on Pond Across from Ocean/Beach

In the mid-18th century, the Black Rock House was built on a ledge overlooking Black Rock In the mid-18th century, the Black Rock House was built on a ledge overlooking Black Rock Beach in Cohasset. Over the years, it became an inn, and then a hotel -- that was popular among travelers, because it was a day's ride south of Boston on the coastal road. In the 19th century, it expanded into a widely-acclaimed resort where Boston society would “summer” on Boston's South Shore. Then in 1903, wealthy neighbors in Cohasset acquired the property with a plan to tear it down to improve their ocean view. My great grandfather owned a piece of land a quarter mile down the road on Straits Pond, and he bought a wing of the hotel that was slated for demolition. He moved it with horses, men and wooden rollers to set it on pilings at its current location – on a pond, across the street from the ocean. Every room has a water view. It's been in our family ever since.

Crescent Beach is directly across the street. It's about 100 yards from the front door to the water's edge, where you can take a dip in a protected cove looking out to Boston in the distance. Black Rock Beach is about a quarter mile (5-10 minute walk) to the southeast, and Gun Rock Beach is about the same distance to the northwest. It's in a fairly quiet part of Hull, at the foot of Green Hill, and at the Hull-Cohasset town line.

We believe the three-story structure is from 1820-1840 (Jacksonian Era). It's been updated over the years, but without diminishing its "that old house" character. It has steep 19th century steps, and you can still see the tin plates that once had hotel room numbers. The walls are all plaster mixed with horsehair over lathe, with plenty of patches. We find it a restful place, a bit removed from the hubbub of modern life -- though there is wifi throughout and a 55" flat screen smart TV (with basic cable) in the living room.

These days, there are three furnished bedrooms. One has a King bed, another has a Queen bed, and the third can be set up as two Twins or a King. Each bedroom has a water view. The fourth bedroom on the second floor has been converted to a laundry room with a washer/dryer, and a nice view. There's a large bathroom on the second floor, and a second bathroom on the first floor - both have showers. There's also an outdoor shower in the back yard with a privacy fence and a nice view of the pond. The third floor with five small bedrooms and a bathroom is not currently used. The first floor consists of a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and the aforementioned bathroom. The first floor also has three porches: An open porch along the front (north side) of the house, a screened porch off the living room (in the southwest corner), and a back deck off the kitchen (in the southeast corner).

There is zone heating throughout the house, and the bedrooms can have air conditioning (though typically there are nice breezes off the ocean and off the pond.

The house is fairly well-stocked. The bedrooms (see photos) have nice cotton linens, comforters, extra pillow, dressers, bedside tables, hangers, and places to hang clothes. The kitchen has most of the things you might need: plates, bowls, glasses, serving pieces, flatware, pots and pans, selection of spices, tea kettle, teapot, coffeemaker, blender, toaster oven, trays, placemats, table cloths, paper towels, napkins, plastic wrap, foil, zip-loc bags, and BBQ utensils. The bathrooms have face cloths, hand towels, bath sheets, beach towels, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toilet paper, bath mats.

The house photographed rather well, so I should alert you that at its core it is very much an old beach house, and its main virtues are its oldness and beachiness. Lowered expectations are always a strong hedge against disappointment.

The nearby beaches were discussed above, so here's a bit of information about the pond the house sits on. Straits Pond is about 3 miles in circumference and sits between Hull and Cohasset with a block-wide strip on its north side running along the Ocean. Our house is on the north side of the pond and looks across to the big pretty houses in Cohasset. In Colonial times, what is now the pond was a salt marsh, down by the sea, and fed by the Weir River. However, in the 1800s, the marsh was cleared for a manmade pond that never gets very deep and that is filled with a mix of salt and fresh water. At various times, it’s also been called “Lake Nantasket” and “Lake Galilee,” but Straits Pond seems to be the name that stuck. The water levels in the pond are now controlled by state authorities who adjust the levels throughout the summer by adjusting the locks in the west corner of the pond. As with most waterways in the US, for the past 50 years, there has been a concerted effort to clean up the pond. As a result, the pond is now alive with a variety of wildlife (e.g, ducks, geese, swans), many of whom come to visit next to or even into our yard. At dusk, it's not unusual to see a cotton tail bunny rabbit emerge from the reeds for a jaunt across the yard. At such moments, we refer to the house as being in the land that time forgot.

This area of Hull is at the start of the peninsula, near the town hall. It's about a mile to Nantasket Beach, which is a 3-mile long east-facing sandy beach. The Paragon Park amusement park at Nantasket Beach was replaced decades ago with condos, but there are still some arcades and a fully-restored carousel. If you don't feel like cooking, there are a lot of restaurants nearby, many of which are discussed in our House Guide.

Some of our favorite activities are from a simpler time: good food, communing with nature, talking with family and friends, reading books, or playing cards or board games. You’ll find the house has a small library of summer reads, and a variety games for playing on the antique game table. Some guests report their happiest memories are from the simplest moments – sipping coffee on the kitchen porch as the pond comes alive in the morning, or a walk with family to the seawall at Crescent Beach to watch the sun set behind Boston across the water.

We are now in our fifth season of renting the house. It seems to be popular with people who want to be in a restful spot at the seashore, and especially those looking to spend time re-connecting with family and friends. We’ve heard from families with children that the kids enjoy the same sorts of activities that generations of children have engaged in here – exploring the pond, the three nearby beaches (and rocks and tide pools), Nantasket Beach (with its arcades and restored Carousel), Fort Revere and the Boston islands, and just being with nature. We also hear that it’s in a wonderful location with the breezes that come across the pond and ocean and its proximity to Boston, the South Shore, Plymouth, and the Cape beyond.

Of course, no house is perfect for everyone (We don't recommend it for toddlers due to the unfenced pond, nor to those with mobility challenges due to the steep 19th century stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor). It’s in a quiet neighborhood, with nearby neighbors (including our cousins who share the parking area and have the adjacent cottages and yard), which is why it’s not suitable for large gatherings or parties. However, if it seems right for you, we’ll do what we can to make your stay an enjoyable one. We hope with new memories of a really nice time by the beach.

Our local host, Kathy, lives just down the street and has mostly retired from the hotel business, but still loves drawing on her fount of resources to help visitors explore and enjoy the area – including advice about resources in Hull and Cohasset, in other areas of the South Shore, or excursions into Boston, Salem, Plymouth or the Cape. Through Kathy, we also offer special concierge services, should you decide you want to arrange for a bike or kayak rental, fishing trip, boat cruise, clambake, or other special event. Feel free to ask about ways to make your time not only relaxing, but memorable.