 |
 |
            |
An Elegant, Victorian Bed & Breakfast In Bethany Beach, Delaware
The History Of The Addy Sea
Click on each image to enlarge it!
One of the more familiar Bethany Beach landmarks through the years has been the Addy Sea (the name of the original Addy summer cottage).This stately home on the Northern edge of town was built in 1902 by Mr. John Matthew Addy, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania plumbing supplier and the patriarch of the Addy family. It was built as a family home and remained that way until 1935 when it became a boarding house. The house was a show place, not only for its location and stateliness,
but for the modem conveniences it offered the early guests like bathrooms, indoor plumbing and carbide lamps which were all shipped by railroad from Pittsburgh to Rehoboth Beach and then barged to Bethany Beach via the inland canal system. ;) Mr. Addy drilled through solid bed rock to provide the home and others in the area with fresh, pure well water. The Addy Sea was a great success as a boarding house and with the plethora of local fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables, breakfast and dinner were events to be savored. Following the storm of 1927, the house was moved back from the sea and the old foundations
were left on the beach. They became an ideal gathering place for beach parties where fires could be built and hot dogs and marshmallows toasted. Over time the sands covered the old foundations.Over the next 70 years, the Addy Sea, outbuildings and properties passed on to the children and grandchildren of John and Jennie Addy. It continued to be run as a boarding house by Edward and Martha Jean Addy until it was sold to Mr. Leroy Gravatte in 1975. |
;) Addy Sea circa 1904 Perry Cottage In Background. ;) Addy Sea Circa 1905 ;) Addy Sea Circa 1915  Addy Sea |
||
;) Mr. & Mrs John M. Addy standing at left front wagon wheel circa 1905 |
;) Mr. & Mrs John M. Addy at far right holding his hat on circa 1905 |
||
;) Addy Sea circa 1904 & Cottage now relocated next to Grottos Pizza on Rt 26. |
;) Addy Sea circa 1910 |
||
;) Mr. John M. Addy holding his hat Mrs. Jennie Addy behind little girl |
;) Addy Sea circa 1904 |
||
 |
|||
;) Workmen assessing storm damage circa 1927 |
;) Addy Sea in background |
||
;) Addy Sea group photo |
|||
;) Surf Fishing ;) Addy Sea Neighbors |
|||
;) The aftermath of the 1962 Noreaster. Note the old Addy Sea foundation in the surf which was uncovered by the storm. The house was moved back in 1927. |
|||
;) The Addy Sea hanging by a thread - 1962 Noreaster |
|||
Reward: Stolen bathtub. Last seen about five years ago.
That about sums up the advertisement the owners of the Addy Sea Bed and Breakfast in Bethany Beach recently decided to run in the Coastal Point to try to retrieve some long-missing property. The bathtub in question is a vintage Victorian clawfoot model, made entirely of solid copper. It was the personal bathtub of John Addy, the builder in 1902 of the Addy Sea and others of that era’s original Bethany Beach homes. “John Addy was a plumbing supplier in Pittsburgh, Pa., and when he built the Addy Sea, he shipped many — if not all — of the building supplies by rail, barge and wagon to the building site at Ocean View Parkway and North Atlantic Avenue in Bethany Beach, including the Victorian copper clawfoot bathtub,” said Henry Hensel, who described the missing tub’s history. The Addy Sea’s Web site describes the house in its early days as “a showplace — not only for its location and stateliness, but for the modem conveniences it offered the early guests, like bathrooms, indoor plumbing and carbide lamps, which were all shipped by railroad from Pittsburgh to Rehoboth Beach and then barged to Bethany Beach via the inland canal system.” |
|||
;) The decor of the rooms when the Inn was a Boarding House. |
|||
A Guest looking out the window of Room 6 when the Inn was a boarding house. |
|||
;) The Addy Sea In the 1960's. |
|||
To Make Your Reservation, or Order a Gift Certificate, Call, Write or Email us.
|
|||