Inn at Mystic: historic hostelry in fabulous setting

I found that it's none of the above. It's more likely that this coastal area had provided refuge to many a sailor caught in a storm under mysterious circumstances. This was also a shipbuilding center since its settlement in the 1650s and the locale for huge settlement of sea captains' homes. Another answer for the name is believed to have originated with the Algonquin Indian word "missituk," for troubled waters. However, part of the locale of the Inn at Mystic became a safe landfall area for sailing captains and their crews in the 1800s. Those were the days when hundreds of sloops, brigs and steamers were built and launched from Mystic. Ships like the whaling sloop Shaw Perkins, built in 1840; the famous clipper, David Crockett, launched in 1853; and the U.S.S. Galeana, which sailed from the Mystic River in 1862. These vessels all originated on what is now today's Inn at Mystic. I am assured that the Inn at Mystic is the only inn overlooking Mystic Harbor and Long Island Sound. Actually, the Inn is a collection of five unique buildings on 15 beautifully landscaped areas. The original inn is the Haley Mansion built in 1904 as a Colonial Revival mansion by Kate Haley, widow of one of the late founders of New York's Fulton Fish Market. That property, bordering on the oldest road in Mystic, was purchased for $15,000 in 1943 by Frederick Mosel, the financier of Richard Nixon's first political campaign. The Inn was then sold to its present owners, the Dyer/Gray family in 1980, and through their hard work of restoration of many of the original contents, the Inn is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the appropriate brass plaque at the entrance. It was awesome to see the original extinct pine paneled walls and fireplace, the original wall paper in some of the five rooms, original hand painted jar lids, a widow's walk (the name given to an outer balcony facing the sea for the seaman's spouse to hopefully watch for his return}. All was not serene in the Haley Mansion during the residency of Frederick Mosel and his sister Annie. Mr. Mostel entertained lavishly with dancing and entertainment lasting until early morning, depriving Annie of her sleep. Her dutiful brother would not give up his partying ways and decided to build her a lovely Gate House. This was far enough away from the Haley Mansion for Annie to get a good night's sleep away from the noise of her brother's frolicking guests.The Gate House became an integral part of the Inn at Mystic Complex. In fact, Room #81 gained fame when the famous Hollywood couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall spent their honeymoon here as guests of their debonair friend Frederick Mostel. The room, refurbished maintaining the flavor of the past, can be yours for a night or two.Other buildings at the Inn at Mystic include the Motor Court with 40 guest rooms, the 12-guest room East Wing, and the six-room Cape cod-style House with a full service restaurant, the Flood Tide and wonderful food to boot. I found myself surrounded by history and decided that this would make for an excellent educational trip for my grandchildren, 9-year-old Maris and her almost teenage brother, Bradley Wasser. Imagine finding the Denison Burying Ground that honors the fallen American Revolutionary heroes just to the right of the Flood Tide Restaurant. Then, there is the fabulous Mystic Seaport, the world's largest maritime museum or Aquarium. The museum houses more boats and nautical photography than I could possibly fathom. I particularly enjoyed boarding the tall ships and watching the children of all ages scampering on the decks.Not to be missed for even more history is the Dennison Homestead Museum, a six-generation family homestead granted to Captain George Dennison in 1654 by the English King. The historic Ship Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum is the Navy's official submarine museum focusing on those who sail the ocean depths in their "sharks of steel."The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center is America's grandest tribal museum tracing the rich cultural heritage of the Pequot tribe from prehistoric times to the present and their highly successful Foxwood Casino. © Copyright Marcia Abramson; E-mail:mascribe@aol.com