John Garrison Cutler facts for kids
John Garrison Cutler (born May 10, 1833 – died February 7, 1913) was an important Black businessman and a member of the Republican Party in New Hampshire. He owned a famous hotel called "Cutler's Sea View Hotel" at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Many important people, including presidents, stayed at his hotel from the late 1800s until he passed away in 1913. John G. Cutler's grandfather was an enslaved man who fought in the Revolutionary War. Because of his bravery, he earned his freedom.
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Cutler's Sea View Hotel: A Famous Place
John G. Cutler is most famous for his amazing hotel complex at Hampton Beach. People even called it the "Summer capital of New Hampshire" for a while! Important political meetings often happened on the hotel's big porch, in the restaurant, or in the pool hall. Cutler became known as a very influential person in the New Hampshire Republican Party. He helped decide who would be important leaders. For example, the Republican Party in Rockingham County met at his hotel to support William Howard Taft for president.
Who Stayed at Cutler's Hotel?
Many famous people visited Cutler's hotel. These included Presidents Franklin Pierce, James A. Garfield, and Benjamin Harrison. Even former president Grover Cleveland stayed there. Other well-known guests were General Robert E. Lee, politician James G. Blaine, and circus legends P. T. Barnum and Tom Thumb. The famous boxer John L. Sullivan also visited.
Writers like Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Celia Thaxter enjoyed the hotel. Senator Charles Sumner and every New Hampshire governor during Cutler's life also stayed there. Many other important politicians, teachers, and scientists of that time were guests. Cyrus A. Sulloway, a Congressman who served ten terms, spent his summers at Cutler's for many years.
Cutler's Café: A Popular Restaurant
John G. Cutler's restaurant, "Cutler's Café," was very well known. People loved its food, and it was a popular meeting spot. Every fall, a group called the "Cutler Club" held a special dinner there, serving wild birds.
In 1907, a future governor named John H. Bartlett led a group of people to ask the town to create the Hampton Beach Village District. This idea passed, and the first meeting for people living at the Beach was held at Cutler's Café on June 26 of that year.
John G. Cutler's Business Adventures
John G. Cutler was one of several children who worked in his father Rufus Cutler's dry goods store. This store was on Water Street in Exeter, New Hampshire. His aunt and uncle also owned a similar shop right next door. The families lived above their stores.
Rebuilding After a Fire
John G. Cutler took over his father's store in 1864. Later, he added a saloon and a billiards (pool) parlor in the basement. Sadly, both the Cutler and Harris buildings were completely destroyed in a huge fire in 1873. This fire, called the Great Conflagration, burned down three blocks of businesses in downtown Exeter. John G. Cutler quickly rebuilt his store, which still stands today at 129 Water Street. People said he was the "best-dressed man in Exeter" and wore many diamonds.
Building the Sea View Hotel
In 1875, John G. Cutler bought some buildings called "Sea View Cottages" at Hampton Beach. He renamed them "Cutler's Sea View Cottages." He and his wife, Hattie, moved there permanently. They hired workers from Poland and Ireland. Cutler's became the first hotel at the beach to stay open all year. It was also very close to the fancy homes of important people like Franklin Pierce.
Ten years later, in 1895, Cutler's hotel burned down again. But John G. Cutler rebuilt it quickly and in a grander style. The new hotel had 26 rooms. They even sold postcards with pictures of the beautiful new "Cutler's Sea View Hotel." The hotel grounds also had a stable for forty horses, a pool hall, and other small buildings.
Adapting to New Visitors
In 1897, a street railway (like a trolley) started being built to Hampton Beach. This made the beach easier for more people to visit. To welcome these new visitors, John G. Cutler built "Cutler's Café" in 1898. This large restaurant was next to the hotel and was made for people arriving by train. It had 14 guest rooms and modern plumbing. It also included two private dining rooms.
The hotel stood for one hundred years until it burned down in 1985. The restaurant building is still there today and is now known as "Ron's Landing at Rocky Bend." The street behind the old hotel is still called "Cutler Avenue."
Cutler and his wife also bought land nearby, a bit further inland. They planned to sell this land as house lots in 1913. This neighborhood still exists today.
John G. Cutler's Family Life
John Garrison Cutler was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on May 10, 1833. His parents were Rufus E. and Anna (Cilley) Cutler. His grandfather, Tobias Cutler, was one of many Black soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War and settled in Exeter afterward. His grandmother, Dorothy Paul, was the sister of Rev. Thomas Paul, a well-known minister from Boston.
When he was 50 years old, John Garrison Cutler married Harriet Anne (Hattie) Brewster on July 29, 1873. They had two children, but sadly, both of them passed away when they were young. The family's grave is in the High Street Cemetery in Hampton.
Legacy and Honors
Cutler Avenue, a street located behind where the hotel once stood on Ocean Boulevard in Hampton Beach, was named after John G. Cutler.
In February 2021, a special plaque honoring him was placed on his former dry goods store at 127 Water Street in Exeter.
