Montowese House, Branford, Connecticut

On Linden Avenue in Indian Neck stood Branford’s most famous hotel the Montowese House. Known as the “The of Queen of the Sound” it was built by William Bryan in 1866 and was operated by the Bryan family for 96 years. The hotel could accommodate 250 guests. This popular hostelry offered fabulous food, relaxation, boasting, swimming, horse riding, golf, tennis, water skiing, dancing, and an expansive view of the sound. Fortunately all the guests had left for the season when the ’38 hurricane hit and the hotel lost 300 trees on the property. The wood was used to build the Montowese Playhouse which operated for many years. Some of the famous guests who stayed at the Montowese House were Mark Twain (2), Dean Atcheson, Thorne Smith, U.S. Vice-President James Sherman and Agnes de Mille. The hotel closed and was torn down in 1965 signaling the end of Branford’s summer hotel era.