History of Our Inn

Be our guest at Centre Street Inn and experience the pleasure of staying in an historic Nantucket whale oil trader's home. Built circa 1742 for Peter Folger, Quaker in design, it is referred to on the island as a 'typical Nantucket house.'

By 1875, the whaling industry had vanished and Nantucket became a thriving resort. Joseph Swain, who bought the house in 1855, converted it to a 'boardinghouse' establishing its history as one of the island's earliest inns. The inn was acquired in 1943 by Frances Moriarty, who changed the name from Swain's Boardinghouse to Holiday Inn in deference to her favorite actor, Bing Crosby, and her favorite film, Holiday Inn. Each room was given the name of a holiday, names that we have kept to this day.

Our love for Nantucket began on our first vacation here in 1974, a tradition that continued each summer until we purchased the inn in early 1994.

Over the years, we have made many changes to the inn for our guests' enjoyment. One tradition that has remained unchanged, however is our pledge to welcome and extend our hospitality to each and every guest who enters our inn!