Timeline

1914 – 1950

1914

Woodman’s opened as a roadside shack

1916

Chubby Woodman

Chubby Woodman invented the fried clam

1920’s

Woodman’s — 4th of July, 1920

Sometime in the late ’20s, as auto traffic on the road increased, Chubby and Bessie changed the restaurant from take-out to a fancy dining room. “Fancy” may be too strong a word, but it certainly wasn’t “eat in the rough.” It was pretty spiffy — it even had awnings.

1923

Chubby held his first clambake the Native American way with a beach, seaweed, and hours to cook. After that, he improved upon the original way to what we use now.

1938

Chubby Woodman (starting the fire) in Marietta, Ohio, 1938

Clambake for 5,000 people, sitting at picnic tables, 1938

Woodman’s held a clambake for 5,000 in Marietta, Ohio!

1940’s

The Woodman’s parking lot, with The Essex Lobster House across the street

Woodman’s tore down the oldest and biggest building (one of three on the property) that was rotted out and moved the fancy dining building across the street to The Essex Lobster House, which is now Shea’s Riverside

1940s –
1950s

The Woodman’s Diner

Woodman’s Diner (now Dunkin’ Donuts) was the principal source of the family’s income — it’s what kept them going! Many Woodmans have taken turns running the diner.

1960 – 2000

1960’s

Woodman’s added on a lower deck and more outdoor seating

1967

Woodman’s was open year ’round for the first time

1973

The first formal function at Woodman’s Function Hall (now The Essex Room) was held

1974

The Bunghole Lounge opened under the function hall, closed for a while, and then reopened as The Lobster Trap Pub, which is no longer a bar, but rented out for parties