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

1978

Woodman’s survives the blizzard of 1978!

1979

Yankee Magazine published an article titled “The Man Who Invented the Fried Clams”

Read the Article

1987

Deck and Gini Woodman

The third generation gained ownership of Woodman’s after the passing of Dexter “Deck” Woodman in 1987

1988

The L. Dexter Woodman Scholarship Fund was established

Learn More

1989

“Woodman’s in the Rough, A Family Tradition” was published for the 75th anniversary of the business

1989

The First Annual Taste of Essex to support the Scholarship Fund was held

2000 – 2014

2000

The Woodman’ retail store opened

2001

Woodman’s was named Best Seafood in America by Forbes FYI Magazine

Read the Artice

2003

Woodman’s was inducted into the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Hall of Fame

2004

Clambake in Las Vegas: the Woodman’s crew traveled to Las Vegas for the CaterSource conference and put on a clambake

2006

Woodman’s introduced lobster and clambake shipping online!

Check Out the Shop!

2008

Woodman’s joined with Gifford’s Ice Cream of Maine, another great family business, and opened an ice cream shop

2009

Grown Ups filmed at Woodman’s, a movie starring Adam Sandler and friends

2009

A second location opened, Woodman’s Seafood and Grill at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield, NH

2010

Woodman’s was featured on the Food Feud versus J.T. Farnham’s of Essex

2011

Woodman’s was voted “Best Fried Clams in NH” by Yankee Magazine

2011

Woodman’s was the winner of the Family Business Association for MA, Small Business of the Year Award

2013

Woodman’s was listed as one of the top 10 Best Amusement Park Restaurants by USA Today (Litchfield, NH)

2013

Woodman’s was voted Best New England Restaurant on about.com

2014

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS of BUSINESS!