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”
1987

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