Black Rock Beach

387 Forest Ave, Cohasset, MA 02025, USA

Town of Cohasset: 781-383-4100

Owned By: Town of Cohasset

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Black Rock Beach in Cohasset is open to the public. It features 150 feet of rocky coastline. It is also known as Rocky Beach.

FISHING ADVISORY: It’s important to know that some of our freshwater fisheries are contaminated with mercury, PFAS and/or other concerning substances. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health maintains an online database with up-to-date advisories regarding fish consumption, sorted by location. We recommend you consult this valuable resource when planning a fishing excursion.

Features

The beach is named for the Black Rocks, two small islands that lie about 0.25 mile offshore. The larger of the two rocks is home to a small, seasonally-occupied cottage.

In the early 20th century, a summer resort known as the Black Rock House operated on a rocky bluff overlooking the beach. According to Oliver H. Howe’s “Two Old Time inns,” (Cohasset Cottager, 1930) Nathaniel Nichols built the original Black Rock House in 1757 as a single-family home. Later it became an inn catering to duck hunters, with such innkeepers as a Mr. Hayden, Moses Sargent, and Sarah R. Smith.

According to “Black Rock House: ‘A summer playground for the elite’ in Cohasset” by Jessica Trufant (Patriot Ledger; July 2022), the inn was expanded, and began to flourish after the 1840 establishment of a stagecoach line, which helped attract visitors from the city. By 1903, the building had grown large enough to upset the neighbors. They purchased the original structure, moved some of it to Atlantic Avenue in Hull, and demolished the rest.

Sarah Smith built a new Black Rock House just west of Forest Avenue in 1909, and operated it until her death in 1914. With 60 guest rooms, plus towers, turrets, and balconies, it was known for its elegance, and drew visitors from as far away as Europe and Asia. Families would return year after year, boarding for weeks at a time. The final owner, Albert Golden, purchased the inn in 1926. By the 1950’s, only the hotel bar attracted business. The building was demolished in 1968.

This land is within the region of the Massachusett (or Massachuseuk). To learn more about local Native American tribes, we encourage you to interact with their members. The Mattakeeset band of the Massachusett and the Massachusett tribe at Ponkapoag share information on their websites.

Habitats and Wildlife

Black Rock Beach is located on the Atlantic coastline, overlooking Massachusetts Bay.