Featuring their Original Cottage on the South End of Slaughter Beach, over 100 years old.
Built in 1924, the Hammond Cottage is one of the oldest cottages remaining in Slaughter Beach and was among the first 5 cottages on the South End. This was part of the 1st Simpson Annex (1922) on Lot #5, now 341 Bay Ave. It is the only 35-foot lot in Slaughter Beach. All other lots are at least 50 feet. Below is picture of the plot plan, then 1924 and 1946 photos of the cottage.
Family patriarch and grandfather Willis Hammond was a rural mail carrier, and his family had a small farm outside Milford and were well known to raise and train hunting dogs. Willis built the Slaughter Beach cottage in 1924, lived to be 99, and had 3 wives.
During his adult life, Willis evolved into quite a historian for the local area and was often featured in newspaper articles and spoke at many local gatherings and meetings. His family found some of his handwritten history notes and shared them with our Slaughter Beach Historical Society (SBHS). This article focuses on the Hammond family and their 100-year-old Cottage that has been maintained and keeps much of its old-time charm.
In a separate article, more info from Willis, the Town Historian, will be featured on this website in the Tidbit section.
Willis and his first wife Mary Baker had 3 children: The picture below shows Mary Catherine on the left, (a WAC in WWII, and later a phone operator in Wilmington), brother Chuck (Charles Wilbur) in the center, and Margaret Louisa on the right. Their brother Chuck Hammond managed the Slaughter Beach Hotel in the 1950s after his return from WWII. Later in the 1960s, he owned the sandwich shop on the corner of Slaughter Beach Road and Bay Avenue.
Willis and his 3rd wife Sybil, shown in photo to the left, were married for over 60 years. The next 2 pictures show 2 generations of family fun over the years. The first was taken in front of their cottage on the Slaughter Beach boardwalk in the 1930s; showing daughter Margaret on the left, with the town pavilion and pier in the background. The second picture is circa 1955, showing the third generation of Hammonds at the old cottage, which then and now continues to be shared by the five adult children of Margaret Hammond and Frank Mirra.
Below are 4 of the 5 children, including our current contact Chris Mirra, who is the little guy in front. He and his wife Renee (short for Maureen) Wright, met and married in Warwick, New York, but spent much time in SB ever since. They are now retired and live on Slaughter Beach Road, but continue to use the cottage seasonally. They have one son, and 2 grandsons, which makes now 5 generations who have loved their time spent in the old cottage.
During our tour of this wonderful old cottage, Chris showed us how currently the outside of the house foundation appears to sit right on the ground but was originally built above the sand on 4-foot cedar trunk posts that supported the original cedar shake cottage, as shown in the photo above. Over time, many storms have washed up sand underneath, and the house has also settled over time as can be determined by shifting within the house; the first floor has some uneven and rolling floors. The house was built consistent with the times (1920s), and continues to be seasonal only, with no insulation, heat or air conditioning. It may have had an outhouse in the early days. The current bathroom evolved from an outside shower that has been enclosed at the entry to the old lean-to-style kitchen. The house now has a hot water heater, and the front porch is screened …modern improvements!
Over time there has been need for regular maintenance as well as some major projects. A necessary maintenance project was required in 1985, when thick cables were stretched through ceiling beams to hold and stabilize the 2nd floor. Circa 2018, some serious renovation was done to the first floor supporting beams that had dropped too low. To even-up the front porch and inside living area, the original oak planks of the deck were removed, then put back in place during restoration of the front deck and the actual front outer cedar shake walls. Meanwhile, a new tin roof replaced the old roof after 4 layers of old shingles had to be removed. The weight of the shingles was 2 tons when removed and weighed at the dump!
1976 Photo Below. This 102-year-old cottage has remained wonderfully true to its roots and all the traditions that have evolved within its walls. It is rustic, but fully functionable. As a new visitor, I marveled at the gorgeous 8-inch-wide oak boards throughout the house…. from floor to ceiling. You will see them in most of the pictures below, as we took a tour with Chris and Renee who shared their special old cottage with us in 2024.
The kitchen, with its original old cupboards and porcelain sink, is still functional, including a nice big refrigerator. Although the old stove died, it has been replaced with smaller appliances including coffee maker, microwave oven and grills. A picture below shows the white painted door frame from the kitchen to the great room, where ayoung Margaret Hammond carved her initials long ago. The next picture shows the original sink and cabinets in the kitchen.
Entering the hospitable open great room, there is a large table for meals and card playing, and an old brick fireplace. All space is efficiently used, with the uninsulated walls and studs acting as shelves and a library, and a place in a corner for storing necessary things like fishing poles and sun hats! You can see the thick old electric wires, as well as an old oil lamp that still comes in hand. Moving upstairs, there are 3 simple bedrooms. Remnants of old times are the presence of a portable commode in the corner of one bedroom, and an old sink with a mirror in the corner of another… Imagine old Willis standing in front of that mirror, shaving with a straight razor! Also stored there are some old clothes hangers hanging from the rafters, some old chairs, and an electric fan. From personal experience, I remember how hot it can get in an old cottage, in the summer with no air conditioning. You should notice that there is cross ventilation both upstairs and down, to allow the prevailing east/west breezes to blow through. This was a standard feature in the old cottages!
As you walk through, you can’t help but notice the gorgeous 8 inch oak boards throughout, most in good condition, but in some places, showing remnants of past storm damage. This house has weathered many, including surviving the Big March Storm of 1962.
The whole upstairs is open space above all the partitioned rooms, again to allow optimal air flow. In early days, closets were not included in the old cottages, but you can see a nice old wardrobe in each bedroom. Period old bedspreads and throw rugs are consistent with the times. A more modern addition shows a free-standing TV antenna inside, standing in the highest elevation in the middle bedroom (requested by Chris’ sister who liked to watch Masterpiece Theatre on Sunday nights!) Below are some photos of the upstairs bedrooms, with all the charm of the 1920s.
Below is a picture of the house taken in 2024. Renee had showed us the large Catalpa tree outside near the house and driveway, and said she thought it was the only one in SB. We returned in early June and took pix when it was fully in bloom. Heavenly fragrance!
Worth a ride by!
Thanks to Chris Mirra and Renee Wright for working with us, sharing information and this amazing old family cottage, one of a kind, in Slaughter Beach. To add a little fun to this story is another reminiscence from Chris. In the 60s, many of us who were teens at that time remember taking old dune buggy rides along the beach in dilapidated rebuilt jalopies! One of those cars was trapped in the sand on the South end, maybe caught by the incoming tide, and later became a destination during our walks along the beach. Below is a picture of Chris (in front) and family enjoying a summer day. The other picture shows the dilapidated and barnacle covered remains of the chassis of a car nearby, that was seen in 2021 when the tide was low… 60 years later…. Could it possibly be the same one???
Compiled 2025 by Diane McFaul Hindman, Slaughter Beach Historical Society.