Two inns--the Seaview Hotel and the Argyle Inn--serviced guests who came to the picturesque fishing village of Friendship by steamboat or motor car. Both were within walking distance from the Jameson & Wotton Wharf. And both of them closed during World War I.
As its name indicates, the Seaview Hotel (1899-1915) had a view of the harbor from its hillside location. It began as accommodations for the families of campers at Camp Durrell, a YMCA camp on a nearby island. Business was so brisk that R.M. Armstrong, who created the hotel from an 1840 house on the old Davis Farm property, built a two-story annex and added a number of cottages scattered around Davis Point.
From the outset, the Argyle Inn (1908-1916) catered to a wider clientele. Taking advantage of its waterfront location, it offered guests swimming and boating, as well other outdoor and indoor activities. It noted that there was long distance telephone and telegraph service was available at the steamboat wharf, lest its clientele feel too disconnected from civilization.
