Then And Now: The Original Ship

As noted in this article last month, The Ship, one of the North Shore's classic dining landmarks, is expected to reopen late this year - possibly around Thanksgiving - with more of a focus on the traditional dishes and atmosphere that made the restaurant a classic over the years.

In light of this news, there's no time like the present to run a vintage photo showing what the Ship looked like long ago. I've been told that this initial incarnation of The Ship was located on Route 1 in the current location. From the photo angle, it's impossible to tell if this was taken when the place was called the Ship's Haven.

Looking at this photo, it seems that the original Ship restaurant must have been completely razed and replaced somewhere along the line, or at least heavily overhauled. After all, this early version is almost shaped more like one of those Civil War-era ironclads combined with kind of a shaky-looking merchant steamer. The present-day restaurant is modeled more along the lines of a specific type of 18th or 19th Century sailing vessel that has a bit more of an HMS Pinafore type look to it.