the story of

Charles Shearer was born on a plantation in Spanish Oaks, Appomattox County, Virginia, on January 10, 1854. Charles was the son of James Shearer, a member of the family that owned the plantation, and Matilda Giles who was enslaved on the plantation. Henrietta Merchant, who was of African, white, and Native American ancestry, was born free in 1859 to Madison and Elizabeth George Merchant (married 1843). At that time, the Merchant family was one of the oldest free black families in Lynchburg, Virginia.

After the Civil War, Charles lived in Lynchburg, Virginia, and worked as a laborer, before attending Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Hampton, Virginia (now, Hampton University). He graduated in 1880. Henrietta also attended Hampton Institute and later served as one of the school’s matrons. Charles and Henrietta married in 1884. Charles taught at Hampton Institute for a while and, upon relocating back to the Lynchburg area, both Charles and Henrietta taught elementary school.

Charles and Henrietta moved away from Virginia in 1891 and purchased a home near Boston in Everett, Massachusetts. Charles found work in the hospitality industry, serving as headwaiter at two well-known Boston establishments, Young's Hotel and the Parker House. In 1893, Charles and Henrietta joined Boston's historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church, often credited as the first integrated church in America.

Charles was a profoundly religious man who deeply appreciated the education he received at Hampton Institute. He credited his success in life to his education and religious conviction. A staunch Baptist, Charles often visited Oak Bluffs, then called Cottage City, to attend religious services in Baptist Temple Park in historic East Chop. Charles and Henrietta grew to love Martha’s Vineyard and purchased their first property on the island in the late 1800's.

The Beginnings of a Martha’s Vineyard Institution

In August 1903, Charles and Henrietta made their second purchase on the island, a home overlooking Baptist Temple Park, where The Inn at Shearer Cottage now stands. In order to help support her family's summers on Martha's Vineyard, Henrietta built a one-story, open structure known as the "Long House" on the newly purchased property and started a laundry business. She hired several women and specialized in the fancywork of fluting the elaborate petticoats worn in that era. An entrepreneur, Henrietta provided pick-up and delivery service for the laundry with her horse and wagon.

In 1912, the couple expanded their home overlooking Baptist Temple Park. It was at this time that they opened a twelve room seasonal inn, Shearer Cottage, which was operated in conjunction with the laundry. The inn catered to African Americans who, at that time, were not welcome at other island establishments. The Shearers provided lodging, meals, and catered events. The inn thrived. On any given day, the dining room was filled with fifty or more guests, socializing and enjoying meals cooked by members of the Shearer family. Henrietta's horse and wagon, originally used to pick-up and drop-off laundry, was now also used to transport guests to and from the inn. Henrietta’s laundry business closed in 1917, but the inn remains open to this day, and has been continuously owned and operated by generations of the Shearer family.

*Letter authored by Charles Shearer is courtesy of Hampton University’s archives.