Parrot Mill Inn Holds Final Sale Before Closing

Twenty-six years after the Parrot Mill Inn opened in Chatham Borough, Toby Kennedy is getting ready to close its doors for the last time. Before he can, though, he is holding one final antique sale.

"Everything must go and then some," Kennedy said. "People who want a piece of the inn can buy it."

Among the items are dishes from when the inn was operational, including a milk jug with a pink parrot on it. "There are some plates my mom used, cookingware, I have tons of little demitasses," Kennedy said. "There's just a mix-match of hodge-podge here."

One item that will not be for sale, however, is the Parrot Mill Inn sign which hung near Main Street to mark the inn. The sign, which came down on Sept. 11, will be kept by the Kennedy family.

However, Kennedy will offer some of the U.S. flags he used to decorate the inn with in 2011 to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

The items for sale have been moved down to the first floor of the inn, including into the rooms that will be torn down when KinderCare takes over the facility.

"This is the last chance to see the inn," Kennedy said, before it closes permanently in October.

The Chatham Historical Preservation Manual indicates the Parrot Mill Inn may have been moved to its present location to replace a burned structure. The present house was listed in 1887 as belonging to George Parrot, Chatham 's last miller.

It was opened as the Stoneleigh Motel in 1970 by Ruth and Arthur Pearson. Frank Kennedy purchased the motel in 1986 and renamed it the Parrot Mill Inn. 

Frank Kennedy died in 1990. His wife, Betsy Kennedy, has run the business since them. Son Toby said of the inn's closing, "It’s part of the circle of life."

The sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.