Cotuit Port was an important commercial center in the 19th century due to its advantageous position relative to Nantucket. In 1874, a stone quay was built by Jarvis Nickerson to house a warehouse owned by the Hyannis lumber company of Sears, Co.
The Cotuit Oyster Company was started at the landing, expanding its wooden pier to accommodate its operations as well as a boat shop that built and repaired the skiffs and catboats owned by Cotuit’s watermen.