PROVINCETOWN — “If we can’t undo the mistakes of the past, then we have a responsibility to acknowledge those mistakes,” said Ngina Lythcott of Provincetown, speaking to a crowd of […]
History
UNEARTHED
Nor’easters Reveal Remnants of Bygone Days at Ballston Beach
When the beachfront bustled with visitors to the Balls’ bungalows
TRURO — Last winter’s nor’easters, blasting the Outer Cape coastline with icy winds and churning surf, further carved away the dunes at Ballston Beach that had already been eroding at […]
RESTORATION
Preservation Hall’s Doors Have Come Home
‘Strange but magical,’ they embody stories of escape and renewal
WELLFLEET — As you walk down Main Street, past quaint shops with nautical-themed signs, you might be stopped in your tracks by the sight of the doors at Wellfleet Preservation […]
AT HOME
When Houses Floated Across Harbors
Moving was a statement of both permanence and adaptability
WELLFLEET — David Wright, the curator at the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, has over the years compiled a list of houses in Wellfleet that had been moved from their […]
TOURISM
The Chamber and the Guild: The Way It Was
How Provincetown came to have two business groups
PROVINCETOWN — Eight LGBTQ business owners pooled their money in 1978 and started marketing Provincetown to gay tourists. They spent less than $1,000 on ads in New York theater magazines […]
MAYDAY
The Petterutis Remember Their ‘Nana Noon,’ a Titanic Survivor
April 14 marked the 110th anniversary of the maritime tragedy
PROVINCETOWN — Until her death at age 73, Bertha Mulvihill Noon had nightmares in which she heard the screams of those who went down with the luxury liner Titanic. Mark […]
FAMILY HISTORY
From Ukraine to Provincetown
Today’s news echoes a family’s century-old story of flight
The picture at right is a family photo. It was taken in 1898 in Kyiv, Ukraine and is the original cabinet card — a thin photograph mounted on a 4¼-by-6½-inch […]
ACTIVISM
Ella Josephine Baker
Drawing by Mary DeAngelis
Ella Baker grew up listening to her grandmother’s stories about life under slavery. Her grandparents bought and farmed land that was part of a North Carolina plantation where they had […]
ACTIVISM
Fannie Lou Hamer
“Righteousness exalts a nation. Hate just makes people miserable,” was one of Fannie Lou Hamer’s mantras. She fought passionately against attempts to deny Black people the right to vote. Born […]
IN THE STACKS
A Family Portrait Lost and Then Found
The story behind a haunting trio at the Eastham library
The Eastham Room of the town’s library is brimming with archival records. But just outside the room hangs a trio of 19th-century portraits of residents whose lives were rich with […]
HOME/MAKING
Baker’s Belvernon Enters a New Era
Historic elements found in the basement and attic reappear in renovations
WELLFLEET — Jay and Allison Bombara love history. Jay is president of the historical society in Farmington, Conn., where the couple live most of the year in an antique house, […]
SHADES OF HISTORY
What Color Was This Old House?
Paint followed practicality and the swinging pendulum of styles from overseas
Edward Penniman, considered one of the most successful sea captains in New England, traveled the world hunting whales in the mid-19th century and amassed enough wealth to retire to Eastham […]
MULLIGANS
Thwarting Par at Eastham’s Devilish Cedar Bank Links
A brief history of a marshy golf course that gobbled up balls and hosted clambakes
EASTHAM — Resting beneath the National Seashore’s Salt Pond Visitor Center is what used to be the ninth hole of the Cedar Bank Links golf course. The Eastham Town Hall […]
PROVINCETOWN HISTORY
Teddy Roosevelt’s Prescient Denunciation of Corporate Power
The president’s speech, given 114 years ago, rings true today
On a splendid August morning 114 years ago, a yacht carrying President Theodore Roosevelt glided into Provincetown Harbor. He was welcomed by what must have been the loudest boom the […]
MEET THE MAKER
Sailors’ Valentines Were Seashell Souvenirs
A Wellfleet sailor makes a folk art tradition his own
Ever since Kevin Foley sailed the Wind Gypsy, his first charter boat, out of Wellfleet Harbor, he’s lived what he calls a nautical life. Foley — you may know him […]
