Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Cape’s whaling heritage is more visible this summer (2014) with visits to various Cape harbors by the refurbished 1841 whaling ship Charles F. Morgan, the last square-rigged wooden whaling ship — a restoration project of the Mystic Seaport Museum. … Continue reading →

The Massachusetts Historical Society began publishing papers in their collection in the late 1700s. One of the earliest writers about Wellfleet, quoted often, is the town’s minister, Levi Whitman. In 1794 he wrote a letter called “An Account of the … Continue reading →

Free food! The first Billingsgate settlers joined the other English farmers who found the salt marshes up and down the North Atlantic coast as a certain source of fodder for their livestock. Harvesting salt hay was not new – it … Continue reading →

Land Distribution in South Wellfleet Since I began researching the history of South Wellfleet, I’ve looked for evidence of the earliest European settlers — and evidence of native people populating the area, yet another topic. This article discusses the records … Continue reading →

We require great imagination to take us from the 21st century back to the 17th in South Wellfleet. Historians call the time frame of 1620-1692 the “Plantation Period”. This followed the “Contact Period,” pre-1620, when there were European explorers and … Continue reading →

In 1957, two Wellfleet citizens, Charles Zehnder and John M. Jentz, purchased about 26 acres of land in South Wellfleet just across the Eastham border, and formed the Spring Brook Center, a company that operated the Wellfleet Drive-In theater. There’s … Continue reading →

Exploring the family connections of the two Isaiah Hatchs caused me to sort-out other Hatchs who lived in South Wellfleet.  A clipping in the South Wellfleet folder at the Wellfleet Historical Society reported the unfortunate demise of Lewis Hatch, who … Continue reading →

The father plays a key role in solving the wreck of the ‘Franklin’; the son becomes ‘The Little Man of South Wellfleet’ In 1823, Isaiah Holbrook Hatch purchased half of the Lombard family’s holdings north of Blackfish Creek — today, … Continue reading →

Just a bit north of South Wellfleet, past the Fire Tower, is a section of Wellfleet known as Dogtown — no definitive reason why — perhaps the reason is long since forgotten. I don’t think anyone uses the term today.  … Continue reading →

South of the Barker/Arey homestead in South Wellfleet, the David Wileys established their home.  Some current Barker family members have knowledge of this area, and there are a number of deeds that describe the land that the Wiley family assembled … Continue reading →