History Archives

April 29, 2022

The Governor Bradford, an Institution in Provincetown, has changed ownership for the first time in 80 years. First a little history from our friend David Dunlap from Building Provincetown: Governor Bradford- Building Provincetown Familiar as the Governor...

Provincetown History Snippet: Lobster

December 1, 2021

History

The lobster industry in North America started here, and Provincetown was the first lobster center of New England. In 1740, large Provincetown lobsters were selling in Boston for three half-pence a piece! But the industry really got going around 1800 when...

Provincetown History Snippet: Bellamy’s Bride

October 21, 2021

History

Most of us know the story of the pirate Black Sam Bellamy, whose flagship, the Whydah, sank just off Provincetown during a nor’easter in 1715. Bellamy was heading north to Maine to hide out for a while after a successful season in the Caribbean. So...

September 23, 2021. the ptownie dispatch!

September 23, 2021

History

Tennessee Williams Theater Festival September 23, 2021 – September 26, 2021 The festival honors Tennessee Williams by presenting his classic and undiscovered plays, the work of his peers, and new work inspired by Williams’ creative vision worldwide....

Ptown History Snippet: The Sidewalk

August 2, 2021

History

Provincetown History Snippet: Walking Down the Sidewalk Provincetown’s sidewalks were originally four-plank wide boardwalks, stipulated as “wide enough for two” in the late 1800s. When summer visitors arrived, crowds of people walked in the streets...

A Re-Imagined Motta Field in Ptown?

April 29, 2021

History

Mike here from ptownie. Full disclosure: I am an athlete who uses the recreation facilities in Provincetown and I also sit on the volunteer Recreation Commission. I joined the Recreation Commission because I want to see our facilities and programs (for adults...

Did Henry Ford Make A Hemp Car?

February 23, 2021

History
Weed

Have you ever wondered what hemp can be used for? Henry Ford had that same thought during the Great Depression. He wanted to help local farmers survive and was coming up with innovative ideas to try and succeed. Click here to find out more information about...

Provincetown History Snippet: What’s a Cape Cod House?

May 8, 2020

History

The first homes built by the English settlers on Cape Cod were wigwams built of twigs, bark, hides, cornstalks, and grasses, which they copied from those of the local Wampanoag people who had lived here for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived....

Who is Susan Glaspell?

May 1, 2020

History

Susan Glaspell’s first novel, The Glory of the Conquered, was published in 1909. It received a series of impressive reviews. The New York Times critic argued: “Unless Susan Glaspell is an assumed name covering that of some already well-known...

Provincetown History Snippet: How to Get Here?

April 24, 2020

History

The idea of a Cape Cod canal, linking the bay to the sound, was studied as early as the 17th century, but it wasn’t until that the privately built canal merged the waters of the two bays. It was not a great success; too narrow and winding, the canal allowed...