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Back in the days of small traveling circuses and vaudevillian entertainment, actors and crew trekked from town to town to present their shows before moving on to the next venue. Sometimes, things get lost along the way. That’s what’s happened to...
Provincetown History Snippets: What is Helltown?
Helltown was a settlement south of Hatches Harbor, with 33 buildings, a fleet of 30 dories, and a working population of about 125 fishermen. When Mary Heaton Vorse asked a captain why it was called Helltown, he answered, “because of the helling that went on there.” The name could also have been due to the hellish working conditions: it was chiefly occupied in winter, and winters there are difficult. A final possibility is the area became a port of call for seafarers and fishermen during the 1600s; the carousing, drinking, gambling, and smuggling caused the nickname.
So you can take your pick! Have you heard of other reasons for the name? Let us know!
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More Recent Provincetown News
Provincetown: Season of Sparkle From turkey trots to twinkling trees to midnight toasts by the sea, Provincetown turns Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve into one joyful, glitter-kissed celebration. The ptownie Calendar ensures you don’t miss a...
Each winter in Provincetown, as the chill rolls off Cape Cod Bay and the crowds of summer retreat, a new light begins to glow on Lopes Square — the Provincetown Lobster Pot Tree. What began as a modest holiday tribute has grown into one of Provincetown’s...