Provincetown History Snippets: Did Provincetown have a Train Station?

Provincetown had been virtually an island dependent on the sea until the railroad provided a permanent connection to the mainland. Before that, the only access to the rest of the peninsula had been either a precarious wooden bridge leading to sandy roadways, or beach routes, both of which washed out during storms, isolating the town still further. The first scheduled train arrived in Provincetown on July 23, 1873, extending the Cape Cod Railroad the final fourteen miles between Wellfleet and Ptown. Old cannons boomed out salutes, church bells rang, and a brass band helped the crowd march up to the Pavilion on High Pole Hill in celebration. Passenger service to Provincetown ended in July 1938 but freight service survived until 1960, when the tracks above North Eastham were abandoned.

The Provincetown train station was located on Bradford Street between Alden and Standish Streets.

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