Provincetown Massachusetts Harbor
The town now known as Provincetown was once the home of the Nauset Tribe who spoke Massachusett a southern New England Algonquian dialect which is where the colony and eventual state got it's name. In 1602 the first English Explorer to the immediate area Bartholomew Gosnold called the tip of the Island Cape Cod after catching a large load of cod. Between 1616-1619 the native tribe population along the coastal region was decimated by a smallpox outbreak when some shipwreck French fisherman were taken in by one of the local tribes and caused an estimated 100,000 deaths. In 1620 The Mayflower passed by the way on it's attempted journey to Virginia and after two futile days of going against strong winter currents retreated to what is now Provincetown Harbor and the colonists wrote up and signed the Mayflower Compact before settling down in nearby Plymouth. In 1654 the Governor of Plymouth colony bought the land of eastern Cape Cod from the chief of Nausets for 2 brass kettles 6 coats, 12 hoes, 12 axes and knives and a box. In 1714 a municipal government was set up to have control of the area and was called the Precinct of Cape Cod. On June 4 1727 the area was incorporated into a township called Provincetown and by the time of the founding of the United States it became a major center for the whaling and fishing industry and these industries became a very important part of the local economy for the next hundred years. In 1873 a railroad and major roadway were built along the length of the island expanding access across the island. During the second half of the 19th century the whaling industry died out with the advent of drilled oil and in November 1898 one of the strongest northeasters ever recorded with huge tidal surges and hurricane winds decimated much of the fishing industry with the destruction of hundreds of fishing boats. By the late 19th century with rail service on the island and expanded ferry service summer tourism became a big industry and the island especially around Provincetown became a mecca for artists and writers and it's reputation only expanded into the 20th century. By the 1930's with the building of rail and road bridges summer tourism became a major industry and Provincetown with it's proximity to the best beaches on the Island became the goto place to be on the island. During the 1960's Provincetown with it's liberal reputation became a big draw for hippies and especially gays and by the 1970's gay culture became a big part of the town with many bars, hotels and shops opening to cater specifically to the gay community. Today the town has a more even mix of gay and straight visitors but the town still has a very strong gay cultural presence and according to the US census has the highest percentage of gay couple residents of any place in the US. My wife and I have been visiting this town on an off for the last forty odd years as a quick easy getaway that's about a six hour drive from NYC and we like it because it's a very chill place to visit with no chain restaurants allowed, nice shops, galleries whale watching and has a wonderful lack of drunken rowdy bozos and other a***oles that you find in other breach towns whose names I'll shall not mention.
Provincetown Massachusetts Harbor
The town now known as Provincetown was once the home of the Nauset Tribe who spoke Massachusett a southern New England Algonquian dialect which is where the colony and eventual state got it's name. In 1602 the first English Explorer to the immediate area Bartholomew Gosnold called the tip of the Island Cape Cod after catching a large load of cod. Between 1616-1619 the native tribe population along the coastal region was decimated by a smallpox outbreak when some shipwreck French fisherman were taken in by one of the local tribes and caused an estimated 100,000 deaths. In 1620 The Mayflower passed by the way on it's attempted journey to Virginia and after two futile days of going against strong winter currents retreated to what is now Provincetown Harbor and the colonists wrote up and signed the Mayflower Compact before settling down in nearby Plymouth. In 1654 the Governor of Plymouth colony bought the land of eastern Cape Cod from the chief of Nausets for 2 brass kettles 6 coats, 12 hoes, 12 axes and knives and a box. In 1714 a municipal government was set up to have control of the area and was called the Precinct of Cape Cod. On June 4 1727 the area was incorporated into a township called Provincetown and by the time of the founding of the United States it became a major center for the whaling and fishing industry and these industries became a very important part of the local economy for the next hundred years. In 1873 a railroad and major roadway were built along the length of the island expanding access across the island. During the second half of the 19th century the whaling industry died out with the advent of drilled oil and in November 1898 one of the strongest northeasters ever recorded with huge tidal surges and hurricane winds decimated much of the fishing industry with the destruction of hundreds of fishing boats. By the late 19th century with rail service on the island and expanded ferry service summer tourism became a big industry and the island especially around Provincetown became a mecca for artists and writers and it's reputation only expanded into the 20th century. By the 1930's with the building of rail and road bridges summer tourism became a major industry and Provincetown with it's proximity to the best beaches on the Island became the goto place to be on the island. During the 1960's Provincetown with it's liberal reputation became a big draw for hippies and especially gays and by the 1970's gay culture became a big part of the town with many bars, hotels and shops opening to cater specifically to the gay community. Today the town has a more even mix of gay and straight visitors but the town still has a very strong gay cultural presence and according to the US census has the highest percentage of gay couple residents of any place in the US. My wife and I have been visiting this town on an off for the last forty odd years as a quick easy getaway that's about a six hour drive from NYC and we like it because it's a very chill place to visit with no chain restaurants allowed, nice shops, galleries whale watching and has a wonderful lack of drunken rowdy bozos and other a***oles that you find in other breach towns whose names I'll shall not mention.