Hype for the Future 66C: Middle Cape

Introduction

The Middle Cape region of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, located approaching the main body of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts beyond the Outer and Lower Capes, is home to the Towns of Barnstable, Yarmouth, and Dennis, from west to east. Each of the three towns in the region is situated where the Cape Cod Bay is to the north and the Nantucket Sound is to the south, with every town containing a reasonable population base and seasonal influx every summer. Also, each of the communities along the Middle Cape are accessible by Route 6 in the north and Route 28 in the south.

Town of Dennis

The easternmost of the three towns comprising the Middle Cape region, the Town of Dennis is located directly to the west of the Towns of Harwich and Brewster, with the Corporation Beach on the northern shore and the nearby 1736 Josiah Dennis Manse Museum, Scargo Tower, and Cape Cod Museum of Art sites.

Within the Town of Dennis and elsewhere containing Route 28, the route is effectively an alternate to the freeway of Route 6 positioned further to the north. Facing the Nantucket Sound are the West Dennis Beach, the West Dennis Lighthouse with the Lighthouse Inn, and the South Village Beach. The Jericho Historical Center is also located nearby within the Town. Within the central portion of the town geographically is also the area referred to as Liberty Hall.

Town of Yarmouth

The Town of Yarmouth is located to the west of the Town of Dennis but to the east of Barnstable. In the transition zone between the communities, Yarmouth is home to the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, the Whydah House Museum, and the Yarmouth House along Route 28 in the south; and the Winslow Crocker House, the Captain Bangs Hallet House, the seasonal Edward Gorey House, and the art gallery of the Yarmouth New Church Preservation Foundation around the junction of Strawberry Lane and Main Street.

Town of Barnstable

The Town of Barnstable is located directly to the west of the Town of Yarmouth and serves as the county seat of Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Within the limits of the town, the Hyannis village area is perhaps among the most famous areas along the entirety of the Nantucket Sound. From the port at Hyannis are ferry services to Nantucket and to the Martha’s Vineyard community of Vineyard Haven in Oak Bluffs.

Along Route 28 just northwest of the village of Cotuit are the Cahoon Museum of American Art and the Chapman Art Gallery located on opposite sides of the main highway. Along Route 6A, from west to east on the opposite corner of the Town of Barnstable, are the Tales of Cape Cod museum, the Coast Guard Heritage Museum, and the Cape Cod Art Center. At the southeastern end of the Town near the community of Hyannis are the Toad Hall Classic Car Museum, the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, and the three-star Hyannis Inn.

Hype for the Future 65C: Martha’s Vineyard, the Island of Dukes County

Introduction

While the Elizabeth Islands that separate the Buzzards Bay from the Vineyard Sound are located off the coast of the Woods Hole area and contain the Town of Gosnold, the vast majority of the approximately seventy (70) permanent residents are exclusively within the area of the village of Cuttyhunk on Cuttyhunk Island specifically, as the remaining islands are largely identified as privately owned by the Boston Brahmin Forbes family.

The vast majority of Dukes County, Massachusetts, is largely identified by the location on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, opposite the Vineyard Sound from the Elizabeth Islands, which are in turn opposite the Buzzards Bay from the larger area of the South Coast of Massachusetts, containing Bristol County and such communities as New Bedford and Fall River.

Towns

The seven towns associated with Dukes County are the Towns of Gosnold (on the Elizabeth Islands), Aquinnah, Chilmark, West Tisbury, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown, from west to east. The Towns of Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown provide ferry services to elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including both the Nantucket area and the mainland of the Commonwealth.

Ferries

From the Tisbury village area of Vineyard Haven, ferry services are accessible to Woods Hole (Falmouth) and to New Bedford. The Martha’s Vineyard Fast Ferry provides access from the Oak Bluffs Harbormaster to North Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, while the primary ferry dock associated with the town provides services to New Bedford, Woods Hole, Falmouth, Hyannis, and Nantucket. Edgartown provides access to the Falmouth community also, albeit on a separate axis due to beginning further east on the island.

Aquinnah and Chilmark

Located on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard, the Town of Aquinnah is home to the Gay Head Light, the Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook, the Red Gate Farm, and Toad Rock. To the east is the Town of Chilmark, home to the Mememsha Public Beach, the Great Sand Bank Overlook, the Brick Yard, the Former Home of James Cagney, and the Magical Sculpture Trail and Pottery Shop at Island Folk Pottery.

(West) Tisbury

Most of the larger village areas within Martha’s Vineyard are located along the northern shore of the island and relatively east within. Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown are the primary towns containing relatively larger villages within the county. Within the Town of West Tisbury, the primary attractions are the Heath Hen Monument and the Granary, Davis House, and Field Galleries.

Outlying Areas in the East

While the Town of Edgartown serves as the county seat of Dukes County, Massachusetts, the southern portion of the town is actually relatively empty in comparison. At the southern end of the island is the area of the Katama South Beach, with the area just to the north home to the four-star Winnetu Oceanside Resort. While located closer to a central village area, the southern part of the Town of Oak Bluffs is home to the Joseph Sylvia State Beach and the Featherstone Center for the Arts.

Town of Edgartown

Edgartown is the easternmost town and county seat of Dukes County, Massachusetts. Home to the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, the community is also highly notable for the Carnegie Heritage Center of the Vineyard Preservation Trust, as well as the Giant Pagoda Tree, the Edgartown Visitor Center, and the Vincent House Museum within the Edgartown Historic District. The following galleries are located within the Town of Edgartown:

• Old Sculpin Gallery
• Eisenhauer Gallery
• The Christina Gallery Incorporated
• North Water Gallery
• The Edgartown Art Gallery Incorporated (located within the Charlotte Inn)

Town of Tisbury

The Town of Tisbury is the location of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Dukes County, Massachusetts. The Vineyard Arts and Louisa Gould Galleries are located at the center of the central village area, with the historic Nathan Mayhew Schoolhouse located further to the north.

Town of Oak Bluffs

Though the Town of Edgartown is the county seat of Dukes County, the Town of Oak Bluffs may be identified as a larger community within the county, home to the Moore Family Gallery, the Harthaven Gallery, and the Eastville Point Beach in the outlying area of the village as well as the East Chop Lighthouse at the northernmost point of the inner village.

More centrally located within the village of Oak Bluffs, the Oak Bluffs Harbormaster is the aforementioned marina providing access to the Fast Ferry to North Kingstown in southern Rhode Island. In the southwestern area of the village are the MVCVA ART, Knowhere Art, Alison Shaw, and Crossroads Galleries, the latter of which contains Michael Blanchard Inspirational Photography. Craftworks may also be located within the Vineyard Haven area, though the facility may be seasonal or no longer effective.

Within the Oak Bluffs portion of the Oak Bluffs area are the Corbin Norton Gallery, the Healy Square, Craftworks, the Cousen Rose Gallery, the Center of Knowhere, the site of the Mariposa Museum with And Still We Rise (Oak Bluffs), the Gingerbread Houses, the Flower of the Winds, and the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association with the Cottage Museum.

Hype for the Future 65B: Nantucket, a Queer Haven, Town, County, and Island

Introduction

The Town of Nantucket is the sole town in the consolidated town-county arrangement of Nantucket County, Massachusetts. Though not as notable for the LGBTQIA+ 🏳️‍🌈 population as the Cape Cod area, including Provincetown, the island of Nantucket offers seclusion that may provide privacy and security for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and aromantic/asexual community, albeit on a different register.

Notable Attractions

The bulk of attractions on the island of Nantucket of historical significance are of women in STEM, in particular Maria Mitchell, a notable astronomer from the island area. The Maria Mitchell Observatory is an observatory named in her honor, though the aquarium of the island is also named for her, along with numerous representative facilities located both in the village area and potentially elsewhere on the island.

First Sunrise?

Scientists observing the times of the sunrises along the eastern seaboard of the United States have debated the location of the first sunrise in the contiguous United States, which usually varies between Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in the winter months, Mars Hill in Aroostook County in the summer months, and the Lubec/West Quoddy Head area around both equinoxes. However, at the beginning of the new millennium, referring to 2000, the first sunrise over CONUS was measured as being reported at the Siasconset village area on Nantucket, Massachusetts, rather than being located within the more easterly State of Maine.

Ferry Service

Four (4) ferry routes are identified regarding access to Nantucket Island on Google Maps. While Google may not necessarily provide the most accurate nor up-to-date coverage of ferry routes, especially regarding seasonal ferries, the island is currently identified as being accessible from elsewhere in the Commonwealth exclusively by ferry (and the same is true for Martha’s Vineyard to the west, by the way).

From Straight Wharf, the Nantucket ferry provides access to the Port of Harwich on the mainland in the southern portion of Barnstable County, Massachusetts. From Steamboat Wharf, access is provided to the communities of New Bedford on the South Coast in Bristol County, Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard in Dukes County, and the village area of Hyannis in Barnstable County.

Outlying Villages

The outlying villages of the Island, Town, and County of Nantucket include the villages of Siasconset, Wauwinet, Polpis, Tom Nevers, Dionis, Eel Point, and Madaket. Siasconset is located at the eastern edge of Nantucket County and is often shortened to ‘Sconset and home to the ‘Sconset Foot Bridge, while the village of Wauwinet contains a five-star hotel in the area. Altar Rock, the Sankaty Head Lighthouse, and the Barnard Valley Road Viewpoint are each located within the outlying areas to the east, with Nobadeer Beach to the south and Madaket Beach to the west.

Though not in the central village area of Nantucket, the town is also home to the seasonal Nantucket Shipwreck and Life Saving Museum. However, within the true village area are numerous arts galleries, including Arts Nantucket and the Nantucket Gallery at the southern end, as well as the Barn, the Old Mill, the Museum of African American History, the Loines Observatory, and the numerous exhibits and tourist sites associated with astronomer Maria Mitchell further north. The Maria Mitchell exhibits include, though are not limited to, the year-round Maria Mitchell Observatory, the seasonal Maria Mitchell Hinchman House, the seasonal Greater Light, the Hadwen House, the appointment-only Eric Holch Gallery, the Macy-Christian House, the Friends Meeting House, Stone Alley, the Meridian Galleries, the Maria Mitchell Association Classroom, the Maria Mitchell Aquarium and Sea Shop, the Quidley and Company Fine Art Galleries, the C+C Photography Gallery, White Elephant Nantucket, Buglight, and Steps Beach Nantucket within the outer area and numerous locations within the innermost portion of the village area:

• Captain George Pollard House
• Hostetler Gallery
• Samuel Owen Gallery
• The Scrimshander Gallery
• Nantucket Whaling Museum
• Bernard D. Grossman Visitor Center
• The Gallery at Four India Street
• Cavalier Ebanks Galleries
• Artists Association of Nantucket Galleries
• Noble Fine Art
• Pierce Galleries Incorporated
• East End Gallery
• Stark Gallery
• Marcus Foley | Thomas Macy Gallery
• Photographic Scenery by Chad Pierre
• G.S. Hill Gallery
• Nantucket By Water