Hype for the Future 66B: Lower Cape

Introduction

Situated to the south of the Outer Cape and Lower Cape areas is the Middle Cape area, representative of the portion of Barnstable County closest to Nantucket Island and containing Monomoy Point at the southern end. The area is home to the Towns of Orleans, Chatham, Harwich, and Brewster, though the Town of Orleans has been featured in a separate article along with the Towns of Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, and Eastham, from north to south. Though the Monomoy Islands are located off the coast of Cape Cod, each of the two islands remains identified as mainland-adjacent and to be treated separately from nearby Nantucket.

Town of Chatham

The Monomoy Islands, including the area of the Monomoy Point Lighthouse, are included within the general area of the Town of Chatham in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Elsewhere in the town, the community is home to numerous lighthouses, including on the mainland, as well as the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

Within the South Chatham village area, the Town of Chatham is home to the Hopkins Gallery, the Historic Saltworks, and the Barn Hill Road Fishing Village. The Stage Harbor Lighthouse is situated nearby, with the Friends of Monomoy associated with the National Wildlife Refuge within the town. A ship skeleton is located off the Atlantic coast to the east, and the William Henry Mack Memorial and Mayflower Story Marker attractions are each located to the north, on opposite sides of Main Street. Near the Tern Island Sanctuary is a viewing deck on the Chatham Fish Pier.

The village area of North Chatham is home to the seasonal AWSC Shark Center of Chatham with the Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum located nearby. The central village area is home to the Atwood Museum, the 1797 Godfrey Windmill, the Downtown Chatham Rotary, and the Chatham Railroad Museum.

Town of Harwich

Located directly to the west of the Town of Chatham along the Atlantic Ocean is the port town of Harwich, providing access to the Oak Bluffs/Vineyard Haven area of Martha’s Vineyard nearly directly to the south. At the eastern end of the Town of Harwich is the Round Cove area, with the southern end of the town representative of a portion of the Nantucket Sound of the Atlantic Ocean. Along Route 28 through the southern end of the town limits are (from east to west) the South Harwich Meeting House, the 820 Main Street Gallery, the Monomoy Island Excursions on Harwich Port, the Larkin Gallery, the Nines Art Gallery, the Cross Rip Gallery, and the 451 Art Gallery, just to name a few.

Town of Brewster

Located facing the Cape Cod Bay of the Cape Cod Peninsula in the Lower/Middle Cape region of Barnstable County is the Town of Brewster, accessible not necessarily by Route 6, though the highway covers the eastern end of the town, but by numerous smaller roads and highways largely from east to west. At the eastern side of the town are the headquarters of Nickerson State Park and the Crosby Mansion, while at the western end are the Stony Brook Grist Mill and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. In the central village area are Breakwater Beach, the Parsons Art Gallery, and the Cobb House Museum, all of which are generally more localized attractions compared to neighboring towns throughout the area.

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 65/284: Town of Provincetown, Massachusetts

Introduction

The Town of Provincetown is located at the tail end of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. At the side of the Pilgrims’ Landing of 1620, Provincetown today maintains ferry access to Boston and Plymouth on the opposite side of Massachusetts Bay.

Importance

The Town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, is a regional hub for the LGBTQIA+ community and is associated with the summer season, similar to the numerous communities of coastal Maine. Within Barnstable County, Massachusetts, the Town of Provincetown is also identified as a regional hub for the occasional year-round settlers of the regional population of artists, lesbians, and gays, thus representing a queer haven providing particular safety for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Geography

The Town of Provincetown is effectively located at the tail end of the Cape Cod Peninsula, with the Provincetown Harbor in the vicinity and the general area of the Massachusetts Bay primarily to the west with the open Atlantic Ocean to the north. To the south is the particular portion of the Massachusetts Bay known as the Cape Cod Bay, with the latter identified as defining lie throughout the general Cape Cod region.

Transportation

The Town of Provincetown is primarily served by United States Route 6, accessible from the SouthCoast and surrounding regions, though the ferry services also provide access to Boston and Plymouth opposite the Massachusetts Bay and the Cape Cod Bay, respectively. Though Route 6 serves the role of the principal artery through the town, Commercial Street, a parallel street just to the south, provides the vast majority of amenities for the community.

Attractions

In the outlying areas associated with Provincetown, the extreme end of Cape Cod, Wood End, is home to the Long Point Light Station. Further into the Commonwealth is the site of the Race Point Lighthouse, with the Province Lands Visitor Center and Provincetown Municipal Airport areas located nearby and largely to the east. Now on the eastern end of Provincetown facing the open Atlantic Ocean, the community also contains dune shacks, including the historic district of the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars. The Fowler, Frenchie’s, and Grail Dune Shacks are located within the limits of Provincetown, while the Ray Wells Dune Shack is located within the town limits of nearby Truro.

Commercial Street (Massachusetts Route 6A)

Along Commercial Street in the Town of Provincetown, the LGBTQIA+-friendly attractions and amenities for the community include nineteenth-century homes as well as lively art galleries, restaurants (particularly the obvious seafood restaurants serving the community), and cafés. At the southern end of Commercial Street is the Pilgrims’ First Landing Park, while at the northern end, also in the relatively outlying area, is the DNA Gallery. The following attractions are located along Commercial Street or Route 6A, from south to north:

• Pilgrims’ First Landing Park
• RSVPtown Gallery and Visitor Space
• Adam Peck Gallery
• Gary Marotta Fine Art
• Memories of ProvincetownM
• Meeting House Plain (accessible via Court Street and side streets near the Winthrop Street Cemetery)
• Seans Birthday Historic Marker
• Thanassi Art Gallery
• Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum
• Provincetown Railway Station
• “They Also Faced The Sea” on Ryder Street at the Provincetown Marina: Portuguese women featured on photos at the end
• Historic Provincetown Main District (Reference Site of the Geographic Center)
• MacMillan Pier and Wharf (home to the ferries to Plymouth and Boston)
• On Center Gallery
• Galeria Cubana (Ptown Location)
• Hilda Neily Gallery
• Greg Salvatori Gallery
• Bowersock Fine Art Gallery
• Simie Maryles Gallery
• Egeli Gallery
• Kylie Court Gallery
• Larkin Gallery
• Four Eleven Gallery
• Packard Gallery
• Alden Gallery
• Outermost
• Rice Polak Gallery
• William Scott Gallery
• Ray Wiggs Gallery
• Marrinan Gallery
• Art Love Gallery
• Gallery 444
• McGuire Studio and Galleries
• Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM)
• Vorse House
• Berta Walker Gallery
• Schoolhouse Gallery
• DNA Gallery

Hype for the Future 64B: Notable Islands of Maine

Preamble

While novaTopFlex has already identified the notable attractions of Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Deer Isle, the following content will refer specifically to Monhegan, Matinicus Isle, Islesboro, Frenchboro, and Swans Island, as well as to the “mainland” termini of the ferry vessels. Each route shall be covered in an arrangement in which the distinct communities are referred to first.

Introduction

The State of Maine contains six (6) state ferries, with the most notable of ferry routes originating in the City of Rockland in MidCoast Maine. The MidCoast region provides access to the Vinalhaven Ferry, as well as to ferries for North Haven and for Matinicus Isle. Monhegan, located further to the south, is also served by ferry from the mainland at Port Clyde; however, the ferry routes are exclusively private, since the State of Maine does not operate a ferry route to the island.

Matinicus Isle

The ferry to Matinicus Isle, Maine, begins the journey from the City of Rockland, where Bixby Chocolate manufactures their chocolates and where the Farnsworth Homestead and Art Museum, the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, the hotel at Trade Winds on the Bay, and the Project Puffin Visitor Center are located. On the island side, Matinicus Isle is a plantation, thus with less autonomy than the cities and towns within the State. An island with a permanent population of under one hundred residents, the community is home to just a few amenities, such as the David Sears Gallery. The Maine State Ferry Dock at Matinicus is located on the eastern end of the island.

Islesboro

From the Town of Lincolnville, home to the Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast and just a few other places to stay, the Margaret Chase Smith vessel provides access to the island town of Islesboro, home to the Grindle Point Sailors’ Museum and Lighthouse at the island terminus of the ferry as well as the Islesboro Historical Society more centrally located on the island.

Mount Desert Island

While Mount Desert Island is firmly accessible by way of the Maine road network, the communities on the island also provide access to Swans Island and to Frenchboro. At the Maine State Ferry Dock at Swans Island is the Swans Island Lobster and Marine Museum, while near the ferry terminal at Frenchboro is the community museum-library, simply named as the Frenchboro Museum-Library.

Each of the aforementioned state ferries contain the “mainland” terminus within Mount Desert Island at the community of Bass Harbor. At the southern end of the Bass Harbor area—and of all of Mount Desert Island—is the Bass Harbor Head Light Station. On the western side of the “mainland” island further north is the Sea Cove Auto Museum; however, the most notable portions of the island are further east, including the communities of Mount Desert and Bar Harbor as well as Acadia National Park. Within the latter is the Cadillac Mountain area, likely representative of the highest point in Acadia as well as throughout the entirety of Mount Desert Island.

Within the village area representing Mount Desert are the Somesville Museum and Gardens as well as the Gallery at Somes Sound. However, the Town of Bar Harbor is the chief settlement of the entire island, located on the eastern end of the island and most notable as the “Gateway to Acadia [National Park].”

Within the Town of Bar Harbor, the College of the Atlantic is located on the western end of the town, containing the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History internally hosted on campus. The Bar Harbor Welcome Sign and Historical Society areas alike are located further east, along West Street following the junction with Eden Street. The West Street Hotel, even further east, is a signature place to stay in the town and on the island as a whole, with Balance Rock further east and the Bar Harbor Ghost Tours and the Abbe Museum located further south.

Monhegan

Located near the mainland terminus of the most traditional private ferry route to the Plantation of Monhegan is the community of Port Clyde, as well as the Marshall Point Lighthouse and Museum area. While Monhegan is often described as a summer colony due to the seasonal influx of temporary residents, as well as as an art colony thanks to the island nature and surrounding scenic beauty that residents will be exposed to, three of the most notable attractions for visitors on the island include the Lupine Gallery, the Monhegan House, and the Fish House Fish Market. With the exception of the residents situated internally within the island, automobile access is throughout the entirety of the area, and such vehicles must remain on the mainland by Port Clyde and the surrounding area.

Hype for the Future 62C: Town of Vinalhaven, Maine

Introduction

The Town of Vinalhaven, Maine, is not just an island town in the State of Maine—it is also the town representing the largest of the offshore islands of the State of Maine officially accessible by state ferry from the mainland.

Ferry Service

As the largest island—and only island with over one thousand permanent residents—accessible by ferry from the mainland, the Rockland-Vinalhaven ferry must maintain two (2) separate vessels on the same route, compared to one (1) for every other ferry route.

Fox Islands

The Island of Vinalhaven is, though the largest and most populated of the Fox Islands, often considered coextensive with the Island of North Haven to the north, with the combined Fox Islands providing insights into Eric Hopkins and his close and extended family, as descendants of Theophilus Hopkins connected to Vinalhaven.

Infrastructure

Within the Island of Vinalhaven, not a single state-maintained highway services in any direction nor at any particular location. Though ferries do not directly serve access to North Haven nor to Matinicus Isle, the ferry to the mainland city of Rockland provides access to the other aforementioned MidCoast islands.

Places to Stay

While the Wild Sea Rose Inn and Boutique is located within the island on Main Street, the Tidewater is typically the most popular of the official places to stay on the island. The Tidewater is more centrally located along Main Street, though smaller bed and breakfast sites also exist within the surrounding areas.

Tourist Attractions

Like the Hopkins Wharf Art Gallery and adjacent North Haven Gift Shop on the island to the north, the Island of Vinalhaven provides access to a candy shop on the west side while also providing access to similar amenities associated with island life, including the Homeport Family Restaurant in the same building. The Sand Bar and the Island Wave are two other restaurants located on the island, though on the eastern end of Main Street and the village area.

Interestingly, the Maine State Vinalhaven Ferry Service is known for ferries departing early, so visitors are encouraged to arrive at the ferry terminal at least somewhat in advance to ensure a smooth experience on the return to Rockland on the mainland.

Perhaps the most important of the attractions on Vinalhaven are the High Street attraction of the Vinalhaven Historical Society and the Main Street attractions of the Dot and Millie’s Restaurant, the New Era Gallery, and the historically significant Galamander.

Additional Amenities

The Island of Vinalhaven also provides the Vinalhaven Community Brewery for most of those at or above the age of twenty-one (obviously), as well as multiple coffee shops and smaller stores of different specialties. The Marston House represents the antique market of the island, while Carver’s Harbor Market attempts to be as authentic an island grocery store as possible.

Vinalhaven Public Library

The Island of Vinalhaven also provides access to free Wi-Fi by way of the Vinalhaven Public Library. The Wi-Fi of the library has been reported as a largely unique amenity that separates the library area from the significantly slower pace of life elsewhere on Vinalhaven.

Hype for the Future 58G: State Ferries beyond Rockland ⛴️

The Maine State Ferry System

In addition to ferries servicing the island communities of Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Matinicus Isle, three ferries also exist serving communities from two other ferry terminals. From Bass Harbor, ferry services are available to the island communities at Swans Island and Frenchboro; from Lincolnville, ferry service is available at the state level serving the Town of Islesboro. Unfortunately, Monhegan Island is not served by the Maine State Ferry System, though smaller public and private ferry services alike provide access to the island, which forbids automobiles for visitors and exclusively permits auto traffic for the island’s residents to preserve history.