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 65A: Cape Cod and Upper Barnstable County

Disclaimer

Because the Town of Provincetown is located at the tail end of Cape Cod and is a notable location for the LGBTQIA+ 🏳️‍🌈 community, Ptown requires a separate article on the blog. Therefore, this particular article will refer to the remainder of the area, especially north of Orleans along Route 6.

Introduction

The Towns of Truro and Wellfleet are typically considered the second and third towns up the Cape Cod Peninsula in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. If Provincetown is most notable for the queer community of artists and musicians, Truro and Wellfleet are notable for very similar reasons, albeit to a significantly reduced extent.

Town of Truro

The Cape Cod National Seashore represents the outermost end (facing the open Atlantic) of the Cape Cod Peninsula, particularly at the points of the Lower and Middle Cape regions. In the Middle Cape region, the Town of Truro is home to the Highland Lighthouse, the Jenny Lind Tower, and numerous beaches and related facilities—all related to the Cape Cod National Seashore. More centrally located within the Town of Truro are the Thomas A.D. Watson Artist’s Studio, A Will O’ the Wisp, the Truro Center of the Arts at Castle Hill, the Original Corn Hill Marker, the Corn Hill Memorial Plaque, and Corn Hill itself.

Town of Wellfleet

Along the western side of the Town of Wellfleet are the Samuel Smith Tavern Site, the Atwood-Higgins House Complex, and the Thomas Lombard Cemetery, the last of which is located along the Truro town line. The Planet Blue Sky Studio is an art studio at the southern end of the town along Route 6, with a drive-in movie theater located to the west of the studio. Along the Cape Cod National Seashore are the ruins of the Marconi Wireless Station for transatlantic communications from 1903 as well as the White Crest Beach.

In the central village area of the Town of Wellfleet, the northeastern section of the area is home to not just Burgess Mountain, but also the Road House Gallery. The Chequessete Burial Ground and First Meeting House is located on the western end, with Commercial Street representing the central village street and the Main Street role akin to the Commercial Street in Provincetown. Also located away from Commercial Street are the Duck Creek Railway Bridge, the FARMPROJECTS Art Gallery, the Wellfleet Preservation Hall, the Wellfleet OysterFest 🦪 (in mid-October), the Nicholas Harrison Gallery, the AMZehnder Gallery, the Blue Heron Gallery, the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, and the Wellfleet Town Clock 🕰️. The Wellfleet Town Clock is located on an old church building serving the central village area of the town and is the only town clock in the world that tells time by sounding ship’s bells.

Along Commercial Street, from south to north, are the following attractions:

• Frying Pan Gallery Wellfleet (open May-October; second site in Orleans to the south open year-round)
• Celeste Fine Art Gallery
• Works Gallery
• BHA Gallery
• Left Bank Gallery
• Cove Gallery
• Wellfleet Crafts Gallery
• Golden Cod Gallery
• Cherry Stone Gallery

Town of Eastham

Located to the south (west along Route 6) of the Town of Wellfleet and to the north (east along Route 6) of the Town of Orleans is the Town of Eastham in Barnstable County, home to the notable Orleans/Eastham Rotary along the southern town line as well as the most notable portion of the Cape Cod Rail Trail at and around fifteen miles into the trail and the site of the Eastham Railway Station as well as the site of Bridge Road Cemetery, both on and along the trail area.

The Tercentenary Memorial Plaque of the Pilgrims’ First Encounter is on the western shore of the town, facing the Cape Cod Bay, while the Coast Guard Station, the Nauset Lighthouse, and the Three Sisters Lighthouses are located on the eastern shore, facing the open Atlantic Ocean. Cape Cod Rail Trail parking is available on the northern side of town near Nauset Road, and the Salt Pond Visitor Center of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the 1869 Schoolhouse Museum are located more centrally within the village area of Eastham.

Town of Orleans

The Town of Orleans is located within Barnstable County, Massachusetts, to the south of the Town of Eastham but to the north of the Town of Harwich. At the southern end of the town limits is the South Orleans Beach; also associated with the island, though largely more in Harwich, is the Gibbs’ Marsh.

The River Road Town Landing and the Orleans Historical Society alike are identified by the locations more identified within the general village area of East Orleans. More centrally located within the Village of Orleans are the Jonathan Young Windmill, the Edward Hopper Corner Portrait of Orleans, and the Eastwind Studio, Coastal Craft, Left Bank, Turn Me Knot, Addison, Tree’s Place, and Frying Pan (Orleans) Galleries. Just a few lodging options are also available, including the Orleans Waterfront Inn and Restaurant area at the northern end of the village area.