Loading ...Hours of Gold, Hours of Lead
Falmouth’s legendary Highfield and Tanglewood Halls set the stage for the rise—and tragic fall—of the famous Beebe family.
Certain family names have been connected with towns on Cape Cod and the Islands for centuries. The Snows of Orleans, the Coffins and Starbucks of Nantucket, and the Nickersons and Atwoods of Chatham all have legendary connections to their respective towns. Read more…
- Posted in Architecture, History
Richard Kahn started collecting antiques at the age of eight. It was the mid-1950s, and Kahn scored a fabulous bit of Americana; an autographed photo of the writer Mark Twain. Even as a young boy, Kahn knew he had hit on something big. “At that age, I was being told about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and other Twain works,” Kahn says. His interior switch was flipped, and, as Kahn says, “I really got immersed in antiques and collectibles.” Read more…
Language of the Past
Hutker Architects learns the vocabulary of an antique Colonial for a harmonious new addition to a historical structure.
A wonderful piece of history sits serenely on Lower Mill Pond in Brewster’s historical Factory Village. The Nathaniel Winslow House—also known by locals as the High Brewster Inn—was built in 1738 near the gristmill and famous herring run. A true Colonial design, the structure has a center chimney and center hall flanked by two parlors (now both bedrooms) each with original pine-paneled walls and fireplaces; the original keeping room (now a living/music room) is located along the length of the original house. This room also has period paneling and a great hearth used for cooking in the 18th century. Read more…
- Posted in Antiques, Arts & Culture, Design, Interiors
Footnotes and Cannonballs
Far from the frontlines of the War of 1812, the Cape and Islands still endured conflict along their shores.
Less than 30 years after gaining independence from the British Empire, the still fledgling United States found itself in conflict with its former rulers once again. The British interfered with trade, sovereignty, and the territorial expansion of the United States, pushing President James Madison to bring a list of grievances to Congress on June 1, 1812. Within two weeks, the United States was at war. Read more…
- Posted in History
It’s not too often one comes across a piece of old Cape Cod so well preserved that experiencing it feels like a step back in time, but the 18th-century Benjamin Godfrey House on Stage Harbor Road in Chatham is such a place. Evoking the feeling of a bygone era, the Cape-style dwelling is situated on an acre of undulating lawns, which feature moss-covered stone walls, an old barn, an ancient fruit orchard, and views to Mill Pond. The Benjamin Godfrey house was first deeded in 1789. Although there are no documents showing the actual build date, Smith believes the house was erected circa 1750. Benjamin Godfrey operated the town gristmill, which was once located north of the property and was moved to Chatham’s Chase Park. Godfrey lived in the house until he passed away in 1818. Read more…
Room with a View
For 45 years, a one-room waterfront shack in West Dennis provided a getaway for a group of Marlborough outdoorsmen.
It was called “The Shooting Shanty,” and weathered, sepia photographs taken at the turn of the 20th century tell its story in a series of vignettes. One photo shows a spartan building with game birds hanging over the entrance, middle-aged men dressed in camouflage posing proudly with their heads thrust toward the sky, rifles resting at their sides. In another photo, they relax around a table—playing cards or reading or entering notes into a journal. In still another, they look at the camera, comfortable on rough bunk beds.
- Posted in History
Time Lapse & Cape Maps
Looking at the history of Cape Cod and the Islands through a cartographic lens
On Chatham’s Main Street, past the bustling strips of gift shops and restaurants, there lies a treasure trove of history. With an unassuming buttercup yellow exterior, the Maps of Antiquity shop seems to creak under the weight of thousands of maps. Some maps are yellowed and cracked with age, some carefully restored and framed. Some hang on every wall of the two-room shop, while the majority—organized by locale and vintage—sit in dozens of print racks, begging to be flipped through.
- Posted in History
The Foundation of Three Centuries
To experience the 300 years that transformed Chatham from farming village to vacation destination, just explore its historic buildings.
The town of Chatham has seen many transitions over the last three centuries. What was once a farming community on the elbow of Cape Cod has become one of the most sought-after tourist destinations on the East Coast where visitors can still walk into buildings throughout town and be transported back in time. “There’s a real preservation-minded community here,” says Mary Ann Gray, archivist at the Chatham Historical Society. In honor of the 300th anniversary of Chatham, which takes place throughout the year. Cape Cod Life combed through documents from the Chatham Historical Society for a deeper look at four buildings that recall the town’s earliest days—and make for a great day of sightseeing in 2012 and beyond. Read more…
- Posted in History
Three Vignettes
Cape Cod is rarely invoked in the same breath as Antietam, Shiloh, or Gettysburg when the subject turns to the American Civil War. Yet the region quietly did its part when it came to quelling “the Rebellion”, as locals termed it. According to Civil War historian Stauffer Miller, roughly 1,000 Cape men enlisted in the army; several hundred more served in an extended, quasi-Navy to replace those who had suceded; and 205 Cape Codders died during the conflict. Congress–– recognizing that Cape Cod sea captiains and merchant mariners provided ready-made talent from decades of seafaring dominance––chartered their steamships for the war effort and appointed Cape Codders as acting naval officers.
- Posted in History
A Fine Wine & Dine on Nantucket
World class wines from France. Fresh oysters from Duxbury. Black bass caught off the coast of Nantucket. Superb salmon flown straight from Scotland. Fine cuts of lamb from Colorado. Black truffles ordered from Paris. All prepared and served by highly regarded chefs and sommeliers in an elegant Nantucket home on a lovely summer evening.
These were just some of the attractions for a “Great Wines in A Grand House” dinner held last summer as a premiere 2011 Nantucket Wine Festival event. The evening was a star-studded extravaganza created by well-known chef, Robert Sisca of Boston’s award-winning Bistro du Midi, several French winemakers, and a Nantucket couple who shared their historic home with 18 lucky guests. Read more…
- Posted in Social LIFE, Summer, Traditions, Wine
