Community: Cape Cod Our Home

:: CAPE COD, OUR HOME

Henry David Thoreau called this a place "where a man may stand and put all of America behind him." The description drew radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi to the ocean shore of South Wellfleet, his hopeful choice of site for reception of the first transatlantic wireless signal; he succeeded here in 1901.

Thoreau's wanderings on this unique sandy peninsula are well noted, as is the Cape's heritage as a venue for spiritual restoration. Christian camp meetings sprang up in many places in the 1800's, in groves or by the sea in Craigville, South Yarmouth, Eastham, South Wellfleet, on Martha's Vineyard at Oak Bluffs and elsewhere. These gatherings could attract "150 ministers and five thousand hearers," reported Thoreau, who described one event: "It looked as if a camp-meeting must be a singular combination of a prayer-meeting, a picnic and clambake." The effect of the many camp meetings was noted by local historians to be "interwoven in the village life," and today a high demographic of church-goers remains. The first church, the Old Indian Meetinghouse, was established in Mashpee in 1684. One can also travel a few miles off-Cape to Plymouth to visit the incredible Faith Monument, which ably reflects the Christian roots of our region.

The present Cape community is a complex and diverse one whose roots are firmly planted in American history, with the legacy of the Pilgrims landing -- in Provincetown, Eastham and elsewhere before they settled at Plymouth. Hyannis’ maritime history includes an attack by the British in the war of 1812. An original Native American heritage exists through the tribes of the Wampanoag, with their famous chiefs Iyanough and Massasoit. The tribe's annual Pow Wow , hosted in Mashpee in July, is an event that draws Native Americans and visitors from far and wide. There are the descendants of Portuguese seamen, Cape Verdeans, British and Spanish explorers, whalers, steamboat captains, French Canadian transatlantic cable builders, and fugitive African slaves of the Underground Railroad, among others. A recent travelogue describes the atmosphere:

Visitors are still drawn here by the sea: scientists come to delve into the mysteries of the deep, artists come for the light, and everyone comes for the charm of the beach towns, the beauty of the white sand, the softness of the breezes, and the roaring of the surf.

The Cape bears the joys and burdens of being a popular resort destination. There is a protected National Seashore along with historical societies, wildlife refuges, beaches, kettle ponds, salt marshes and conservation areas by the dozens. Vacationers crowd in, both straining and building the local economy in an ever-lengthening summer season. The year-round community is constantly challenged by survival issues for its burgeoning working and senior populations. The naturally beautiful Cape must cope with the divergent interests of wealthy estate owners, second-home owners, increasingly international visitors, seasonal minimum wage-laborers, and the ‘snowbirds,’ seniors who reside here but winter in Florida.

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For more about the Cape:

• Adam Gamble, In the Footsteps of Thoreau: 25 Historic Nature Works
• Henry David Thoreau, Cape Cod
• Marion Vuillemier, Cape Cod: a pictorial history
• Marion Vuillemier, Cape Cod's Craigville 1872-1994
• Jennifer Longley, Hyannis & Hyannis Port
• Marcia Monbleau, The Inevitable Guest
• Elliott Carr, Walking the Shores of Cape Cod
• Jim Coogan, Jack Sheedy Cape Cod Companion: The History and Mystery of Old Cape Cod
• Henry Beston, The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod L
• Erica Bollerud, The Insider's Guide to Cape Cod and the Islands (2004)
• Paul Schneider, The Enduring Shore: A History of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
• Joel Meyerowitz, Cape Light

And online:

www.capecodbooksetcetera.com
www.plimouth.org
www.capecodtravel.com/humor_lore/history/index.shtml

As Christians called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, the Living Hope family, anchored in the town of Hyannis, supports outreaches which reflect our mission to be a light to our community.

:: CAPE COD, OUR HOME

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