LOOKING FOR NEW ENGLAND THE ALL-EMBRACING APPEAL OF CAPE CO D


continued from page 62


reason, nearby Oak Bluffs has tended to attract a younger crowd as it does


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to att act a you permit bars.


Oak Bluffs is considerably less buttoned-up now than it was in the 1830s, when it started out as a campground for week-long Christian gatherings, whose members would participate in religious meetings lasting several hours a day. Tose early cam


ffs ttone


he 1830s, Christian igiou


o r


rs


built, H C d Co d


built, Henry David Toreau’s book descriib


bes the wild r h ok Cape ape ild oses, huckleber h kl b riies,


beach plums, songbirds and people he met during his many visits in the 1850s. Nowadays, the closer you get to Boston


the more you feel the influence of that city, with day-trippers and heavier traffic. Take a tip: when driving, stick to Route 6A, which is slower and snakes through picturesque, historic towns such as Sandwich, Dennis and Brewster.


ROOTED IN HISTORY Local names around Cape Cod are a mix of Native American, colonial British and the occasional misnomer or mystery. Atlantic cod (known locally as “scrod”) was a huge part of the early economy of Massachusetts, hence Cape Cod. But the largest island off Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, has neither a Martha nor a vineyard, though it did have a lot of wild vines when it was described by Europeans in the 1600s; some think the name derives from this. Tese days it’s a big summer destination for vacationing New Englanders. Te best way to get there is by the Steamship Authority ferry as a foot passenger, then use the frequent local buses that criss-cross the island. In some ways Martha’s Vineyard is like


the mainland part of the Cape in microcosm, with three distinct towns. Vineyard Haven in the main port is home to chi-chi shops and restaurants, but no bars. Te Puritan influence can still be felt in some parts of the Cape, and in Vineyard Haven alcohol can only be served with food. For this


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large tents provided by Methodist church sponsors, the genders divided by a curtain for modesty.


larg f


campgrounds were teetotal, and men and women slept in d


and men


onsors, the g nde d


As the years went on, visiting families


expected more comfort; the last tent was unpegged in 1914 but, by that time, more than 300 wooden cottages had been built, corralled around a central tabernacle. Tese “gingerbread cottages” are well preserved, whimsically decorated and brightly coloured; the connection to the church remains, but the ban on drinking is now relaxed, as an evening stroll down the adjacent main street, Circuit Avenue, will confirm. While the visitors to the


mainland of Cape Cod are predominantly Boston WASPs or of white European descent, the diversity of Oak Bluffs is noticeable; generations of African- American church-goers have visited the town, and the beach still known as the “Inkwell” became a destination for black holidaymakers. In more recent times, the Obamas holidayed nearby. Further around the coast of Martha’s


A WHALE OF A TIME For the most impressive historical buildings, take the day ferry to the neighbouring island of Nantucket. Smaller than Martha’s Vineyard, it has lately become one of the “it” islands of the super-rich; the tiny airport is second only to Boston Logan in Massachusetts for the number of daily flights hosted, but here it’s private jets and charters bringing visitors to their $15 million homes and private pools. Te island’s economy is largely kept afloat by these part-time residents, many of them based in Washington DC or New York. Te grandest town there, the eponymous


The Puritan influence can still be felt in parts and in Vineyard Haven alcohol can only be served with food


Nantucket, has always been affluent, its wealth accrued while it was the whaling capital of the world. Te indigenous Wampanoag people taught the white settlers how to hunt whales, which was the genesis of the industry that eventually saw Herman Melville set the opening of Moby-Dick in the town. Back on shore, huge


mansions went up – some with the “widow’s walk” atop the roof, a railed platform that afforded a view of the ocean and


returning vessels. Nantucket’s streets are still cobbled, and they traverse a remarkably well-preserved town.


To see the most pristine of Nantucket’s early European settlements,


Vineyard, Edgartown is worth a visit for its splendid architecture; it was once a whaling port, so the owners and sea captains could afford good homes. Te 17th-century Cape Cod look was aged grey cedar shingles, but clapboard became popular later on. “Saltboxes” were more cottage-like, while


take a tour bus to the village of Siasconset (pronounced “Scone-set”), where the 17th-century houses are built close together, and more modestly. Time and tide has now washed away the details of these early settlers, just as the drag queens of Provincetown or the preppy students nervously buying their first (legal) beers will one day be forgotten when the restless sea reclaims this temporary land. BT


NOVEMB ER 2018 97


the Georgian homes were grander and more elaborate. Te Cape’s signature wild roses, day lilies and blue hydrangeas still garland many such homes.


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