Eastham in Barnstable County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Outermost cliff and solitary dune…
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, September 20, 2019
1. Outermost cliff and solitary dune… Marker
”outermost cliff and solitary dune…
this is Eastham, this is the outer cape…having known and loved this land for many years, it came about that I found myself free to visit there, and so I built myself a house upon the beach.”
“poetry is as necessary to comprehension as science.”
the summer sea is a mirror in a room burning with light.”
“The fog was compact of the finest moisture… Like a strange, aerial, and liquid silk.”
The sandpipers stand on one leg and dream, their heads tousled deep into their feathers.”
“Listen to the surf, really lend it your ears, and you will hear in it a world of sounds.”
The Fo’castle, as author Henry Beston called his little house, sat on the dunes about 1.5 miles south of here. In September 1926, Beston came intending to spend two weeks on the beach. He stayed here a year, living in solitude and immersing himself in the natural world. His year by the sea provided healing from
this page online
Beston’s book, The Outermost House, chronicles his time here. It has become a beloved classic, recording the rhythms of nature on the Outer Cape. The house was moved back from the ocean multiple times and became a National Literary Landmark in 1964. A winter storm in 1978 finally swept the Fo’castle away.
Today, Beston’s words invite you to walk along this beach and capture for yourself the experience of being at the edge of the sea. How does nature rejuvenate you?
Erected by Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and a generous donation in the memory of Eleanor Pitt Margolis.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 41° 50.58′ N, 69° 56.888′ W. Marker is in Eastham, Massachusetts, in Barnstable County. Marker can be reached from Ocean View Drive, 0.1 miles south of Doane Road. Marker is located at the far southern end of the coast guard station parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Ocean View Drive, Eastham MA 02642, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Outermost House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Journey of the Mayflower
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, September 20, 2019
2. Outermost cliff and solitary dune… Marker
Also see . . . Henry Beston (Wikipedia). (Submitted on January 13, 2020, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, September 20, 2019
3. Left Insert Photo
Author and naturalist Henry Beston
Photographed By Brandon D Cross, September 20, 2019
4. Right Insert Photo
The Fo’castle
Photographed By Alan M. Perrie, September 14, 2016
5. Nauset Spit
Beston’s house was on the outer dune at the extreme left
Credits. This page was last revised on January 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 396 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 12, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
