Nauset Light is one of the most dynamic
beaches on Cape Cod. The rate of erosion
along the Outer Cape's ocean-facing beaches
has averaged about three feet per year for the
century that scientists have been measuring it.
But this beach is an . . . — — Map (db m254329) HM
This is the site of the Third Congregational Church. "The Old South Meetinghouse, Time Worn and Gray, That Stood Fronting East, by the King's Highway That Goeth To Billingsgate," so runs the phrase in quaint old records of olden days. Herman . . . — — Map (db m244044) HM
The barren sandspit to your right was once the site of the Coast Guard Beach bathhouse and its asphalt parking area. Today they are gone, erased by the forces of the sea.
In February 1978, the same winter storm that brought a famous blizzard to . . . — — Map (db m144092) HM
The spot where you now stand will eventually be at the water’s edge, and someday it will be gone entirely. Wind and waves continually reshape the shoreline. Through natural processes, the sea is eroding the land. Wind will build a dune, one sand . . . — — Map (db m141192) HM
This is the site of the original Congregational Church in Eastham and in this churchyard are the marked graves of three Mayflower passengers.
Lt. Joseph Rogers 1608-1678
Constance Hopkins 1605-1677
Giles Hopkins 1607-1690
The successive . . . — — Map (db m244137) HM
Cape Cod is composed almost entirely of rock debris deposited by the ice age glaciers over 18,000 years ago. Most of this debris, called “glacial till”, consists of clay, sand, and pebbles, but the ice age also deposited larger stones. . . . — — Map (db m111818) HM
Eastham Remembers
1917 - World War - 1919
Army
Chase Ralph A · Collins Bernard C · Clark Henry E · Horton Earl K
Camp
Brewer Leonard J · Hatch Freeman C · Gill Alfred D · Steele George B
Navy
Hopkins Clifton · Steele WM Bradley
. . . — — Map (db m147336) WM
One mile west of this site
hostile Indians had their
First Encounter
6 December 1620
(Old Style)
With Myles Standish, John Carver,
William Bradford, Edward Winslow.
John Tilley, Edward Tilley, John
Howland, . . . — — Map (db m141405) HM
On this spot hostile Indians had their first encounter December 8, 1620, old style, with Myles Standish, John Carver, William Bradford, John Tilley, Edward Winslow, John Howland, Edward Tilley, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, Edward Dotey, John . . . — — Map (db m51139) HM
Near this site the Nauset tribe of the Wampanoag nation, seeking to protect themselves and their culture, had their first encounter, 8 december 1620, with Myles Standish, John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, John Tilley, Edward Tilley, . . . — — Map (db m51142) HM
For thousands of years before the Europeans landed, the Nauset Indians lived beside the marshes of Cape Cod. Among the evidence of their occupation is this community grinding rock, one of four such boulders found in the Nauset Bay area. . . . — — Map (db m111595) HM
After 66 days spent in the cramped confines of a small ship pitching and rolling its way from England across the stormy North Atlantic, the Mayflower’s passengers gave thanks. It was the morning of November 9,1620 and they had spotted land - the . . . — — Map (db m141189) HM
A bird's eye view of Cape Cod reveals a landscape dimpled with holes. Most of them are nearly round, and many are filled wit water, like Salt Pond in front of you.
Geologists call these intriguing depressions "kettles."
They were formed . . . — — Map (db m63408)
In the days before electronic navigational aids, the waters off Cape Cod with their hidden shoals held many dangers for passing ships, especially at night or during thick weather.
In 1872 the U.S. Life-Saving Service established nine stations . . . — — Map (db m141194) HM
The long, black cable has carried countless thousands of messages of international finance, personal hope and disaster, and news of war and peace.
Now it lies cold and dormant on the deep floor of the wide Atlantic.
If you stood here on . . . — — Map (db m63399)
In 1836, in response to numerous shipwrecks in the area, 21 residents of Eastham petitioned the Boston Marine Society for a lighthouse. The first Nauset Beach Light Station was built more than 500 feet east of this spot. Because of constant beach . . . — — Map (db m307217) HM
In 1838 the United States Government took action to reduce the number of shipwrecks along this dangerous coast by establishing the Nauset Light. To make the signal easily recognizable three separate lanterns were set on small brick towers about . . . — — Map (db m307291) HM
”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 . . . — — Map (db m144415) HM
Author and naturalist Henry Beston came to this shore in September 1927. On the dunes about a mile and a half to your right he built a cottage with two rooms and a fireplace. Here he lived a solitary year in the company of the ocean. His nearest . . . — — Map (db m111657) HM
Fifteen years before the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod, French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed down the Atlantic coast from Canada in search of new lands. On July 20, 1605, he entered here what was then a shallow bay. He named it Port de . . . — — Map (db m111600) HM
Edward Penniman’s career as a man of the sea began at age 11. At 21, he was harpooning with the New Bedford, Massachusetts whaling fleet. By the time he was 29, he was master of his own whaling ship. Captain Penniman’s seven whaling voyages spanned . . . — — Map (db m111660) HM
Inviting guests to step through the massive jawbones of a whale may seem an unusual way to say, “Welcome to our home.” But for Captain Edward Penniman, there could be no more appropriate greeting. Born in Eastham, Captain Penniman earned his . . . — — Map (db m111659) HM
A remnant from Cape Cod's agriculture past, this 1850-era hay barge was a common sight among the working dories, skiffs, and catboats of the area. Wide and flat-bottomed, it was rowed, poled, and sailed throughout the shallow marshes. Salt marsh hay . . . — — Map (db m63407) HM
