One-of-a-kind needlepoint pictures handmade on Cape Cod in the American folk art tradition.
SS Pacific
The SS Pacific, built in 1849, left Liverpool, England on January 23, 1856, under the command of world-renowned Captain Asa Eldridge of Yarmouth Port, MA. She was due in New York City around February 4, but never arrived. A subsequent search found no trace of the Pacific or her 45 passengers and 141 crew. Based on reports from other ships about heavy ice fields and icebergs much farther south than normal, it was concluded that the Pacific struck ice off Newfoundland and sank. In 1861 a message in a bottle found on a remote Hebrides Island said the ship was sinking and surrounded by icebergs. It was signed by W.M. Graham, who perhaps was the R. Graham listed on the ship's manifest. |
Chatham Twin Lights - 1885
In 1808 twin lighthouses began operating in Chatham, MA to warn ships of dangerous shoals. Two lights were necessary to aid mariners in distinguishing Chatham from the single light in Truro. The twin lights were rebuilt in 1841 and again in 1877 due to deterioration and cliff erosion. In the early 1900s rotating and flashing lights made multiple lights at one location unnecessary, so in 1923, the north light (on the left in the picture) was moved to Eastham and became Nauset Light, and the south light remained as the Chatham Light. |
Glory of the Seas
Launched from East Boston on October 21, 1869, the medium clipper ship Glory of the Seas was the last ship built by the legendary Donald McKay. From 1871-1880 her captain was Josiah Nickerson Knowles, who was born in Eastham, MA. In 1875 Captain Knowles and Glory sailed from San Francisco to Sydney, Australia in the record time of 35 days and 11 hours. After 54 years Glory was dismantled and burned for her metal fastenings near Seattle, WA. She was a splendid ship that truly lived up to her name. |
Blinn Hall 2003
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, founded in 1891, moved from Hyannis to Taylor’s Point in Buzzards Bay in 1949. It was housed in the State Pier building and on its training ship, the Charleston, which docked at the pier. As the Academy grew over the years the building was renamed Copeland Hall and then Blinn Hall, and in 2016 it was renamed Flanagan Hall, after distinguished MMA alumnus Admiral William Flanagan. In this picture a Cape Cod canal tug is docked alongside the building. |
Mayflower Makes Landfall - November 9, 1620
In September of 1620 the Mayflower set sail from England with 102 passengers and approximately 35 crew. On November 9, 1620, around daybreak on a clear morning with a calm sea and a crescent moon hanging in the sky, they spotted land, most likely the highlands at Truro. They attempted to sail south to reach their intended destination near the mouth of the Hudson River, which at the time was part of the Colony of Virginia, but rough seas near Monomoy caused them to turn back. They rounded the tip of Cape Cod and anchored in what is now Provincetown harbor on November 11, 2016. |
Yarmouth Port Halloween
In this picture trick-or-treaters make their way past the Edward Gorey house in Yarmouth Port, MA. Edward St. John Gorey was an acclaimed writer, illustrator, set and costume designer, and animal rights advocate. He owned the house from 1979 until his death in 2000. One can find many links to Mr. Gorey’s life in this picture, such as the yellow beetle on the right fence post which is a nod to the Volkswagon he drove. Today the house, located at 8 Strawberry Lane, is a museum dedicated to the life and works of its famous owner. |
Provincetown Fishing Boats
At one time a large fleet of wooden-hulled fishing boats was a common site in Provincetown harbor. Today only a handful remain, and a much smaller fleet of metal and fiberglass vessels has replaced them. The two boats pictured here are a reminder of the town’s maritime history and of the courage and skill of those who fished on them. |
The Provincetown Players present “Bound East for Cardiff”
On July 28, 1916, a group of writers, artists and actors who called themselves the Provincetown Players presented the play “Bound East for Cardiff,” written by a young playwright named Eugene O’Neill. The play centers on a dying sailor’s conversation with a shipmate while at sea. The play was staged in a fishing shack on Lewis Wharf as the fog rolled in and the high tide splashed through the floorboards. This performance has been called a turning point in the history of American theater. Today the wharf and the shack are gone, but this milestone in theater history Is commemorated on a plaque overlooking the site. |
Wild Hunter
Wild Hunter, one of eight clipper ships built at Shiverick Shipyards in East Dennis, MA, was launched on November 22, 1855. Her first captain was Joshua Sears of East Dennis. On one of his voyages he took along his wife, their daughter, their daughter’s pony and their dog. If you look carefully you can see the pony and the dog in the clouds. Wild Hunter’s fate is unknown. She does not appear in ship registers after 1884. The Shiverick Shipyard is gone now, but a plaque commemorating it can be seen near the parking lot on Sesuit Neck Road. |
Three Cape Cod Fish
Cape Cod is known for its great saltwater fishing. Among the most sought after fish are these three: striped bass (also known as stripers or rockfish), bluefish (beware of their teeth!) and cod (of course). Cape Cod received its name in 1602 from English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who was impressed by the great abundance of cod he and his crew caught there. |
Collision of the RMS Olympic and the Nantucket Lightship
On May 15, 1934, the Nantucket Lightship LV-117 was moored on station at the Nantucket Shoals, south of Nantucket Island. At 11:00 a.m. in a very heavy fog, the RMS Olympic, sister ship of the ill-fated Titanic, collided with the LV-117, sinking the lightship. The Olympic rescued seven of the eleven lightship crewmen, but three of them died a short time later on the Olympic. Three more crewmen later died of their injuries. To honor the fallen crew, their names are inscribed on the National Lightship Sailors Memorial in New Bedford, MA. |