Wellfleet: A Cape Cod Village

Images of America: Massachusetts

by Daniel Lombardo

Wellfleet is among the most picturesque villages on Cape Cod. Its rich history weaves a tale of sailors and boat builders, travelers and artists, and even ghosts and pirates. Here, in the pages of Wellfleet, trace the story of this fascinating village, from the old Congregational church steeple, which still tolls the hours according to ships’ bells, to Billingsgate, the lost island whose lighthouse and village were swallowed by the sea. Wellfleet’s history is undeniably tied to the sea. Of the many shipwrecks off Wellfleet’s shores, the most famous is the wreck of the Whydah—the pirate ship captained by “Black Sam” Bellamy. It sank in a storm in 1717, and artifacts from the ship now form a museum. Ruins of Marconi’s wireless station, where the first transatlantic communication was made, are still visible on the dunes of Marconi Beach. The fishing boats still leave the harbor every morning as their predecessors did, and the remains of the old wharves, the shipbuilders’ shops, the customs house, and the lighthouse can still be seen today in a town transformed into a thriving artists’ community.

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2000