A Legacy of Pride. John Smith Visits. The Pilgrim's Arrival. Pilgrims signing the Mayflower Compact before going ashore in Provincetown. Portuguese Communities Leave Their Mark. An Artists' Haven. Provincetown Today. Explore Provincetown in the Archives. The Provincetown History Project.
A photograph printed on muslin of a group traveling by wagon. Whaling became the principal business of the town, and after New Bedford and Nantucket, Provincetown became one of the great whaling ports of the country: by , it was the wealthiest town in Massachusetts, a fact attested to by the many great late 19th century buildings that dot the landscape.
As whaling activity expanded, whaling captains took to replenishing their crews in the Cape Verdes and Azores, bringing to Provincetown the Portuguese who by would come to dominate the Town. With the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, whaling went into steep decline, and Provincetown men turned to fishing, foraging as far as the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. In the late 's, the town saw the beginnings of its current economic backbone, tourism.
The arrival of the railroad had made visiting easier, and the sea, the dunes and the unusual natural light attracted artists and painters. Charles Hawthorne established one of the earliest schools of art, and dozens would follow.
The resort population that visited Provincetown every summer, provided jobs to take the place of those lost as more individuals and families discovered the magic of Provincetown and Cape Cod. In the 's the artistic and literary productions of the town were of international repute and the abandoned sites of maritime businesses became the new homes of the seasonal visitor as sail lofts, warehouses and barns became studios, galleries and shops.
These newcomers found inspiration in the magical beauty of the "outer Cape" and the freedom to try new ideas. Gradually, contingents of poets, novelists, journalists, socialists, radicals and dilettantes began to visit Provincetown during the summer months.
In , Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriages, turning Provincetown into one of the country's top wedding destinations. As you can see, Provincetown has undergone many changes over the years, but one thing that has remained the same since the late s is its reputation as an accepting and diverse community.
Buying a home in Provincetown puts you in a location where locals will always welcome you, no matter your identity or preferences. This feature makes the town one of the most idyllic places to buy a home on the Cape. Early History Although European settlement on Cape Cod wouldn't occur until the s, there have been people living in the area for centuries. Later, the Paomet tribe settled in the area and did the same. The Pilgrims Before getting into the Pilgrims, it's important to mention that Captain John Smith sailed off the coast of Provincetown in , charting the area and naming its harbor Milford Haven.
Helltown and Incorporation The s were an interesting time in present-day Provincetown because the area was kind of like the wild west. In , Provincetown was incorporated, creating the town that remains to this day.
The Whaling Industry In the coming years, the whaling industry drove much of Provincetown's economy. The Artists' Colony By the s, Provincetown's wealth was beginning to disappear because the oil industry started replacing whaling as the region's most influential.
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