Category Archives: Antiques & Collectibles

Corn Hill Cottages in Truro Near Provincetown Book Action

What a great view at sunset, high atop Corn Hill in Truro, you can look down on Cape Cod Bay and the Pamet River.  The site of Corn Hill is famous, because this is the location where a search party from The Mayflower while docked in Provincetown Harbor found the Indian’s winter stash of corn (November 15, 1620). There is a monument marker that tells the story at the base of the hill and at the top of the hill, are what were once the original  Corn Hill Cottages as shown in this postcard, built in 1900.  Originally there were two rows of cottages, but a fire in 1937  destroyed the lower row of cottages and they were never rebuilt. A great deal of modernization as taken place to the entire area with the addition of luxury homes that populate the once rustic area, but look closely if you take a walk in the area and you can get a glimpse of the older architecture.

Not too far from Provincetown, Corn Hill Beach and the Pamet are near some of the action takes place in the sequel to the murder mystery Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook.  Haven’t read the first book yet?  Autographed copies are available at the Provincetown Book Shop on Commercial Street and are also available online in trade paperback and as an ebook.  Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

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Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Provincetown or Truro; Bayside Cottages Popular Retreat

The postcard was posted in 1939 as the country was recovering from The Great Depression two years before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United State’s entry into World War II. Cape Cod was a popular getaway spot and the bevy of cottages that dotted the edge of Route 6A in North Truro as one approaches the east end of Provincetown are evidence of that fact. Many were built during the first decades of the 20th century and gradually they are becoming condominium.

In the sequel murder mystery to Remaining in Provincetown, some of the summer visitors are staying in cottages in Truro.  Is that where a crime takes place? You’ll have to read the book to find out,  when it is released. While you are waiting, if you haven’t read the first book, now is the time to  pick up a copy of Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook.

Pilgrim Cottages

Pilgrim Cottages

. Autographed copies are available at the Provincetown Bookshop on Commercial Street or buy a copy in trade paperback or ebook online.  Like our page on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Truro landmarks Town Hall and Church Attract Provincetown Tourists

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At one time, there were so many downed vessels off the coast near the town we now know as Truro, it was known as Dangerfield.  The name Truro was borrowed from a Cornish town that looks similar– the rolling hills and small village.  There is plenty of danger taking place in the sequel to the popular mystery Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook.  Set in Truro during the summer, the landmarks of Truro figure prominently in the story line.  Haven’t read Remaining in Provincetown yet? Autographed copies are available at The Provincetown Book Shop and online in trade paperback and as an ebook.  Like our facebook page.

The antique postcard shown in this blog post, shows Truro Town Hall and  Federated Church on Storm Hill in Truro.  The cemetery has tombstones dating back to the 1700s. A color lithograph print, the card was published when it only cost one penny to mail a postcard in the United States.

Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Like our facebook fan page and you may be selected to receive a FREE advance cppy!

Like our facebook fan page and you may be selected to receive a FREE advance cppy!

At bookstores that include the Provincetown Bookshop.

At bookstores that include the Provincetown Bookshop.

Ballston Beach Truro and the Cape Cod Ocean

20150709-173201.jpgSurf bathing at Ballston Beach in Truro is still a favorite way to cool off on a hot day. If not for the sailing ships in the background, this could be a 2lst century scene, but this antique postcard was printed around 1900.   The closest and easily accessible ocean beach near Truro Center and the Pamet it is a favorite spot of the characters in the sequel novel to Remaining in Provincetown.  Where does this beach get its name? I”m not sure, if anyone does know, please share. As the summer progresses so does the story. If you haven’t read Remaining in Provincetown, there are autographed copies at the Provincetown Bookshop on Commercial Street and the book is also available online as an ebook or trade paperback. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going

Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Reading some books about Provincetown will get you in the mood for your visit.

Like our facebook fan page and you may be selected to receive a FREE advance cppy!

Like our facebook fan page and you may be selected to receive a FREE advance cppy!

Truro Pamet River Inspires Second “Remaining in Provincetown” Mystery Series

Antique Postcard , color lithographic print, mailed with a two cent stamp.

Antique Postcard , color lithographic print, mailed with a two cent stamp.

At the time this postcard was printed and mailed, there was still a train that traveled the length of Cape Cod, all the way to Provincetown.  While Provincetown quickly became a bustling and densely populated settlement, Truro has remained primarily rural.  One of its fine features are the expansive sand dunes, marshes, and the Pamet River, shown in the above postcard.

As the sequel to the mystery novel, “Remaining in Provincetown” opens, Len Milbury is going for a run from the Truro Town Center Post Office to Ballston Beach on the road that runs parallel to The Pamet River.  In his backpack he carries a letter.  Is it a clue?

While the book’s title has not been finalized,  there is another book that follows “Remaining in Provincetown”.  In it you”ll get a chance to read more about the the lives and adventures of Frank Chambers and Roz Silva. But maybe you haven’t read the first book yet in which case, please do.  A new batch of autographed copies are about to arrive at The Provincetown Bookstore at 246 Commercial Street. And if you aren’t going to be in Provincetown, then you can always order the book online as a trade paperback or ebook. 

Remaining in Provincetown By S.N.Cook. Truro Works. 306 pages $12.95 Trade Paperback

Remaining in Provincetown
By S.N.Cook.
Truro Works. 306 pages
$12.95 Trade Paperback

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Dressing FIsh in Provincetown Cape Cod

Dressing FishCod fishing grew quickly in New England by the mid 1800s, particularly on Cape Cod.  Look at the size of the fish those men are cleaning in the above antique postcard illustration.The town of Provincetown had a thriving economy and its numbers swelled with immigrants from all over the world, particularly Portugal who came to work on the fishing boats. Many were from the Azores. They settled in Provincetown and raised families.  Portuguese ancestry figures into the plot of the mystery novel Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook. Available at The Provincetown Book Shop on Commercial Street and online in trade paperback and as an ebook, like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Fishermen of Provincetown a 19th Century Photograph with Style

Fishermen of Provincetown, Mass.

Fishermen of Provincetown, Mass.

The photograph could have been taken yesterday, but it was taken for a postcard published by the New England News Company in the late 1800’s.  Don’t you love the serious expression on these handsome men’s faces?   It’s the start of the season for visitors to start arriving for fresh seafood, long walks on the beach and over the sand dunes. There is, after all, no other place in the world like Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod.  Want to get in the mood with an appropriate book? If you haven’t yet read the mystery novel  Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook there is no time like the present. It’s available at your favorite local bookstores as well as online in trade paperback and ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going!

Provincetown Artistic Inspiration

East End Provincetown, Cape Cod

East End
Provincetown, Cape Cod

The Inner Satisfaction

By Harry Kemp

(from Poet of the Dunes)

The Inner Satisfaction is the goal; There is no profit for the soul:
In palace or in hut if you abide,
It does not matter– with that gift inside.

The above  antique postcard was printed in Germany and published by the Advocate at the end of the 19th century when traveling by boats was often easier than walking to get from the East End to the West End of Provincetown. The poem was published by Provincetown Publishers and printed by The Advocate Press in 1952.  If you like books connected with Provincetown and haven’t yet read Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook, copies are available at local bookstores and for purchase online in trade paperback and as an ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going!!

Provincetown Along The Shore

Along the Shore Provincetown, Cape Cod

Along the Shore
Provincetown, Cape Cod

Along the shore is where I want to be on a beautiful day when the sun in shining   Pink sky along the water’s edge and pale yellow sand that rubs against my toes    Another glorious day in Provincetown where the light is bright and pure and the sounds of the sea are never far from my ears.

The above postcard is a color lithographic print circa 1910.  Love Provincetown? Check out the new murder mystery Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook available in trade paperback and as an ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Provincetown Song

All I Can Give

By Harry Kemp

Cook Street in Provincetown looking towards Commercial Street.

Cook Street in Provincetown looking towards Commercial Street.

All I can give is a song
And that is best,

Which down the ages will prolong
Our names when all the rest,

The good, the bad, the glad, the brave

Become lost headstones on a grave:

    If poets are a little mad

   Their singing makes the whole world glad!

The above poem was published in Poet of the Dunes in 1952 by Provincetown Publishers

If you love Provincetown, you should enjoy the murder mystery novel published in April 2013 Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook. Buy it at your favorite bookstore or online in trade paperback and as an ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.