Provincetown Fishing Tradition Celebrated at Blessing of the Fleet

This 1960’s postcard shows a plentiful catch of fish on a commercial fishing boat out of Provincetown. Fifty plus years later and the commercial fishing boats are not as plentiful as they once were, docked off of MacMillan Pier. Still the tradition continues and has been revitalized in recent years with the Portuguese Festival that has enhanced the annual Blessing of the Fleet.

The end of June is a great time to visit Provincetown an the celebration begins this weekend on Thursday the 26th. To get into the mood of Provincetown, pick up a copy of Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook , the recently published murder mystery that still has everyone talking. What happens during the Blessing of the Fleet in the story set in the 1980s might give you some clues. A few autographed copies can be found at the Provincetown Bookshop on Commercial Street or buy it online in trade paperback or ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Provincetown in the 1920s Vintage Cars Downtown Scene

The center of Provincetown in the 1920s looks less crowded with its colorful roadsters, green lawn, and trees around Town Hall. But the architecture is the same as it is today in 2014. On the postcard from which this picture was taken it says,” Provincetown on the tip of the Cape, is frequently described as being two miles long and two streets wide. The streets are narrow and winding and traffic enters on Commercial Street and returns on Bradford. The Town Crier with his bell is still seen on the streets of Provincetown. ” (The postcard was published by E.D. West & Co.) If you love reading about Provincetown, check out the murder mystery novel Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook., available at bookstores and online in trade paperback and as an ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Provincetown Book Gets Five Stars

Provincetown, Cape Cod
Bradford Street, just past the town center during the early 1960s.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, December 27, 2013

Karen O’Shaughnessy (Manchester, NH United States) – See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: Remaining in Provincetown (Kindle Edition)

If you love Provincetown, you’ll love this book. It captures the characters and places perfectly. It also had me wondering “who done it” all the way through.

If you haven’t read Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook, you’re in for a treat. Buy your copy today at The Provincetown Bookstore or find it online in trade paperback or on kindle. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Provincetown Artistic Inspiration

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 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.

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.

Sailors and Railroad Wharf Provincetown Photography

Many of the antique postcards that depict Provincetown, the wonderful small town on the tip of Cape Cod, with sailors walking the streets. The reason for this is because one of the most important events in the town during both 1907 and 1910 was the construction and subsequent dedication of the Pilgrim Monument. In 1907 when the first cornerstone was laid, President Theodore Roosevelt was in attendance. Subsequently in 1910 when the monument was dedicated, the ceremonies were presided over by President William Howard Taft. At both events the entire Atlantic Fleet of the United States Navy was in Provincetown harbor for the ceremonies. That’s a lot of sailors. The above postcard shows sailors landing at Railroad Wharf. No sailors walk the streets in the new murder mystery novel Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook but several of the characters are interested in history and tradition. Pick up a copy at your favorite bookstore or order it online at Amazon.com in trade paperback or on kindle. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

Unique Provincetown on the Tip of Cape Cod

Provincetown on the tip of the Cape has well been called the most unique town in the country for certainly there is just one Provincetown and nothing like it anywhere else. It is the oldest town on the Cape and has always been the center of a great fishing industry. Its street are more winding lands making the town the Mecca for hundreds of artists.

179 Commercial Street
Provincetown, Cape Cod

The above text comes directly from the above Post Card published in about 1940 from the look of the cars in the picture, by E.D. West in West Yarmouth, Cape Cod and is called an ” CT-Art Colortone”. Recognize the corner? The illustration shows the town at an earlier time when newspapers, magazines, and telegrams were the main forms of communication along with the old rotary dial telephone. This was back when you needed to pick up the phone and ask the local operator to connect you to the four digit town number you were trying to reach and there were “party lines” shared by multiple households trying to economize. The murder mystery Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook is set in more recent history– approximately 1990– but the town continues to change. Pick up a copy of the book at your favorite local bookstore or order it online. Like us on facebook and keep the conversation going.

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At bookstores that include the Provincetown Bookshop.

1951 in Provincetown Cape Cod

Center of Provincetown mid 20th century

This colorful vintage postcard was mailed to Troy, New York the summer of 1951 and says, “This is really wonderful here. Just finished a shore dinner.”. Look closely at this picture and you will see the sign for “The Lobster Pot” restaurant in the very same spot it is today 62 years later, although the sign does look different. Wonder if that is where “Mary, Jack, and Jimmy” enjoyed their shore dinner.
Love the classic cars! If you enjoy remembering Provincetown the way it used to be a few decades ago, check out Remaining in Provincetown by S.N.Cook, available at your favorite local bookstores including the Provincetown Bookshop on Commercial Street (autographed) and also online as a trade paperback and ebook. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.

At bookstores that include the Provincetown Bookshop.

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

Downtown Provincetown Freeman Street History

Glimpse of Freeman Street
Provincetown, Cape Cod

During the busy summer months its easy to miss all the lovely side streets in Provincetown which join the main two thoroughfares–Bradford Street and Commercial Street. The above postcard, a color lithographic print from the late 19th century is entitled “Glimpse of Freeman Street”. What you don’t see is the building , donated by Nathan Freeman in 1873, which once served as the Provincetown Public Library. The Freeman Street library opened to the public in June of 1874. In the mystery novel Remaining in Provincetown by S.N. Cook, set in approximately 1990, the library is at that location on the corner of Freeman and Commercial Streets. Today the library resides in what was once the Center Methodist Episcopal Church built in 1860. During the time period in which Remaining in Provincetown takes place, the building (once the Chrysler Art Museum) is still the Provincetown Heritage Museum. In 2005 it became the Provincetown Public LIbrary. Want to read a story that takes place in Provincetown a few decades ago? Remaining in Provincetown is available online and at your favorite bookstores. Like us on Facebook and keep the conversation going.