Tag Archives: Remaining in Provincetown

Provincetown an idyllic setting for a murder

Provincetown Street Scenecirca 1880

Provincetown, Massachusetts  Street Scene
circa 1880

In the early days of Provincetown, the streets were narrow and unpaved because most people got around on foot or by boat.  Today walking and bicycling are still the most efficient ways of transportation, particularly during the summer season when everything is so crowded,
So where was this picture taken (a colored lithographic print)? It looks like the west end of town, near the very tip of Cape Cod, but the bay on the left hand corner is so close to the edge… One of the nice things about the town is seeing the sea as you walk down Commercial Street. It’s a small town, with only two main streets running parallel to one another, making it a challenge for someone to commit a crime and make an easy getaway. But someone does commit a murder and manages to initially escape detection. Want to know more? You’ll  just have to read: Remaining in Provincetown. Stay tuned to this blog for more information.

Provincetown night life at the Pilgrim House

Pilgrim House, Provincetown Massachusetts built in 1781

Pilgrim House, Provincetown Massachusetts built in 1781

The night life in Provincetown includes many different types of entertainment including drag shows like the famous performances by Lynne Carter at the Pilgrim house during the 1960s.  After all, people are not always who they appear to be and looks can be deceiving. A favorite place to gather was the Madeira Club.  It didn’t matter what your sexual preference– gay, straight, or bi— everyone appreciated Lynne’s performances as Bette Davis.  In the mid 1970s Carter purchased the Club. Too bad that nothing can last forever. In 1990 the Pilgrim House was destroyed by arson. Hmm arson… A mysterious fire? Arson does figure into the plot of the soon-to-be released mystery novel Remaining in Provincetown. Keep following this site to find out exactly when the book will be available. We’ll also be giving away a few free copies and if you’d like to suggest sales outlets… let us know. Thank you!

Provincetown Sand Dunes for love and recreation

Provinetown Sand Dunes 100 years ago

Provincetown Sand Dunes 100 years ago

The sand dunes at the tip of Cape Cod, between Bay and Ocean have shifted with the wind, but the dunes have always been a secret place for hikes and love trysts.  You can get across the sand on foot, horseback, or four wheel drive vehicle (with a special license) . Their beauty has inspired scores of artists and photographers.  Are the Provincetown sand dunes a special meeting place for lovers? Where are the secret places two star crossed lovers might rendez-vous? It’s stories you’ll read about in the soon-to-be-released novel Remaining in Provincetown.

Provincetown souvenirs are collectibles and memories

Commercial Street near Town Hall, Provincetown, Massachusetts

Commercial Street near Town Hall, Provincetown, Massachusetts

Provincetown in summer is a bustling place. The narrow streets are crowded with tourists. Even 100 years ago when the fishing industry provided year-round income for families, the  tourist trade was important. Souvenir shops that sold postcards, like this one shown above, as well as collectible souvenir spoons, plates, paper weights, and glasses provided seasonal income for local residents. Servicemen in the Coast Guard and Navy would come into town to see the sights that included fine restaurants, bars, and entertainment. The T-shirt shops came later! Town Hall in this antique postcard is partially obscured by the thick foliage of the trees, but it looks very much the same today as it did back then. In 1990 when the novel Remaining in Provincetown takes place, Town Hall was painted white and one of the characters has their office inside. Which one? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Race Point Beach a part of Provincetown history

The Indian trail road to Race Point Light

The Indian Trail Road to Race Point Light

Provincetown’s National Seashore,  managed by the National Park Service, includes historic Race Point beach and Race Point Light. The Race Point Lighthouse served as an important beacon to ships before the days of radar and radio. Many ships were wrecked on the sand bars off the tip of Cape Cod and a rescue station was located not far from the lighthouse. Today, if you visit Provincetown be certain to spend time at all the gorgeous beaches and visit the restored Lifesaving Museum that was moved to the site from Chatham in 1977.  It was called the  Harbor Life-Saving Station and it was built in Chatham in 1897.  The original Provincetown station did not survive the ravages of time. On  Thursday evening you can see  rescue re-enactments .
While the roads are no longer dirt roads, there are still patches of woods and overhanging trees as you follow the route from the center of Provincetown across Route 6 and towards Race Point Beach. There are many trails across the sand dunes., some just meant for walking. Printed in Germany and sold during the era when it cost only a penny to mail a postcard for domestic delivery, this beautiful card appears to be made between 1880 and 1900. Antique postcards are important to one of the characters in the soon-to-be-released novel Remaining in Provincetown.  You might go so far as to say they were almost an obsession.

Provincetown’s Red Inn a favorite Cape Cod tourist destination

The Red Inn in 1915

The Red Inn in 1915

Restaurants in Provincetown come and go, but a few favorites like the Red Inn situated on the waterfront on the far West End of town, have stayed in operation for close to a century. The above vintage postcard shows what the Inn looked like after renovations in 1915 when owner Mary Wilkinson opened her house as “The Red Inn”. Originally the house was built by ship’s captain Freeman Atkins for his wife Emily.  The names “Freeman” and “Atkins” are names you’ll see associated with some of the narrow streets in this unique town on the tip of Cape Cod. One road, that figures into the soon-to-be released novel Remaining in Provincetown is called Atkins Mayo Road.

One of the small private dining rooms inside the Red Inn is named after Ada Raynor,  wife of Henry Hensche.  Hensche was the  founder of the Cape School of Art in 1930 after the death of Charles Webster Hawthorne, who  founded the Cape Cod School of Art..  Art Schools and artist continued to frequent the Outer Cape. in 2010 former students of  Hensche: John Clayton, John Ebersberger, Cedric Egeli, Rob Longley, and Hilda Neily, founded the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, in an effort to pass along Henry Hensche’s teachings.

The Red Inn has always been a gathering place for visiting celebrities and was one of the shot locations in a 1987 Norman Mailer movie, that although a flop at the box office, attracted Isabella Rosselini, Ryan O’Neill and Farrah Fawcett among others.

The ownership has changed through the years, but having dined there recently I can attest to the high quality of what is served. The menu features local seafood, and local produce creatively prepared and well presented. Plus there is that fabulous view to enjoy, looking towards Long Point Lighthouse. It’s the perfect setting for a mystery novel.

Provincetown art schools and artists

An Art Class at Work

An Art Class at Work

Artists clustered together on a dock painting a scene of  a Provincetown Wharf in summer. How could they work, all crowded together? The clear north light on the tip of Cape Cod attracted artists from all over the world. Many of these artists were also  teachers. Thus more aspiring artists were drawn to Cape Cod to study drawing and painting and dozens stayed and made Cape Cod their permanent home. Thus Provincetown become known as an art colony. Today the town is home to the Fine Arts Work Center as well, where students of writing, sculpture, painting, and drawing work year-round.

One of the most popular art teachers was Charles Hawthorne (1872-1930) and many of his fine oil paintings are in the collection of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.  Hawthorne founded the Cape Cod School of Art. Be sure to visit the Provincetown Art Association and Museum if you are a new visitor to the town to see his masterful portraits, still lifes, and landscapes.    Many artists had art schools including Hans Hoffman,  Seong Moy, who taught printmaking, and Henry Henche.  Hawthorne taught his students to focus on capturing the contrasts in colors and light and to work quickly with confidence.  These are still good life lessons that could be applied to everything including writing. Read any good books lately? The new novel, coming this summer Remaining in Provincetown, is almost on its way to the printer.

Provincetown fishing wharf from bygone era

Consolidated Weir Co's Wharf

Consolidated Weir Co’s Wharf

When fishing was a major  industry on Cape Cod, there were fishing weirs, nets set up in the water used to trap fish. The use of weirs for fishing was a Native American technique that was taught to the early colonists in New England. Could the name Consolidated Weir Company name have something to do with the use of weirs?  While weirs were a frequent sight in the harbor during the early part of the 20th century, they were abandoned or removed  by the late 1960s. This was long before I was born but I do recognize a building in the background that provides a clue to where this long ago wharf in Provincetown was located. The building was on the East End of town, the old ice house which provided the ice for packing the fresh caught fish for storage and transport. Visit Provincetown today and in its place is a stucco and brick building. All that are left of the wharfs on beach side are a few wood pilings.

What still remains in Provincetown from the early fishing era? Or should I ask, who is still Remaining in Provincetown?  I love a good mystery.

Provincetown Bathing Beach a Tourist Attraction

Brown's Bathing Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts

Brown’s Bathing Beach in Provincetown, Mass.

It was a time of discretion , when men and women covered themselves for the sake of modesty when bathing at a public beach. Brown’s Bathing Beach in Provincetown, was such a place where there were booths for changing into the appropriate bathing suits. Automobiles and trains enabled tourists to travel to scenic  beach side resorts such as  Provincetown, located on the tip of Cape Cod. It was a popular destination. With its narrow streets and houses built along the waterside, many guest houses and hotels established thriving businesses. Shops and restaurants geared to the tourist trade soon followed, creating a seasonal economy. Nowadays Provincetown is still a popular summer destination with a seasonal economy. It’s the winter economy that can be challenging for those who live on the Outer Cape year-round, Curious to know what it’s like in early spring before the tourist season? Read the  soon-to-be-released novel Remaining in Provincetown.

Shipwrecks in Provincetown

Stormy seas like the seas we’ve been experiencing on the Outer Cape the past few days mean danger for ships. Particularly in the past before  radar and  satellite tracking technology many ships crashed on the sand bars and drifted to shore.

Ptown6

This old post card shows a “Rum Runner” stranded on Race Point Beach at the tip of Cape Cod, now part of the Provincetown National Seashore, near the Coast Guard Station.  Stormy weather in the soon to be released  novel, Remaining in Provincetown?

You’ll have to read it to find out.