Charting the Past

Did you know that in the 1800s oyster bars in New York City were located in the basements of buildings?

Tom Leach, who served as the Harwich Harbormaster for close to 40 years, has seen a lot of fishing vessels.

A recent article about farmers’ access to credit reminded me of experiences with the evolution of institutional credit available to local fishermen.

“The fish shanties were right over there,” said Don Stucke, curator at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis, as he gestured across the inner harbor of Lewis Bay.

Nearly 50 years ago, a massive historic structure on Stage Harbor in Chatham that served as a cold storage facility was being knocked down when things went awry.

As the Fishermen’s Alliance is now working with food banks and pantries around New England to provide nutritious, delicious haddock chowder to people having trouble putting food on the table, we began to wonder about the history of haddock, the role it has played in the region’s history, why it has always seemed to be even more popular in New England than elsewhere.

Make a list of 57 people you have known since childhood, from your hometown.

There was a time when Chatham fishermen got three cents a pound for cod and since there was no fish pier they unloaded right on the beach. And when the price was too low they sold them salted.

Picture this: Dozens upon dozens of boats moving in and out of Cape Cod harbors, all under sail, employing thousands of men, all with the same mission: Catch mackerel.