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Long Point in the 1840's |
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(Excerpt from Norman Dunnell thesis: The Provincetown Lands: A Social and Economic History of Provincetown to 1900.)
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| The Long Point settlement began in 1818 because the local, inshore fishermen wanted to be closer to their catch. A lighthouse was constructed on Long Point in 1826. The settlers established salt works, with windmills and 8,000 square feet of works. Fishing was carried on from shore in small boats or by using fish sweep seines. Long Point residents gathered fresh water in wooden cisterns supplemented from Provincetown as needed. The settlement grew and by the 1840's there were 200 people living on the Point in 38 houses. Most of the dwellings were single story. (Dunnell 72). [The schooners of the day were wind-driven. Inside the Point the wind diminished. This was another reason for the Long Point settlement.(other sources)] |