Helltown (also rendered Hell Town), a settlement south of Hatches Harbor, emerged in the 1880s and remained within living memory well into the 1960s. At its peak, Helltown had 33 buildings, a fleet of 30 dories and a working population of about 125 fishermen, according to an informal history by Irving S. Rogers. More history »
Helltown, shown on “Bird’s Eye View of the Town of Provincetown” (1882), courtesy of the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House.
Helltown (also rendered Hell Town), a settlement south of Hatches Harbor, grew up in the 1880s. At its peak, it had 33 buildings, 30 dories, and a working population of 125 fishermen, according to a history by Irving Rogers. It was busiest in winter, when Grand Bankers and schooners were at anchor and men fished in closer grounds. Huts so near the water meant a saving of precious time. Rogers implied that Helltown earned its name from hellish working conditions. But when Mary Heaton Vorse asked an old captain why it was called Helltown, she was told, “Because of the helling that went on there.” Licentious Helltown now claims the popular imagination, in which it’s often confused with Long Point.
More than 2,000 buildings and vessels are searchable on buildingprovincetown.com. The Building Provincetown book is available for purchase ($20) at Town Hall, Office of the Town Clerk, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown 02657.
Herring Cove Beach, by David Jarrett (1980s).
First Herring Cove Beach Bathhouse, shower area, by David W. Dunlap (2012).
Herring Cove Beach (formerly New Beach) offers something for everyone, generally in degrees of abandon that correspond to distance from the parking lot. The opening of the first Herring Cove Beach Bathhouse in 1953 was a sufficiently auspicious event to draw Gov. Christian Herter. Designed by Mario Caputo, the state-built bathhouse was a handsome-enough Modernist structure with a glass-block facade. It could almost have passed for a small-town airport terminal. Adjoining shower and locker pavilions brought its length to 148 feet. It was given a marvelous send-off in 2012 as the setting of an art festival, “10 Days That Shook the World: the Centennial Decade,” organized by Jay Critchley and Ewa Nogiec.
New Herring Cove Beach Batthouse, by David W. Dunlap (2013).
The new Herring Cove Beach Bathhouse pavilions, which opened in 2013, seem almost to be levitating over the beach. Actually, they are. Several feet. The entire complex is on pilings, to increase storm resistance and — if necessary — portability. The $5 million project was designed by Amy Sebring of the Park Service. Together, the pavilions create a sense of a small town square. Picnic tables at the heart of the square are shaded by a lovely trellis structure. Far Land runs a summer concession. There are outdoor showers — basically upright standpipes — and also an indoor shower pavilion with clerestory windows that make it feel like outdoors. Sea creatures formed of patterned shingles frolic on the facades. All in, Sebring has shown that contemporary vernacular architecture can be contextual without being cliché.
More than 2,000 buildings and vessels are searchable on buildingprovincetown.com. The Building Provincetown book is available for purchase ($20) at Town Hall, Office of the Town Clerk, 260 Commercial Street, Provincetown 02657.
Herring Cove Bath House
In 1953, the Herring Cove Bath House opened, an event consequential enough to draw Governor Christian A. Herter. Designed by Mario Caputo of Boston, the state-built bath house was a handsome-enough modernist structure with a glass-block facade. It could have passed for a small-town airport terminal. More pictures and history »
Seen from across Herring Cove, the National Park Service’s new Herring Cove bath house pavilions, which opened in 2013, seem almost to be levitating over the beach. Well, indeed they are. Several feet. The entire complex is on pilings, allowing surge waves to pass underneath, as well as to allow the entire complex to be moved farther upland if necessary. That is one of several attractions designed into the $5 million project by its architect and project manager, Amy Sebring, of the park service’s design and construction division. More pictures and history»
There are few beaches along the Atlantic from which you can watch the sun set. Herring Cove Beach (formerly New Beach) is one of them. In the 19th century, much of the upland area of the modern-day beach lay under the waters of Lancy’s Harbor. Nearby was a small settlement of fishermen’s huts, called Herring Cove. Picture essay and more history»
Nickerson’s Whale and Menhaden Oil Works was begun nearby in 1886, under Joshua Stickney Nickerson and John Rosenthal. The plant had its own whaler, the A. B. Nickerson. More history »
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