A Romantic Guide to Martha's Vineyard

By Cynthia Mascott

Drawn from our larger guide titled Enchanted Summer: A Romantic Guide to Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard, this book zeros in on Martha's Vineyard, with many color maps and photographs added. Following are some reviews of the larger edition:  "A su

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hunter Publishing
• Release date: Mar 2, 2010
• ISBN: 9781588439413

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A Brief History

It was the Wampanoag Indians who first called Cape Cod and the Islands home. They fished the sea, farmed the land, and hunted the forests. The Wampanoags were a peaceful people, living harmoniously among one another. The arrival of European explorers occurred in the 1600s. There are several reports of earlier sojourners, but Bartholomew Gosnold is credited for being the first European to lay claim to Cape Cod. Arriving in 1602, Gosnold named the area after the plentiful cod he and his ship crew found in the waters.

Eighteen years later, passengers aboard the Mayflower spent a month on the Cape, near Provincetown, before resettling in nearby Plymouth. Once the Pilgrims became adjusted to their life in Plymouth, they began to spread out southward, with several different groups moving to the Cape. The towns of Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth and Eastham were the first areas to be settled. The Indian and white settlers lived side by side, in peaceful co-existence during those early years.

The Cape and Islands were horribly exposed to English attack during the Revolutionary War. There was little that the Cape Codders and Islanders could do to keep away the British forces. Yet each town has recorded separate acts of heroism, from the three Vineyard girls who blew up a flagpole rather than allow the British to beat them to the task, to the Cape Cod and Island men who lost their lives while fighting for freedom in America.

They called it the Golden Age of Whaling, and it ran from thelate 1700s to the mid-1900s. While the Cape and Island ports offered little protection during a war, the same ports offered wonderful access to the sea. Throughout the 1800s, sea captains traveled the oceans in search of the almighty whale.

The whalers called the Cape and Island their home, but for the most part they lived upon the great ships, often for years at a time. Their wives and children waited for them at home, never knowing when or if they would see their loved ones again. But there were riches to find out at sea, and the captains would arrive home with pockets full of money. They built lavish homes with money they made from whaling, each home grander than its neighbor.

The Golden Age of Whaling came to its eventual conclusion when other sources of fuel became more readily accessible. The Cape and Islands did not see another Golden era until the area was discovered by vacationers, seeking solace from their city lives.

Tourism continues to be a primary business in the area. With it have come some of the negative side-effects found along much of America's popular East Coast. Fortunately, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket recognized early on the need for restrictive building codes and laws in order to protect the area from overdevelopment. The Cape followed suit, and in 1961 the Cape Cod National Seashore was established to protect the eastern shore line. In 1990, the Cape Commission was organized to overlook further development of the area.

But parts of the Cape have been spoiled. Nowadays, it takes longer to find the pristine beauty of the Cape than it used to, but it is still there. This guide will give you many tips on out-of-the-way romantic beaches, coves, forests and preserves. It will give you intimate accounts of the many wonderful lodging opportunities available, from reconstructed farmhouses to renovated stately sea captain homes and more. All you'll need to bring is this book and your heart.

Martha's Vineyard

The Land & Sea

The Cape Cod peninsula is situated about 50 miles southeast of Boston. Entry to the Cape is via the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. Take note of the majestic span of the bridges with the Cape Canal below. The 17.4-mile Cape Cod Canal is 480 feet wide and is the world's widest sea-level canal.

As you travel over the bridge, you have officially arrived on the Cape. The Upper Cape is comprised of Falmouth, Woods Hole, Bourne, Mashpee, and Sandwich. This region of the Cape is relatively unspoiled. It faces Buzzards Bay to the west, and the Vineyard Sound to the south. The Mid-Cape towns of Barnstable, Hyannis, Yarmouth, and Dennis are more heavily populated. Hyannis is the largest town in the area.

As you go farther east, you will reach the Outer Cape, comprised of Brewster, Harwich, Chatham, Wellfleet, Orleans, and Truro. At the very tip of the Cape is Provincetown, often referred to as the Outer Cape. The southern shore of the Cape (from Woods Hole to Chatham) faces the Vineyard and Nantucket sounds. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the Sound has mild surf and warmer waters. The eastern shores of the Cape face the Atlantic Ocean. While the beaches along the Atlantic are wide and sandy, the waters are generally cooler there, and the surf more vigorous.

An Indian Legend

An Indian legend told repeatedly in history books about Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard Island talks of an Indian God and legendary whaleman, Moshup. Lost at sea, he smoked a pipe as