I began the research presented here as a personal effort to better understand the history of the Wellfleet harbor area – primarily from the where Commercial Street crosses Mayo Creek around to Mayo Beach to the site of the former lighthouse. I was curious about the various wharves, oyster shacks and other buildings which have all but disappeared, yet helped Wellfleet become what it is today.

The range of my study was extended to Mercantile Wharf / Chequesset Inn when asked if I could determine the date the Inn was opened, thus the timeline and paper on the subject included here.

As anyone who has ever done any type of historical research will find, the process is cyclical, endless and revealing.

Cyclical in the sense that the more you find, the more you understand, and you then need to go back to revisit previous findings and apply a new perspective.

The process is endless because there is always more you realize you don’t know. Questions you didn’t know to ask. “Facts” to go back and recheck.

And what you find is always revealing. That’s why you begin the search in the first place – to learn things you didn’t know before. Or to relearn things you thought you knew, but reveal themselves to be otherwise.

Best of all, along the way you meet new people who help you immeasurably to enrich your results, provide new perspectives, and show you new tools and resources.

Finally, I publish my results with the goal of adding to the collective knowledge of our community, and to continue learning about “what was where when” … maybe even why.

Cheers,
-Al