Home » United States » Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts and The Captain's House Inn

Many years ago Patti Page sang these familiar lyrics:

If you spend an evening you'll want to stay
Watching the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay
You're sure to fall in love with old Cape Cod
She surely must have in mind one of the most charming towns of Cape Cod, Chatham, which has often been referred to as the "elbow of the Cape." If you look at a map of Cape Cod, it certainly does resemble an elbow, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Nantucket Sound to the south.

Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts and The Captain's House Inn

Norman
2004-08-11 17:01:29

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History of Chatham
Once upon a time Native Americans, the Monomoyick called it Monomoit. Eventually, its name was changed to Chatham - "first stop of the east wind." We are not quite sure if it is in fact the first stop, however, it certainly sounds enticing to the many visitors who are attracted to the area every year.

Explorer, mariner and soldier, Samuel de Champlain once paid a visit to the area in 1606 before there were any English settlers, and he anchored in Stage Harbor. Apparently, according to some historical accounts, he was in need of rudder repairs, and at the time, he called the harbor area Port Fortune.

It is quite interesting to note that it was Champlain, who had been given the task by the French King, Henry IV, of chartering the coast of Acadia from Cape Cod to the Bay of Fundy. The result was the first detailed maps of the important estuaries and bays of the New England coast.

Fifty years later, an enterprising Englishman, William Nickerson, purchased four square miles of the land- mass that made up Chatham from the Monomoyick for a shallop (small boat), ten coats, six kettles, twelve axes, twelve hoes, twelve knives, and forty shillings in wampum, a hat and twelve shillings in coins.

Unfortunately, for Nickerson, the authorities of Plymouth County did not consent to the transaction, and it took another sixteen years and a fine of ninety pounds until title had eventually been transferred to him.

Originally part of Eastham, in 1712 the town was incorporated under it's present name either after the English seaport: Chatham or for the Earl of Chatham.

It is a town that can easily be described, as encompassing all that is enjoyable in life and one of New England's most preserved towns. There are no external neon lights, side street vendors, and the signage is in no way "tacky." Its residents take great pride in the visual appeal of their ...