KG around the cape summer 2021 - Flipbook - Page 50
A ROUND CA PE COD
Dennis
Settled in 1639 by John Crowe, Antony Thatcher and
Thomas Howes as part of Yarmouth, Dennis officially
separated from its neighbor and incorporated as a town in
1793. Named after the resident minister, Reverend Josiah
Dennis, the new municipality continued its agricultural
focus, but seafaring soon became a major industry in the
town. The Shiverick Shipyard, located near the mouth
of Sesuit Creek, was famous as the only shipyard on the
Cape to produce large clipper ships, while many smaller
shipyards were making fishing vessels or merchant ships
that transported goods and materials via the Bass River.
Dennis was a prodigious salt manufacturer and by 1803
there were 24 different salt works operating in town.
Cranberry growing also flourished in Dennis, and the town
once boasted a busy railroad depot and shipping wharves.
The Indian Lands Conservation Area is 25 acres of woodland and marshes
and was once the winter home of the Nobscusset Indians. The sheltered
peninsulas that jut into the Bass River offered the Native Americans relief
from northerly winds, fresh spring water, and plentiful fish and shellfish
from the river. Now a town conservation area, Indian Lands is a peaceful
spot for hiking and contemplation.
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