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 Truro has less residents now than it did in 1840 (when Pamet Harbor was a whaling and shipbuilding port), which is possibly one of the best reasons to go there. The ‘town’ comprises several stores and public edifices plus scores of off-beat and pricey residences built into hidden dunes (a sign facetiously indicates that this modest clutch of buildings is ‘downtown Truro.’) This bucolic village qualifies as the Cape’s ‘sleepiest’ community. Writers, artists, politicos and mental health types are wont to vacation and live here and American art icon Edward Hopper—who found the Cape’s light ideal for his brand of austere realism— summered, hermit-like, in South Truro for nigh on 40 years (1930 to 1967) in near total contentment. And while many visitors are drawn by this relative isolation, they can be comforted by the fact that lively Provincetown is but a short drive away. This monied town celebrates in true Yankee style with its late-September ‘dump dance’ at the town’s recycling center. To some, it is Truro which comes closest to the nostalgic ‘old Cape Cod.’ Mile for mile, it has more scenic back roads than the other Cape towns—and they are all conveniently located off Route 6. When the Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod in 1620, they originally planned to settle in the area which is today’s Truro. The exhausted travelers were inclined to settle here, while the majority felt it more prudent to locate a more commodious venue. While they ultimately opted for Plymouth, they did find their first fresh water here at what is now called Pilgrim Spring (they also found a cache of corn which they used to grow the first crops in the New World). As is true with many of the outer Cape’s towns, Truro’s 42 square miles were once part of Eastham. The town separated from its once-removed neighbor in 1709. Truro’s Native American appellation was Payomet or Pamet after the local indigenous tribe. At the end of the 17th century, permanent settlers made their way to Pamet from Eastham—the ‘Pamet Proprietors’—and negotiated with the local tribe for the land on which they wished to settle. In 1705, settlers gave the settlement the moniker ‘Dangerfield,’ an apparent allusion to its treacherous offshore waters. More sobering was the reference to Truro as the “town of empty graves”—another allusion to the number of its souls lost at sea. Dangerfield was re-christened ‘Truro,’ after a village on the Cornish coast of England which it closely resembled. The town prospered with fishing, agriculture, whaling and related industries at the core of its economic success. After the American Revolution and War of 1812 with Great Britain, the harbor was a thriving fishing port with ample wharves, chandleries, sail lofts and fish processing and packing plants. Financial institutions, such as the Union Company of Truro, which provided capital and insurance for seafaring ventures, flourished along with the maritime industries. In fact, so successful was Truro as a fishing port that it once rivaled Provincetown. However, during the 19th century, its harbor began filling with sand and became too shallow. In 1860, the Union Company, in which many residents had invested their capital, failed and, along with the diversion of the fishing fleet to other ports because of the shallow harbor and a period of economic decline ensued which, some say, lasted nearly a century. Today’s Truro, with a whopping 1,500 residents, was resurrected from the doldrums when tourism became one of Cape Cod’s main industries. This small town, with a peculiar amalgam of strip motels, a complex of 23 identical waterfront cottages, huge and expensive homes built in the hills and dales and tiny valleys west of Route 6 and incredible natural gifts—high dunes, estuaries, rolling moors, rivers fringed by grasses—make Truro a one of a kind place even among a peninsula chocked with uniqueness. It was blessed with some of the Cape’s all time great waterfront—both Bay and ocean—and undeveloped forests. Most of the town’s land—70%—lies within the benevolent umbra of the Cape Cod National Seashore. It was also blessed with virtually nothing to do but enjoy Nature’s bounty.
Main Beaches Other Beaches: Nature Trails Head of the Meadow Trail, High Head Road, of Route 6A in North Truro. This two-mile trail is an idyllic venue for cycling between the dunes and the salt marshes from the beach parking lot to High Head Road. It is also a great spot for bird lovers. Cranberry Bog Trail, starts at Little America Youth Hostel parking lot. The trail brings hikers past a number of previously cultivated cranberry bogs which are in the process of reverting back to their natural state. Pilgrim Spring Trail and Small Swamp Trail, both commence at the Cape Cod National Seashore parking lot east of Pilgrim Lake. Each of these ¾-mile trails overlooks Salt Meadow, a freshwater marsh whose denizens include osprey and hawks—bring binoculars. Pilgrim Heights, High Head Road. There is an interpretive shelter referencing the spring discovered by the Pilgrims (Pilgrim Spring), Pilgrim Land Sand Dunes, walking and hiking trails and picnic spots. Bell Church, Town Hall Road. This First Congregational Church of Truro edifice, circa 1827, has a Paul Revere-cast bell, Sandwich Glass windows and miniature whale-shaped window latches. Cape Cod Light (aka Highland Light), Coast Guard Road. This is the oldest of the four active Cape Cod lighthouses and the first one seen by mariners approaching Boston is the most powerful lighthouse—lit by two 1,000 watt bulbs reflected by a huge Fresnel lens—on the New England coast. In addition to the lights, the lighthouse also houses a radio beacon which helps ships judge their positions. A plaque at the base of the lighthouse reads: “Every six minutes, a one-minute signal is broadcast—the letters H and I are repeated 23 times in Morse Code, followed by a steady tone (during the silent intervals, the ships broadcast their signals.” It was built in 1857, replacing the original light (built in 1798 and lit by 24 whale oil lamps) Henry Thoreau once boarded here for a short time during his travels. Threatened by erosion, the lighthouse was moved back 450 feet from the cliff edge to safety, paid for by funds raised by the local citizenry. Truro Historical Museum, Lighthouse Road (off South Highland Road), North Truro. This restored summer hotel/inn was built at the turn of the century and presently houses maritime and agricultural exhibits—17th century firearms, early fishing and whaling gear, mementos of shipwrecks, a pirate’s chest, ship models, scrimshaw—and artifacts dating back to the arrival of the Pilgrims. The second floor is set up as if it is still occupied by 19th century tourists. Open Summers. Jenny Lind Tower, seen from Highland Station parking lot. In 1850, Jenny Lind, the Swedish nightingale and a famous 19th century opera diva, sang from the top of this tower when the Boston exhibition hall where she was booked could not accommodate all ticket-holders. Lind climbed the tower next to her hotel and gave a free concert to the people in the street. In 1927, the hotel was destined for demolition and Boston lawyer and Lind fan Henry Aldrich purchased it, moving the entire tower, brick by brick, to land he owned in Truro. |
