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1889 Map of Provincetown

Name: 1889 Topographic Map of Provincetown
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1897
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1897

About this map

Maritime safety and coastal topography define the tip of Cape Cod in this late 19th-century survey. The landscape of Provincetown and Truro is marked by a dense network of navigation aids, reflecting the area's vital role in Atlantic shipping. Four major beacons—Race Point Light, Highland Light, Long Point Light, and Wood End Light—stand watch over the treacherous outer sands and the shelter of Provincetown Harbor.

A string of shoreline rescue facilities, including the Peaked Hill Bar Life Saving Station and High Head Life Saving Station, highlights the era's reliance on the United States Life-Saving Service. The interior reveals a complex system of kettle ponds and marshes, such as Shank Painter Pond, Duck Pond, and the Salt Meadow, illustrating the delicate geomorphology of the outer cape before modern development. In the south, North Truro and the vicinity of Smalls Hill show the early road and rail patterns that connected these seafaring communities to the mainland.