1887 Map of Wellfleet

About this map

The Old Colony Railroad Cape Cod Division serves as the central spine of this coastal landscape, connecting the seaside settlements of Wellfleet, South Wellfleet, and North Eastham. This 1887 survey, revised through 1917, documents the lower Cape's complex geography of inner harbors and outer beaches. Maritime safety and early communications technology are prominent, marked by the Cahoon Hollow Life Saving Station and the pioneering Marconi Towers on the Atlantic shore. Inland, the terrain is characterized by a dense network of freshwater kettle ponds such as Gull Pond and Great Pond. Local social centers are anchored by the Methodist Camp Ground and various meeting houses, while the Commercial Wharf in Wellfleet Harbor indicates the era's active maritime trade before significant shoreline changes altered features like Billingsgate Island.