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Charlotte Collection

Charlotte

Overview

The storyline of the trap boat "Charlotte" is, essentially, the history of trap boat fishing in Provincetown as seen through the entity of a single trap boat, the trajectory of its working life and, eventually, its brief resurrection and then permanent demise. Trap boat fishing was an environmentally sound concept and had its origins in the methods used for snaring and netting a catch of fish as devised by the indigenous American Indian who successfully fished Cape Cod's waters long before the white man followed in his footsteps. Using a stationary net with complicated arrangements for loading and then capturing whole schools of fish in significant numbers, it did not depend on methods of disturbing the bottom of fishing grounds nor on long trips offshore to coastal shelves where certain species congregate. In their heyday, trap boats hauled fish out of the traps by the thousands of pounds and the durable and sturdy trap boats, loaded to the gunnels with their catch, delivered them to the ice houses which cut and prepared and froze the catch for delivery to the markets. Furthermore, trap boat fishing constituted a healthy way of life and allowed the fisherman to follow a reasonable daily schedule: whereas, dragging for fish often provoked a taxing encounter with nature and sometimes a very deleterious one for both man and the environment upon which he depended for a living. [More...]

Showing all archives in the Charlotte collection
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  • Photo of Cape Cod  Cold Storage - Atlantic Coast Fisheries Plant
    Atlantic Coast Fisheries Fish Freezing plant(125-129 Commercial Street), before demolition in 1975.
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Cape Cod (Mass.) History, Cold Storages, Commercial Street (Provincetown, Mass.), Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Fishing villages, Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Harbors--Provincetown--Mass, Historic Districts--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Historic buildings--Massachusetts-Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Weirs
  • Trap Boat Charlotte Photographs
    Black & White photographs of Trap Boat Charlotte being installed at Heritage Museum. Warren...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Archaeology, Barnstable County (Mass.) History, Boats and boating, Cape Cod (Mass.) History, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Provincetown Heritage Museum, Weirs, and Costello, Paul
  • Atlantic Coast Fisheries Cold Storage Photographs 1975
    Photograph of the demolition of Atlantic Coast Fisheries cold storage plant in the West End of...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Cold Storages, Commercial Street (Provincetown, Mass.), Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Harbors--Provincetown--Mass, Historic Districts--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Historic buildings--Massachusetts-Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Provincetown Heritage Museum, Waterfronts, Weirs, and West End (Provincetown, Mass.)
  • Front Page Newspaper Photo of New Coast Guard Site
    Photo shows partially demolished Atlantic Coast Fisheries Plant, Freemans Wharf and Trap Shed.
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Newsprint
    Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Cold Storages, Commercial Street (Provincetown, Mass.), Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishers--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Harbors--Provincetown--Mass, Historic Districts--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Historic buildings--Massachusetts-Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Weirs, West End (Provincetown, Mass.), and Wharfs
  • Trap Boat Charlotte Photographs
    Black & White photographs of Trap Boat Charlotte being delivered to Heritage Museum by Warren...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Archaeology, Boats and boating, Cape Cod (Mass.) History, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Weirs
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