Charlotte Collection

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...]

The trap boat "Charlotte" was built in 1918 and had been a working boat until 1968 when she was left derelict on the flats near the Provincetown Inn in the West End of town. Her condition deteriorated with every passing year until, in 1977, The Provincetown Historical Association, through the initiatory effort of its president Cyril Patrick, Jr., actively engaged in its resurrection from the flats. Due to something like a superhuman commitment on the part of a number of contractors and their crews who exhumed her from tons of mud in May 1977, it was discovered, with great joy that her keel was intact and, therefore, that she was restorable. When Warren "Pinky" Silva accomplished the incredible achievement of digging her out of her grave and hauling this derelict remainder of a once-thriving industry up and onto the waiting flatbed of a trailer, she weighed 14 tons. The crane, which had pulled her from oblivion, had been loaned by Fred Pina of Harwich and, once she was freed from bondage, she was then carefully placed on the flatbed trailer brought from Orleans by Phil Deschamps of Nauset Marine. These men and their crews together had combined energies to achieve the impossible, and Cyril Patrick, Jr. as the prime force behind the whole idea, cheating fate and energizing the restoration of the boat under the auspices of the Provincetown Historical Association in order to berth her, eventually, on the grounds of the Provincetown Heritage Museum as a major exhibit. The "auspices" which were to accomplish the actual restoration, however, were none other than the students of the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich under the supervision of the head of the Marine Repair Department of the school, Richard Alberts. *

For many months, the students lovingly worked on the various features of the "Charlotte" which had remained whole enough to be copied. As here lines were re-established and parts replaced, her true shape was gradually invigorated and, eventually she shone anew as if touched by a magic wand. By June 1979, all was in readiness for her reberthing at the Provincetown Heritage Museum, and, once more, "Pinky" Silva would be responsible for the challenge of putting her in place. With the delicate but firm touch and the infallible eye for which he was famous in the Provincetown community as a man who could handle his machinery like a concert violinist, he brought the "Charlotte" to its permanent home around corners and through traffic and finally down the narrow drive to its berth with only inches to spare. When the "Charlotte" was dedicated in all her glory on June 23, 1979, important representatives of the trap boat fishing industry were on hand: John Worthington, the past owner of the Pond Village Cold Storage plant and a former trap boat fisherman, Joe "Ducky" Perry, an original crew member of the "Charlotte" in 1918 and consultant for her restoration, and Joe Oliver, Captain of the "Charlotte" in 1918 and owner in 1955, who performed the necessary ceremony of breaking the champagne across her bow.

What followed this remarkable accomplishment and joyous resurrection replicated, perhaps, the inevitable end of the trap fishing industry itself. A gradual deterioration of this beautifully conceived and executed project ensued in the yard of the museum due to a lack of funds to provide for its continued maintenance. This story, therefore, had no happy ending, for after the enormous effort to keep this last remaining example of the physical structure, which had so successfully fished the inshore waters of both Provincetown and Truro for nearly 100 years from about 1883 to 1975 representing a particular way of life, the "Charlotte" disappeared forever under attrition from the dangers of dry dock.

Fortunately, the archival history of the "Charlotte" photographs and historic information, are in place and the progress of her discovery, restoration and dedication is still with us. Perhaps in some future time, trap fishing will incline to a fresh start, driven by the environmental demands of the 21st century. If that happens, the trap boat "Charlotte" archive may be useful to, yet again, provide a restoration of her lines and her attributes that enable her successors to go to sea once more.

Josephine C. Del Deo

* Nadja Maril, "The Recovery of the "Charlotte," Provincetown Trap boat Fishing, The End of an Era, Provincetown Historical Association, 1978

Showing all archives in the Charlotte collection

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Summary of Trap Fishing Booklet

Brief summary of Trap Fishing Booklet used as a Heritage Museum exhibition display.

Collection: Charlotte

Format: Photo

Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Provincetown Heritage Museum, Weirs, and Del Deo, Josephine
Trapboat Charlotte

Photo of the trapboat Charlotte as she lay at the West End breakwater in 1974 prior to attempts...

Collection: Charlotte

Format: Photo

Subjects: Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, and Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown
Color photograph of the trapboat Charlotte after restoration

Color photo of the restored trapboat Charlotte on trailer taken from the starboard bow.

Collection: Charlotte

Format: Photo

Subjects: Archaeology, Boats and boating, Fish trapping, Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Weirs
Trapboat Charlotte Archive

Poster for the Preservation Party held on May 31, 1977 at the Moors Restaurant by the...

Collection: Charlotte

Format: Text

Subjects: Boats and boating, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fishing, and Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown
Trapboat Charlotte

Poster for display: Derelict at the Provicetown Inn, 1968-77 (Restoration of the trapboat...

Collection: Charlotte

Format: Photo

Subjects: Archaeology, Barnstable County (Mass.) History, Cape Cod (Mass.) History, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishers--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fishing, Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Weirs

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Collections

All Collections
Charlotte [48]

Formats

All Formats
Negative [1]
Newsprint [5]
Photo [30]
Text [12]

Subjects

All Subjects
Archaeology [13]
Atlantic Fisherman [22]
Barnstable County (Mass.) History [5]
Boats and boating [22]
Boys [1]
Breakwater (West End) [1]
Cape Cod (Mass.) History [15]
Captains [1]
Center Methodist Episcopal Church (Provincetown, Mass.) [1]
Cold Storages [17]
Commercial Street (Provincetown, Mass.) [12]
Costello, Paul [2]
Dedication Services [1]
Del Deo, Josephine [10]
Docks [1]
Dories (boats) [2]
Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown [34]
Fish trapping [44]
Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History [41]
Fishermen [7]
Fishers [1]
Fishers--Massachusetts--Provincetown [7]
Fishing [22]
Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown [25]
Fishing nets [1]
Fishing villages [3]
Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown [18]
Harbors--Provincetown--Mass [19]
Historic buildings--Massachusetts-Provincetown [12]
Historic Districts--Massachusetts--Provincetown [11]
Historical museums--Massachusetts--Provincetown [5]
Industries [30]
Letters [1]
Mackerel fishing [1]
Museums--Massachusetts--Provincetown [2]
Names [3]
Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century [38]
Provincetown (Mass.)--History--21st century [1]
Provincetown Heritage Museum [13]
Sklaroff Wharf (Provincetown, Mass.) [1]
Telegram [1]
Waterfronts [7]
Weirs [39]
West End (Provincetown, Mass.) [10]
Wharfs [8]

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