Provincetown Town Seal
Provincetown History Preservation Project

Browse the Archives

  • Annual Town Report (149 items)
    Town Reports contain a report of activities for departments and committees during the year, together with any recommendations relative to those activities,... More
  • Atwood (17 items)
    Nathaniel E. Atwood, fisherman, amateur ichthyologist, Commissioner of Fisheries, representative to the Massachusetts State Legislature, friend and... More
  • Borkowski (114 items)
    A student of history since adolescence when Mrs. Henry N. Flynt, a mentor and founder of Historic Deerfield along with her husband, arranged for me to become... More
  • Bultman (96 items)
    Jeanne Lawson Bultman was a Modern Art Activist and one of the last pivotal participants in the American Abstract Expressionist art scene of the 1950s and... More
  • Charlotte (51 items)
    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... More
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  • Dowd (1,540 items)
    Althea Boxell (1910–1988) never lived in Provincetown, but during her life she assembled a series of scrapbooks that preserved elements of Provincetown's... More
  • Fire Department (10 items)
    The Early History: The Fire Department is the oldest organized Fire Department on Cape Cod. On March 7, 1836, the Town voted to buy the "Washington," its... More
  • Given (40 items)
    Thelma Given (1896–1977) was an internationally acclaimed violin virtuoso who spent much of her later life in Provincetown. She was born in Columbus, Ohio... More
  • Glass Plates (70 items)
    The history of the several glass plate collections belonging to the Town of Provincetown have come from a number of sources over many years and the... More
  • Halper (11 items)
    Nathan and Marjorie Windhurst Halper were steadfast fixtures of the Provincetown art community for most of their lives. Marjorie came in 1926 to study with... More
  • Heritage Artifacts (117 items)
    An inventory of the physical artifacts from the old Heritage Museum.  Accompanying each photographed artifact is the description of the artifact... More
  • Historic District Survey (1,948 items)
    Provincetown has been working for many years to complete a compressive Survey (also referred to as the Inventory) of its existing historic resources. This... More
  • Kelly (212 items)
    Jan Kelly chronicled life in the community as well as her varied interests in a series of articles that appeared in Provincetown Magazine in the 1980's and... More
  • MacMillan (149 items)
    Rear Admiral Donald B. MacMillan, Provincetown's most famous son, was born on November 10, 1874 at 574 Commercial Street. From the beginning, an adventurous... More
  • Moffett (142 items)
    Born in Clearfield, Iowa, the son of an Iowan family, Ross Moffett represents a quintessential American icon. After his initial training at the Art Institute... More
  • In collaboraton with Provincetown Community Television (PTV), existing home movies and oral histories are transformed by the latest technology and made... More
  • Municipal (722 items)
    The Municipal Collection contains a sampling of historic material on file in the Town Clerk's Office and represents a wide range of subjects dealing with... More
  • Artist, author, actress, fashion model and mother of the century are among the many hats worn by Norris Church Mailer (1949–2010) during her lifetime. She... More
  • Perry (37 items)
    Marion Agostinho Perry was affectionately known to everyone as just "Bert" Perry. He was one of four children of Amelia (Hill) Perry and Manuel Perry, and... More
  • In collaboration with the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, who has generously agreed to contribute items from their extensive collection. The Cape... More
  • Postcard (46 items)
    This collection begins with old postcards of Provincetown donated to the Provincetown Heritage Museum by Marcy Celiz.  Later pages in the... More
  • The Safe Harbor/AIDS Archive contains material related to the making of the Safe Harbor documentary directed by Catherine Russo, a 22-minute video produced... More
  • Same Sex Marriage (37 items)
    The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Goodridge decision allowing same-sex couples to marry in the state became effective on May 17, 2004. From the... More
  • School (103 items)
    This collection houses material related to the Provincetown School System.  A significant chapter in the life of the school occurs in 2013 with the... More
  • The initial focus of the History Preservation Project was on the wealth of material from the now defunct Provincetown Heritage Museum. Open in 1975 to... More
  • Theater (134 items)
    Picture this… July 15, 1915… a social gathering of friends in the East End of Provincetown… two plays, one by Neith Boyce and another by husband and wife... More
  • Town Art (413 items)
    The Town-owned Provincetown Art Collection consists of artwork by local artists, as well as nationally prominent artists who have resided in town over the... More