Hearth and Home Ments Anywhere on the Cape

L E T T E R S

• Established 1965 • Take Action For The Future The area’s only independent weekly newspaper. Editor: FKDQJHWKHFXUUHQWWUDMHFWRU\6LOHQFHRQO\ emboldens bullies, and words as well as ac- The Cape Cod Chronicle is published by Hyora Publications, Inc. Thirty years ago George H. W. Bush pro- 60-C Munson Meeting Way, Chatham, MA 02633 SRVHGWKDWWKH86EHD³NLQGHUJHQWOHUQD- WLRQVFDQGHWRQDWHDIXVH³6XFKUKHWRULFKDV Published by 508-945-2220 • 508-430-2700 • FAX: 508-945-2579 tion,” yet today we legitimately fear nuclear caused wars,” Bernstein says, and this one Henry C. Hyora, President • Karyn A. Hyora, Vice-President engagement, as Juliet Bernstein points out. General Kelly may not be able to extinguish. Hyora 0V%HUQVWHLQ¶VNHHQDQDO\VLVKDVIRU\HDUV Diplomacy is crucial. Please write or call the PUBLICATIONS HENRY C. HYORA, PUBLISHER offered a personal, thoughtful and humani- +RXVHDQG6HQDWHWRVXSSRUW5HSUHVHQWDWLYH 7HG/LHX¶VDQG6HQDWRU(G0DUNH\¶V5H- EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT tarian point of view, and her concern for our Timothy J. Wood, Editor SODQHWLWVFLWL]HQVDQGFKLOGUHQHVSHFLDOO\LV stricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act Alan Pollock, Executive Editor greatly appreciated. &RPSDQLRQELOOV+5DQG6 2XU ADVERTISING SALES William F. Galvin, Managing Editor PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT At present, being a long way from JFK FKLOGUHQ¶VOLYHVGHSHQGRQXV Barbara A. Rugg, Manager Debra L. DeCosta, Manager Kat Szmit DQG³¶V´SKLORVRSK\RIFRPSDVVLRQDQG Amy Tagliaferri Terri Adamsons Jennifer Sexton-Riley Diane Troy Justin Alex Donna Idman Tavano Natalie Davis VHUYLFHLW¶VLPSHUDWLYHWKDWIRONVDSSO\ Buddy whatever skill set they possess to help 6RXWK&KDWKDP

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Circulation Manager: Karyn Hyora Appreciating FISH Volunteers The Cape Cod Chronicle - 10/12/2017 Copy Reduced to 87% from original to fit letter page Page : 26 Editor: 0HVHUYH\¶V6KHOO:HVW&KDWKDP6KDZ¶V &KDWKDP),6+KHOGDYROXQWHHUDSSUH- 0DUNHW+DUZLFK3RUWDQG6WRSDQG6KRS E D I T O R I A L FLDWLRQHYHQWRQ2FWWRWKDQNDOORIRXU East Harwich. WHUUL¿FYROXQWHHUV),6+LVDVHUYLFHWKDW With the help of local businesses and provides Chatham residents in need with RUJDQL]DWLRQVOLVWHGDERYHZHZHUHDEOHWR transportation assistance to medical appoint- thank our very dedicated volunteers. It is our Hearth And Home ments anywhere on the Cape. dispatchers and drivers who willingly and We would like to acknowledge Broad generously provide their time for this much By all accounts, William Nickerson was a bit irascible. A weaver who Reach Healthcare management and the needed service in Chatham. left Norwich, England with his wife Anne Busby in search of greater free- reception staff for providing year-round as- If you would like to be a driver or dis- sistance with call intake. The United Meth- SDWFKHUIRU&KDWKDP),6+\RXFDQUHDFKXV GRPVLQWKH1HZ:RUOGKH¿UVWVHWWOHGKLVIDPLO\LQ6DOHPWKHQPRYHG odist Church also graciously allowed us to through Broad Reach Healthcare at 508-945- to Yarmouth, which in 1640 would have been akin to a tiny village in the use their Fellowship Hall as the host site for 4611. As a volunteer, the time and extent of wilderness. “By all accounts he was a willful man used to having his way, RXUOXQFKHRQ6HYHUDO&KDWKDPDQGRWKHU commitment is up to you. and impatient with bureaucracy,” Dana Eldridge writes in the opening local businesses supported this event with FKDSWHURI³7KUHH&HQWXULHVLQD&DSH&RG9LOODJHWKH6WRU\RI&KDWKDP´ contributions coming from A Great Yarn, Jean Williams SXEOLVKHG E\ WKH &KDWKDP +LVWRULFDO 6RFLHW\ IRU WKH WRZQ¶V WHUFHQWHQ- %-¶V+\DQQLV&KDWKDP0RWRU6HUYLFH Jan Whittaker nial. Nickerson, essentially, wanted to be left alone, and he found a place Chatham Perk, Chatham Village Market, &KDWKDP),6+FRFRRUGLQDWRUV where that could happen: the very elbow of Cape Cod, an area devoid of European settlers populated only by the local Native American tribe, the Monomoyicks. +HERXJKWIRXUVTXDUHPLOHVQHDU5\GHU¶V&RYHIURPWKHVDFKHP0DW- WDTXDVRQLQWKHQVSHQWWKHQH[W\HDUV¿JKWLQJZLWKWKHDXWKRUL- ties in Plymouth over his failure to get their permission for the purchase. Nonetheless, in 1664 or so, Nickerson built a “rude cottage,” as Eldridge GHVFULEHVLWQHDUDIUHVKZDWHUFUHHNWKDWHPSWLHGLQWR5\GHU¶V&RYH )URPWKDWRQHVPDOOKRPHVWHDGDQG:LOOLDP1LFNHUVRQ¶VUHIXVDOWROLYH E\DQ\RQHHOVH¶VUXOHVEXWKLVRZQJUHZWRGD\¶V&KDWKDP The recent discovery of the Nickerson homestead site by a team of archaeologists working for the Nickerson Family Association has great VLJQL¿FDQFH ERWK IRU WKH RUJDQL]DWLRQ DQG WKH WRZQ 1RW RQO\ GRHV LW FRQ¿UPWKHORFDWLRQRIWKH¿UVWKRPHEXLOWE\D(XURSHDQLQ&KDWKDP± ZLWKLQIHHWRIZKHUHWKHVLWHZDVEHOLHYHGWREH±EXWLWWHOOVXVWKDWWKH building was larger than expected, about 35 by 35 feet, not really surprising FRQVLGHULQJWKH1LFNHUVRQ¶VKDGQLQHFKLOGUHQZKRVXUYLYHGSDVWLQIDQF\ The eight-foot-square hearth had a base of locally collected stones and was well-used, according to Archaeologist Craig Chartier. From the other DUWLIDFWVGLVFRYHUHGGXULQJWKHGLJZHNQRZWKDW1LFNHUVRQ±ERWK:LOOLDP DQG$QQHPD\EH"±VPRNHGFOD\VWHPPHGSLSHVDQGSUREDEO\XVHGERWK locally made and English and German pottery and china in their everyday lives. 7KHUH¶VDFHUWDLQVRUWRIFRPIRUWWKDWFRPHVIURPNQRZLQJH[DFWO\ZKHUH &KDWKDP¶V¿UVWIDPLO\OLYHGDQGZRUNHG7KH\ZRXOGKDYHKDGFORVHFRQWDFW with the Native Americans, and the choice of homestead locations may have EHHQLQÀXHQFHGE\WKHORFDOVZKRNQHZWKHEHVWSODFHVWR¿VKDQGVKHOWHU from the elements. As the village of Monomoyick grew, it spread out, the FHQWHURI:LOOLDP1LFNHUVRQ¶VFRPPXQLW\PRYLQJDVWKHSRSXODWLRQJUHZ and economic and social forces exerted their pulls. It would be interesting WR¿QGRXWZKDWKDSSHQHGWRWKHRULJLQDO1LFNHUVRQKRPHZKHWKHULWZDV moved, disassembled for its constituent parts, or abandoned by subsequent generations. 7KH1LFNHUVRQ)DPLO\$VVRFLDWLRQDQWLFLSDWHVD¿QDOUHSRUWRQWKHDU- FKDHRORJLFDOGLJVRRQZH¶OOEHFXULRXVDERXWWKHLUQH[WVWHSDQGKRZWKH homestead site will be preserved. The Nickerson artifacts, we hope, will be made accessible to the public as a display in the Caleb Nickerson Home- stead, located on association property not far from the original Nickerson house. In the meantime, some items from previous digs are part of an exhibit at the Cape Cod Museum of Fine Arts titled “Mysteries and Rev- HODWLRQV'LVFRYHULQJ&DSH&RG¶V0XVHXP7UHDVXUHV´7KHVKRZZKLFK features items from 36 Cape museums and institutions and runs through Nov. 26, highlights objects and stories that reveal little known facts or P\VWHULHVDERXWWKHSHQLQVXOD7KH1LFNHUVRQKRPHVWHDG¿QGFOHDUVXS RQHRI&KDWKDP¶VHQGXULQJP\VWHULHVDQGKHOSVEULQJWKHHDUOLHVWFKDSWHU LQWKHWRZQ¶VKLVWRU\LQWREHWWHUIRFXV

26 THE CAPE COD CHRONICLE • OCTOBER 12, 2017