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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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  • Letter to Josephine Del Deo from U.S. Coast Guard 04/14/1975
    Letter to Josephine Del Deo from J.P.Stewart, Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander of First...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Text
    Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Harbors--Provincetown--Mass, Historic Districts--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Historic buildings--Massachusetts-Provincetown, Industries, Letters, Museums--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Names, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Waterfronts, Weirs, West End (Provincetown, Mass.), Wharfs, and Del Deo, Josephine
  • Color photo
    Color photo of Cape Cod Regional High School students and instructors who restored the trapboat...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Boats and boating, Cape Cod (Mass.) History, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fishing villages--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Industries, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Weirs
  • Freemans Wharf Trap Shed Demolition
    Historic trap shed demolished in west End. Article and photo shows demolished shed, painting of...
    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
  • Trapboat Charlotte
    A photo of the trap boat Charlotte ready for its dedication after restoration sitting in...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Photo
    Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Boats and boating, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishing, Fishing boats--Massachusetts--Provincetown, and Fishing nets
  • Trap Boat Charlotte- List of Trap Fishermen 1979
    A partial list of Trap Fishermen living at the time of the restoration of the...
    Collection: Charlotte
    Format: Text
    Subjects: Atlantic Fisherman, Boats and boating, Cold Storages, Fish trade--Massachusetts--Provincetown, Fish trapping, Fisheries--Massachusetts--Provincetown--History, Fishermen, Names, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, Weirs, and Del Deo, Josephine
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