Massachusetts, Barnstable County, Eastham
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A remnant from Cape Cod's agriculture past, this 1850-era hay barge was a common sight among the working dories, skiffs, and catboats of the area. Wide and flat-bottomed, it was rowed, poled, and sailed throughout the shallow marshes. Salt marsh hay was gathered from the water's edge for livestock, bedding and feed. Many local residents still remember the taste of salty milk.
A remnant from Cape Cod's agriculture past, this 1850-era hay barge was a common sight among the working dories, skiffs, and catboats of the area. Wide and flat-bottomed, it was rowed, poled, and sailed throughout the shallow marshes. Salt marsh hay was gathered from the water's edge for livestock, bedding and feed. Many local residents still remember the taste of salty milk.
After 1900, Cape Codders made the move from cows and plows to summer cottages and tourism, the usefulness of hay barges waned. Luckily, the French Transatlantic Cable Company in Town Cove used this one as a repair vessel for sixty years thus sparing it the fate of others of its kind. Today it is the last remaining hay barge on Cape Cod, perhaps in all New England, and is a reminder of the bustling maritime life of the coastal community.
(Agriculture • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.