Our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast, The Platinum Pebble, is fortunate to be nestled between two of Cape Cod’s prettiest villages, Harwichport and Dennisport. After many years of neglect the winds of fortune have now shifted for the historic seaside village of Dennisport on Cape Cod.
de Castellane Gallery
In the 19th century Dennisport stood tall as a bustling and prosperous Nantucket Sound mercantile seaport with magnificent schooners sailing in and out of the harbor and wharves. Along with its neighbor, West Harwich, Dennisport was also considered one of the main fishing stations of the Cape. At one time there were close to 400 sea captains living in the township of Dennis with many of them residing directly in Dennisport itself.
Dennisport
As tourism replaced fishing as the main industry on Cape Cod in the 20th century, Dennisport was the chic place to see and be seen, with the rich and famous of the day enjoying the sandy beaches and the warm waters on the south side of the Cape. Many considered the Dennis Port beaches of Haigis Beach, Sea Street Beach and Glendon Road Beach to be amongst Cape Cod’s most desirable for swimming and windsurfing. Even Cape Cod’s luxury grande dame Belmont Hotel looked out across the beaches of Dennisport.
But in more recent years, due to ill-advised development decisions, the area fell on harder times and many local businesses and vacationers moved to other Cape locations leaving shuttered buildings littering the old Main Street.
Finally however, through much needed investment, infrastructure improvements and planning from the Dennisport Revitalization Committee and Summit Realty, businesses and tourists alike are being successfully lured back to this quiet and historic part of the Cape. One of the first businesses to relocate to the revamped village Main Street was Buckies Biscotti. Buckies is consistently voted the best bakery and coffee shop in the mid-Cape and has acted as a magnet for tourists to come back to Dennisport. Other businesses such as Hot Diggity, Jenny Boston Boutiques, Sedona East Gallery and the de Castellane Art Gallery have since opened up. The Improper Bostonian is under new management and has been spruced up and re-opened to big crowds. Aunties’ Ice Cream Parlor will be opening soon so that the families strolling along the Main Street can treat themselves to the perfect accessory for a summer’s day. When you consider that Dennisport still has its beautiful beaches and is also home to two of Cape Cod’s premier restaurants, The Ocean House and The Oyster Company,
The Oyster Company, Dennisport
to the famous Sundae School Ice Cream and to one of the oldest General Stores on Cape Cod, it’s looking increasingly like a home run for the village to become the bustling tourist attraction it was in yesteryear.
But that’s not all. In October a graffiti-covered brick wall in Dennisport will be unveiled and is expected to be the talk of the art community. The Dennisport Revitalization Committee has engaged acclaimed mural artist Hans de Castellane of Harwich to paint a representation of one of the old schooners that used to dock in Dennisport. The mural will be a direct connection to the ships and Dennisport’s history.
Here’s hoping the schooner will symbolize Dennisport’s smooth sail into a prosperous future!
