Provincetown Public Library Blog

From a booklet of photos from 1898 to 1900 taken by E. A. Perry.

April 9, 2021Photo by Krasimira Banova TogetherA Poem by Rob Taylor Much of my memories are our memories,            of many things we did,            in so many places.Much of my surroundings are our surroundings,            that we formed and made...

Captain Joseph Enos and William Halsall (seated) about 1919. Halsall had an oils studio on Court Street. Photo submitted by Mrs. Loretta Nonheimer of Mashpee.

April 2, 2021Photo by Clayton Nottleman DunesA Poem by Suzann Heron As I stand on the edge of the high duneOcean waves breaking Tasha shack stands tall and freeshe holds up so farYear after yearAnd I’m always tentative each timeI see her.A sigh of relief.  Tears...

Photo of old Wellfleet oyster shack from the late 1950s. Photos donated by Marcy Propper (Darien, CT), taken by her husband's grandfather, Walter Propper. Mr. Propper lived most of his life in NYC and was an avid, amateur photographer. 

March 26, 2021Photo by Jamie Demetriou A Poem by Jamie Demetriou In her final weeks she was given a book, Signs of SpringI thought what an odd title to give a dying WomanThen I thought the signs of spring must equate to rebirthShe was headed to her season upon...

View from the top of the Pilgrim Monument, 1959. Photos donated by Marcy Propper (Darien, CT), taken by her husband's grandfather, Walter Propper. Mr. Propper lived most of his life in NYC and was an avid, amateur photographer. 

March 19, 2021Photo by Susan Peskin Without WarningA Poem by Rob Taylor First subfreezing morning with any depth;                very light dusting of snow.Trail around pond, deeply familiar,                has new dress –                snow sprinkled into loose...

Photograph included in a collection of photos mainly showing the Mission Bell dune shack taken from 1953 -1964. Part of Provincetown's Municipal Collection.

March 12, 2021Photo by Melanie Black New DayA Poem by Hilde Oleson I saw the day begin.Not such a great nightA lot of aches and pains made life a painful thingBut as I watched the clockIt turned from night to AM.It told me --Yes, I am.So are you. And neither of...

Photograph of the Mission Bell dune shack taken from 1953 -1964. Photographs from this collection reveal dune shack life and maintenance. Part of Provincetown's Municipal Collection.

March 5, 2021Photo by Stephen Borkowski I Hope the Gray CloudsA Poem by Tim Bosworth I hope the gray clouds will go awayAnd unveil the moon for me at least one more day. But if they do not I’ll lose my one last chanceTo look up at the sky  And dance. To submit your...

Photograph of the Mission Bell dune shack taken from 1953 -1964. Photographs from this collection reveal dune shack life and maintenance. Part of Provincetown's Municipal Collection.

February 26, 2021Photo by Linda Ohlson Graham A Poem by Jan Kelly Life!Nobody gives you a recipeYou have to cook it up for yourselfChoose the ingredientsMake sure they matchAvoid indigestion And fill your stomachFor energy-actionLove all good that’s before...

A view from the East End showing Provincetown before the Monument. Photo is from the collection of George W. Ferguson, Centerville, MA. and loaned to the Provincetown History Project for inclusion in its archive

February 19, 2021Photo by Krasimira Banova WeekA Poem by Mark S. Peel Sunday blues may start or end the weekDepending on your frame of mind or predisposition According to the challenge of another commitmentOf your time and effort that must be met on...

 Photograph of a shipwreck off Provincetown loaned to the Provincetown History Project by Helen Valentine

February 12, 2021Photo by Suzann Heron Herring CoveA Poem by Suzann Heron Sun sets  over the ocean at Herring Cove.Coyotes calling, freedom throughout the dunes as the sky turns an orange purple laugh  into a deep respect.Tide, rolling in Lapping / lulling and the...

Photograph, loaned to the Provincetown History Project by Helen Valentine, a resident of Provincetown, showing a downed tree next to the building that is currently the Provincetown Public Library after a storm in 1944.

February 5, 2021Photo by Jamie Demetriou A Poem by Jamie Demetriou Walk with me, in this time we haveAmongst the trees and sand filled roadFill my head with words to keep for the days I walk this path aloneWalk with me and fill my soulOn this wooded roadThis sand...

Photograph, showing a whale stranding, loaned to the Provincetown History Project by Helen Valentine, resident of Provincetown.

January 29, 2021Photo by Jim Cornell January SunsetA Poem by Jim Cornell Cold January dayLeaden cloudsHanging low overheadThe ocean surfaceIs calm, shrouded In dull greyAs afternoon drewTo a closeOn the western horizon Clouds partedAnd sunset blossomedIn a...