121. The Yard
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 645-9662
Description: This is a 110-seat theater in a renovated barn off in the woods of Chilmark. A professional dance troupe, the Yard stages various theatrical events and dance previews throughout the summer season. Designed to sharpen the skills of professional artists, the Yard supports original works. Located near Beetlebung Corner, it is culture out amongst the trees. Tickets range from $10 to $75 for general admission, less for seniors and those 30 and under.
122. Association Hall And Cemetery
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Originally a Congregational and Baptist church built in 1844, this building is now the town hall and is also home to the Katherine Cornell Memorial Theater. Behind the building is an old cemetery with stones dating back to the 18th century.
123. The Mayhew Schoolhouse
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 627-4440
Address: 110 Main St.
Description: Owned by the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust, the island’s first schoolhouse dates back to 1828. In 1776, a Liberty Pole stood in front of this building. When the British decided they would take it down for use as a spar on one of their vessels, three Vineyard Haven women blew up the pole with gunpowder rather than let the patriotic symbol fall into enemy hands. To commemorate their patriotism, a new pole was erected in 1898. Owned and operated for half a century as a nautical museum by the DAR, the schoolhouse is now occupied by Sail Martha’s Vineyard, a nonprofit committed to educating local children about sailing and maritime history.
124. Sea Captains’ Houses
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: The largely residential William Street boasts many sea captains’ houses, some of them now inns. Spared by the great fire of 1883 that engulfed much of the waterfront, William Street is now part of the official Historic District, in which buildings are protected from alteration.
125. Seamen’S Bethel
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 15 Beach St.
Description: Bethels are chapels used by seamen. This one has been catering to the needs of visiting sailors since 1893 and houses a display of maritime artifacts, including carved ivory and old photographs—gifts of seafarers in appreciation of the bethel’s work and hospitality.
126. West Chop Lighthouse
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Follow Main Street westward to its end, and there you will discover West Chop Lighthouse, the island’s first lighthouse site. The light was initially constructed of wood in 1817. This was replaced, in 1838, by the present brick structure. In 1848 it was moved back from the eroding 60-foot cliff, only to be moved again in 1891. It stands 84 feet tall and emits a white light that can appear either red or pinkish depending on your vantage point. This is due to red-tinted glass on one side of the tower.
127. Civil War Memorial Statue
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: At the busy intersection across the street from the Oak Bluffs ferry stop is a peculiar monument, and like most things in Oak Bluffs, it’s the color scheme that is its peculiar attribute. This Civil War memorial dating to 1892 reads: “Erected in honor of Grand Army of the Republic by Charles Strahan, Co. B. 21st Virginia Reg.” Yes, you read correctly, it was erected by a Confederate soldier—way up here in Yankee territory. In 1980, the town of Oak Bluffs repainted the Union soldier atop the memorial in Confederate gray colors to pay homage to Strahan.
128. The Cottage Museum & Shop
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 693-7784
Description: This museum allows you a rare glimpse at the inside of a gingerbread cottage. It is representative of the more than 300 fancifully designed and painted cottages that line the narrow streets of the 30-acre-plus campground community. The architecture of these cottages was modeled after the Newport, Rhode Island, Victorian style, but these have special (could we say, revolutionary) touches and colors that helped create a style unique to Oak Bluffs. Plan to take a better part of an hour just to stroll through the cottage community and examine the architecture and the many colors.
129. Dr. Daniel Fisher House
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 627-4440
Address: 99 Main St.
Description: This fine example of Federal period architecture was built in 1840 as the home of town physician and whaling mogul Dr. Daniel Fisher. Fisher was also the founder of the Martha’s Vineyard National Bank. The building was recently restored by the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Trust. For more information or to arrange a guided tour, call (508) 627–8720. Combination tours are offered. Call for current rates. The Dr. Daniel Fisher House is also available for weddings and receptions; call (508) 627-8017.
130. East Chop Lighthouse
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Tall atop the bluff it stands, some 80 feet above the sea, casting its lonely beam across the waves of Nantucket Sound below. This cast-iron lighthouse was built in 1876, replacing a wooden light erected in 1828 that burned down. Originally brown-red in color, it was known as the Chocolate Lighthouse until it was painted white in 1988. It emits a green light, marking the port side of Vineyard Haven Harbor and balancing West Chop’s red beam marking the starboard side.
131. Flying Horses Carousel
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 627-4440
Description: This is the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States. It features 20 wooden horses sporting real horse hair and glass eyes. It was constructed in New York City in 1876 and arrived at Oak Bluffs in 1884. Open from Easter Saturday through Columbus Day (schedule varies), it is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Rides are only $1.50. It’s great entertainment for the kids, and yes, you do get to grab for the brass ring!
132. Tabernacle
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: At 100 feet high, 130 feet wide, and with seating for more than 3,000, this open-air auditorium is considered one of the largest wrought-iron structures in the United States. A uniquely beautiful piece of architecture combining the seemingly unlikely mixture of stained-glass windows and corrugated metal, it was built in 1879 amidst the Oak Bluffs campground community. It replaced a one-ton tent used by the Methodists, who congregated at this spot for their religious summer gatherings. The Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, (508) 693-0525, offers a free schedule of events open to the public, including concerts (James Taylor has played here), flea markets, and interdenominational services.
133. Union Chapel
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (508) 627-4440
Address: 55 Narragansett Ave.
Description: When it was built in 1872, this was a nondenominational church. The octagonal-shaped building is now used for summer concerts and a jazz series, as its acoustics are quite good. The church building, owned by the Martha’s Vineyard Preservation Society, features some interesting architecture, including a three-tiered roof.
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
135. Edgartown Lighthouse
City: Cape Cod, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Originally constructed on an artificial island in Edgartown Harbor in 1828, the Edgartown lighthouse is now connected to the beach by a bar of accumulated sand. But before the sands filled in, there was a long wooden walk that led out to the lighthouse. This was called the Bridge of Sighs because it was a popular place for young whalers to bring their girlfriends or wives before heading out on a long journey. In 1938 the lighthouse was replaced by another that was floated to this spot from Ipswich (a town on Massachusetts’s North Shore).