Brewster, Massachusetts

File:The Dillingham House Main St. Brewster, Ma.jpg (c. 1660)]]

Indigenous settlement in Brewster took place on the north shore of the present-day town, with a Sauguatuckett farming area centered around the contemporary Stony Brook.{{Cite web |date=1984 |title=MHC Reconnaissance Survey Town Report BREWSTER |url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/townreports/Cape/bre.pdf |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=Massachusetts Historical Commission}} Individual accounts subdivide the indigenous tribes of pre-contact Cape Cod, but any historians and researches today use the unifying term Nauset.{{Cite web |title=Wampanoag |url=http://mayflowerhistory.com/wampanoag |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=MayflowerHistory.com |language=en-US}} Somewhere around 1,200 indigenous people populated Outer Cape Cod prior to 1617 pandemics, with this number reduced to 500 by 1621.{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=James |date=1987 |title=HISTORIC & ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS |url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/regionalreports/capeandislands.pdf |access-date=September 14, 2023}} The first permanent colonial settlement in Brewster centered around the Stony Brook area, part of the "Old Comers" or "Purchasers" grant of 1641. The land that now makes up Brewster was purchased in 1653 from Wano and his son Sachemas, leaders of the local Sauguatuckett. By this period, the Sauguatuckett held significant quantities of corn, beans, and squash which were at times for sale to English settlers. Brewster was first officially settled in 1656 as a northeastern parish of the town of Harwich. However, at the turn of the eighteenth century, there were only seventeen known male settlers in what is now Brewster.

File:Old Higgins Farm Windmill, West Brewster MA.jpg, in Drummer Boy Park, Brewster, Mass (1795)]]

Brewster's first settlers came from Sandwich, Plymouth, and Eastham, as well as many arriving directly from England. Throughout the 1700s, there were interspersed agricultural settlements throughout the area now known as Brewster. The Stony Brook gristmill remains as a testament to the early manufacturing activity at this site.{{Cite web |title=Factory Village – Brewster Real Estate – Factory Village Historic District |url=https://www.coastalneighborhoods.com/factory-village-brewster/ |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=www.coastalneighborhoods.com |language=en}} In 1709, a public house and store existed, with a congregational church and meeting house first organized in 1700. By 1750, there were around 190 settlers living in the Brewster environs. The remaining indigenous population in Brewster consolidated around the southwestern corner of the town. Settlers and indigenous people alike utilized the abundant cornfields, as well as the natural resources of Cape Cod Bay. Substantial amounts of herring, or alewife, were, and continue to be, found in the Stony Brook area.

Brewster was officially incorporated as its own town in 1803 when the less wealthy citizens of Harwich were upset that the town's institutions were all concentrated on Brewster's Main Street, now Route 6A, including the town hall and churches. Brewster was named in honor of Elder William Brewster, the first religious leader of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony.

By this period, roughly 75% of town inhabitants were involved in shipping and maritime trades. Brewster captains invested an estimated $250,000 on merchant vessels, and a large saltworks was present on the shoreline of Cape Cod Bay during this period. In 1865, Brewster maintained 56 farms, the highest of any town on the Lower Cape aside from Orleans. At this time, Brewster also had the third highest number of cranberry bogs on the Cape, following Harwich and Dennis. Architecturally, Brewster blossomed during this period, with wealthy sea captains and commercial titans constructing Italianate, Greek Revival, and Second Empire homes. The most emblematic structure of this period is Albert Crosby's 1888 Crosby Mansion, located on Crosby Lane.{{Cite web |title=HOME |url=https://www.crosbymansion.com/ |access-date=September 14, 2023 |website=Crosby Mansion |language=en}}

• Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
• Stony Brook Grist Mill (1873)
• Dillingham House (1660)
• Nickerson Mansion (1906)
• Old Higgins Farm Windmill (1795)
• Crosby Mansion (1888)

File:Brewster, Mass. Train Station.jpg|Brewster Station, built by Old Colony Railroad in 1860s, demolished in 1930s

File:Cliff Pond, Roland Nickerson State Park, Brewster, Mass (76203).jpg|Postcard featuring Cliff Pond in Nickerson State Park

File:VIEW FROM THE SOUTH - Captain Elijah Cobb House, Lower Road, Brewster, Barnstable County, MA HABS MASS,1-BREW,4-1.tif|Captain Elijah Cobb House, present home of Brewster Historical Society (1799)

File:The c. 1795 Harris-Black House, preserved at Drummer Boy Park in Brewster on Massachusetts' Cape Cod, by Carol M. Highsmith, 2019, from the Library of Congress - master-pnp-highsm-57400-57404a.tiff|Harris Black House (1795)

File:Captain Elijah Cobb.png|Captain Elijah Cobb, a Brewster sea captain

File:The old Higgins Farm Windmill at Drummer Boy Park in the town of Brewster on Massachusetts' Cape Cod, by Carol M. Highsmith, 2019, from the Library of Congress - master-pnp-highsm-57400-57402a.tiff|Old Higgins Farm Windmill, on the National Register of Historic Place (1795)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|65.9|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|59.3|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|6.6|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 10.07%, is water.{{Cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2500107980| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212150926/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2500107980| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Brewster town, Barnstable County, Massachusetts| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 4, 2013}}

Brewster is bordered on the north by Cape Cod Bay, on the west by Dennis, on the south by Harwich, and on the east by Orleans. The town is usually separated into two villages, West and East Brewster, both of which comprise the Brewster census-designated place. Brewster is {{convert|31|mi}} south of Provincetown, {{convert|14|mi}} east of Barnstable, {{convert|31|mi}} east of the Sagamore Bridge, and {{convert|85|mi}} southeast of Boston.

The town is bordered by the Brewster Flats, an extensive stretch of tidal sand flats to the north, along the shores of Cape Cod Bay. The town is home to the Roland C. Nickerson State Forest Park, the largest state forest on Cape Cod. The town has several large ponds, especially along the Harwich town line. There are several brooks throughout the town, all of which lead to Cape Cod Bay. The bay is home to several boat landings and beaches in the town.

Brewster is home to the largest pond on Cape Cod, Long Pond. The Brewster-Harwich town line goes directly through the middle of the pond. Brewster's second largest pond is Cliff Pond, located in Nickerson State Park. Both are popular destinations.

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Brewster, Massachusetts has a warm-summer, wet year round, humid continental climate (Dfb). Dfb climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (≤ 0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature ≤ 71.6 °F (≤ 22.0 °C), and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. The average seasonal (November–April) snowfall total is approximately 30 inches (76 cm). The average snowiest month is February, which corresponds with the annual peak in nor'easter activity. The plant hardiness zone is 7a, with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 4.0 °F (−15.6 °C).{{cite web|url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=June 28, 2019|title=USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map|archive-date=June 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618111217/https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx|url-status=dead}}

{{Weather box |width=auto

|location = Brewster, Barnstable County, Massachusetts (1981–2010 averages)

|single line = Y

|Jan high F = 37.6

|Feb high F = 39.0

|Mar high F = 44.2

|Apr high F = 51.9

|May high F = 61.3

|Jun high F = 70.5

|Jul high F = 77.0

|Aug high F = 76.3

|Sep high F = 70.2

|Oct high F = 60.6

|Nov high F = 52.4

|Dec high F = 43.3

|year high F= 57.1

| Jan mean F = 30.7

| Feb mean F = 32.1

| Mar mean F = 37.3

| Apr mean F = 45.2

| May mean F = 54.3

| Jun mean F = 63.7

| Jul mean F = 70.2

| Aug mean F = 69.6

| Sep mean F = 63.3

| Oct mean F = 53.6

| Nov mean F = 45.6

| Dec mean F = 36.3

| year mean F = 50.2

|Jan low F = 23.8

|Feb low F = 25.1

|Mar low F = 30.5

|Apr low F = 38.5

|May low F = 47.3

|Jun low F = 56.9

|Jul low F = 63.3

|Aug low F = 62.9

|Sep low F = 56.4

|Oct low F = 46.6

|Nov low F = 38.7

|Dec low F = 29.4

|year low F= 43.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.79

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.45

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.57

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.35

|May precipitation inch = 3.46

|Jun precipitation inch = 3.58

|Jul precipitation inch = 3.09

|Aug precipitation inch = 3.58

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.70

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.98

|Nov precipitation inch = 4.16

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.09

|year precipitation inch= 45.80

| humidity colour = green

| Jan humidity = 71.6

| Feb humidity = 69.9

| Mar humidity = 68.3

| Apr humidity = 71.1

| May humidity = 73.7

| Jun humidity = 76.8

| Jul humidity = 79.1

| Aug humidity = 79.6

| Sep humidity = 78.5

| Oct humidity = 75.4

| Nov humidity = 71.7

| Dec humidity = 71.0

| year humidity = 73.9

| Jan dew point F = 22.6

| Feb dew point F = 23.4

| Mar dew point F = 27.8

| Apr dew point F = 36.4

| May dew point F = 46.1

| Jun dew point F = 56.3

| Jul dew point F = 63.4

| Aug dew point F = 63.0

| Sep dew point F = 56.5

| Oct dew point F = 46.0

| Nov dew point F = 37.0

| Dec dew point F = 27.8

| year dew point F = 42.3

|source 1 = PRISM Climate Group{{cite web|url=http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/|title=PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U|website=www.prism.oregonstate.edu|access-date=June 26, 2019}}}}

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. Potential natural vegetation Types, Brewster, Massachusetts, would primarily contain a Northeastern Oak/Pine (110) vegetation type with a Southern Mixed Forest (26) vegetation form.{{cite web|url=https://databasin.org/datasets/1c7a301c8e6843f2b4fe63fdb3a9fe39|publisher=Data Basin|access-date=July 30, 2019|title=U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)}}

U.S. Route 6 passes through the southeastern corner of Brewster from southwest to northeast, as a two-lane expressway with no exits in the town, although exits 78, 82, 85, and 89 (previously numbered exits 9 through 12) provide access to Brewster via other roads. The five other numbered highways in Brewster are all surface roads. Massachusetts Route 6A passes through the town from east to west as Main Street through the town center. Routes 124 and 137 both have a northern terminus along Route 6A in town; short portions of Routes 28 and 39 also pass through the southeastern corner of town (the portion of 28 is less than {{Convert|100|yd|m}} long, and is actually signed as crossing from Harwich directly into Orleans). Brewster has one stop light (blinking red light, four-way stop) at the intersection of Harwich Road (Route 124) and Long Pond Road (Route 137).

There is no rail or air service in the town. The Cape Cod Rail Trail, as well as several other bicycle trails, pass through the town. The nearest public airfield is in Chatham (Chatham Municipal, CQX); the nearest regional airport is Barnstable Municipal Airport (HYA), and the nearest national and international air service is at Logan International Airport in Boston.

{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}

{{Historical populations | type=USA | align=left

| 1850|1525

| 1860|1489

| 1870|1259

| 1880|1144

| 1890|1003

| 1900|829

| 1910|631

| 1920|688

| 1930|769

| 1940|827

| 1950|987

| 1960|1236

| 1970|1790

| 1980|5226

| 1990|8440

| 2000|10094

| 2010|9820

| 2020|10318

| 2022|10444

| footnote=* = population estimate. {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2022| publisher=United States Census Bureau | access-date=October 21, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 10,094 people, 4,124 households, and 2,853 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|439.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 7,339 housing units at an average density of {{convert|319.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 4,124 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,276, and the median income for a family was $57,174. Males had a median income of $41,407 versus $33,388 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,638. About 1.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Image:Brewster Old Town Hall.jpg

Brewster is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the First Barnstable District, along with Dennis and a portion of Yarmouth. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm |title=Index of Legislative Representation by City and Town, from Mass.gov |access-date=February 26, 2007 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929115141/http://www.mass.gov/legis/citytown.htm |url-status=dead }} The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police.[http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterminal&L=5&L0=Home&L1=Law+Enforcement+%26+Criminal+Justice&L2=Law+Enforcement&L3=State+Police+Troops&L4=Troop+D&sid=Eeops&b=terminalcontent&f=msp_divisions_field_services_troops_troop_d_msp_field_troop_d_station_d2&csid=Eeops Station D-2, SP Yarmouth]

On the national level, Brewster is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, and is currently represented by William Keating. The state's senior (Class II) member of the United States Senate, elected in 2012, is Elizabeth Warren. The junior (Class I) senator, elected in 2013, is Edward Markey.

Brewster is governed by the open town meeting form of government, led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen. The town has its own police and fire departments. The fire department is located on Route 6A near the terminus of Route 137, while the police station is located about a half mile away on Route 124. There is a single post office near the geographic center of town, as well as the Brewster Ladies' Library, a 50,000-volume library which is a part of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing (CLAMS) library network. The Long Pond Medical Center, located just over the Harwich line at the intersection of Routes 6 and 137, serves the medical needs of the town, as well as the southeastern corner of the Cape.

Brewster is a member of the Nauset Regional School District, along with the towns of Eastham, Orleans and Wellfleet. The town operates the Stony Brook Elementary School, which serves students from kindergarten through second grade, and the Eddy Elementary School, which serves students in third through fifth grades. Middle school students typically attend Nauset Middle School in Orleans, although the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in East Harwich is an alternative choice. High school students attend Nauset Regional High School in North Eastham.

Additionally, the town's high school students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in neighboring Harwich free of charge. There are also two private schools, The Family School and The Laurel School, both of which serve elementary students.

The Sea Pines School operated in town from 1907 to 1972.{{cite web|title=Sea Pines Abroad History|url=http://jk-e.co/SPA/welcome.html|publisher=Kirk Lawrence|access-date=February 1, 2016|date=2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000041/http://jk-e.co/SPA/welcome.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}

See also: Brewster (CDP), Massachusetts

Image:The Brewster Store, Brewster MA.jpg

• Brewster Conservation Trust Walking Trails
• Brewster Historical Society Museum[https://www.brewsterhistoricalsociety.org/ Brewster Historical Society Museum]
• Brewster Ladies' Library
• Cape Cod Museum of Natural HIstory
• Factory Village
• First Parish Brewster{{Cite web |last=Emw |date=May 29, 2011 |title=First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist undergoing renovation; Brewster, MA; north (front) side |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Parish_Brewster_Unitarian_Universalist_undergoing_renovation;_Brewster,_MA;_north_%28front%29_side.JPG |website=Wikimedia Commons}}
• Stony Brook Grist Mill

File:Aaron Judge 2018.jpg played for the Brewster Whitecaps in 2012.]]

Brewster is home to the Brewster Whitecaps, an amateur collegiate summer baseball team in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The team plays at Stony Brook Field, and has featured dozens of players who went on to careers in Major League Baseball, such as Aaron Judge, Billy Wagner, and Chase Utley.

Brewster beaches, from east to west on the Cape Cod Bay are: Crosby Landing, Linnell Landing, Ellis Landing, Point of Rocks Landing, Breakwater Beach, Saint's Landing, Mant's Landing (Robbins Hill Beach), and Paines Creek Beach. In addition to the beaches on the northside, there are numerous important recreation areas in the town. The Drummer Boy Park on Route 6A has walking trails, picnic areas, playground, and an 18th-century windmill, the Old Higgins Farm Windmill, and blacksmith shop. Several hiking trails leave the Natural History museum, with the John Wing Trail going over a salt marsh boardwalk to Wing Island and the beach on Cape Cod Bay.{{cite web|title=Brewster Hiking Trails|url=http://capecodwalksandhikes.blogspot.com/search/label/Brewster|website=Cape Cod Walks and Hikes}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} At Nickerson State Park, there are {{Convert|1900|acre|ha}} of open woodland, nearly {{Convert|8|mi|km}} of biking trails that can be hiked as well, and hiking trails around several ponds. Punkhorn Parklands also has thousands of acres of protected woodland with many hiking trails, the one to Eagle Point being particularly popular. Smaller conservation areas are available for hiking throughout the town.

File:Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan in July 1888.jpg

In July 1888, Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, visited Brewster. In the photo, Helen is shown cradling a doll. The photograph was discovered almost 120 years after it was taken. The mother of the man who provided the photograph was Helen's playmate at the Elijah Cobb House.{{Cite news|last=Martin|first=Rachel|date=March 6, 2008|title=Rare Helen Keller Photograph Discovered|language=en|work=NPR|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87937873|access-date=January 22, 2022}}{{Cite web|date=March 6, 2008|title=120-year-old Helen Keller photo found|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-06-na-keller6-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 22, 2022|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109013943/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-06-na-keller6-story.html |archive-date=November 9, 2020 }}{{Cite web|date=March 5, 2008|title=Rare Photo of Helen Keller Discovered|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-photo-of-helen-keller-discovered/|url-status=live|access-date=January 22, 2022|website=CBS News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629034339/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-photo-of-helen-keller-discovered/ |archive-date=June 29, 2018 }}

Minnie Riperton's song "Alone in Brewster Bay" refers to when Riperton and her husband, producer Dick Rudolph, vacationed on Cape Cod during the early 1970s, prior to the release of her 1975 hit single, "Lovin' You".

Samuel M. Nickerson, president of the First National Bank of Chicago, was one of the most influential business leaders of the time.[http://capecodhistory.us/Deyo/Deyo-medium-pics/625-Samuel_M_Nickerson.jpg Samuel M. Nickerson] Nickerson's shares in First National Bank were sold for $2.1M, according to The New York Times dated September 29, 1899. The syndicate that purchased the shares included J. P. Morgan, E. H. Harriman and Marshall Field. The Nickerson summer house, Fieldstone Hall in Brewster, is now a condominium resort called Ocean Edge.{{Cite web |url=http://www.oceanedge.com/about-ocean-edge/ |title=About Ocean Edge |access-date=July 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726171111/http://www.oceanedge.com/about%2Docean%2Dedge/ |archive-date=July 26, 2009 |url-status=dead }}

In a 2011 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Ashley Judd traced her direct lineage back to William Brewster, the town's namesake.

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{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Brewster, Massachusetts}}

{{wikivoyage|Brewster (Massachusetts)|Brewster, Massachusetts}}

• [http://www.town.brewster.ma.us/ Town of Brewster official website]
• [http://www.brewstercapecod.org/ Brewster Chamber of Commerce tourist information]

{{Barnstable County, Massachusetts}}

{{Massachusetts}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1656 establishments in Plymouth Colony

Category:Populated coastal places in Massachusetts

Category:Populated places established in 1656

Category:Towns in Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Category:Towns in Massachusetts