Pond Village is a historically significant neighborhood.
Pilgrim Pond Park marks the location where the Pilgrims spent their 2nd night in the new world and this is recognized by a plaque citing the event and the names of the Pilgrims. Commemorative plaque in park is a destination for tourists from around the world.
The proposed 40 foot road in the proposed development would be directly across from this park and plaque.
Plaque reads:
Sixteen Pilgrims
Led By
Myles Standish, William Bradford,
Stephen Hawkins and Edward Tilley
Encamped on the shore of this pond for their second night on American Soil
November 16, 1620
Old Style
Drank their first New England Water
three miles northeast from here at the
Pilgrim Spring
Found the precious Indian Corn two
miles southwest from here at
Corn Hill
Provincetown Tercentenary Commission
In the 1800s, Thoreau passed by the pond reflecting on its size and beauty.
See more about 19th Century Pond Village
Going back at least 5000 years, North Truro and Cape Cod were home to Wampanoag Indians, part of the Algonquin Indian Nation. From a statement made by Nanepashemet (1954-1995) describing the Wampanoag's philosophy regarding their relationship with the land:
"We have lived with this land for thousands of generations - fishing the waters, planting, and harvesting crops, hunting the four-legged and winged beings and giving respect and thanks for each and every thing taken for our use."
Contact with these Europeans was devastating to the Wampanoag people, as a series of three epidemics swept through the Wampanoag people. At least 10 villages were abandoned, and the Wampanoag population was reduced from 12,000 to 5,000.
In the 1900s, vibrant industries thrived in Pond Village including weir fishing, fish freezing and canning, and candle making. A fashionable fishnet clothing business was located on Pond Road.