Cape Cod: Exploring a Sense of Place
Folklore and Place Identity
One of the ways a regional identity may be expressed is through local lore. Residents often refer to outsiders or newcomers by special terms. Newcomers to the Cape, for example, are “wash-ashores.” Residents also may share insider jokes, such as displaying bumper sticker permits for the fictitious Cape Cod Canal Tunnel.
People may have local names for topographical features that don’t appear on maps, or may have descriptive folk names for flora and fauna of the region. They may tell legends or tall tales about important geographical features. One example is Scargo Pond, a small fish-shaped pond in Dennis, supposedly named for an Indian “princess” who was given the gift of a fish as a pet by her lover when he went off to war. According to the legend, the tribe helped dig a pond to keep the fish while she awaited his return. She helped fill the pond with her tears, and the soil excavated formed Scargo Hill.
Artifacts of material culture repurposed to use as decorative items are another expression of local identity. Residents may use lobster traps or cranberry scoops in decorating homes and restaurants. An old anchor may be repurposed to support a mailbox. Colorful lobster pot floats may decorate a shed. Residents may display nautical flags even if they themselves don’t fish or sail, because these items express a Cape identity.
Places may be named to honor local heroes such as Johnny Kelley of Dennis. Kelley was a long distance runner who ran in the Boston Marathon a record 61 times and was a member of the 1938 U.S. Olympic Team. He is remembered today by a park, the Johnny A. Kelley Recreation Area in South Dennis, and by a half marathon held in his honor each year.
This bumper sticker has caused many tourists to look in vain for the Cape Cod Canal tunnel.
