Great Harbor, it was called. 17th century Europeans settled Edgartown first, purchasing land from Wampanoag natives. Like medieval times, they clustered their homes and cultivated pastures at the outskirts of town.
Edgartown’s proximity to the heavily trafficked waters off Cape Cod, along with whaling, transformed the town. Tall square-rigged ships stood like skyscrapers in the harbor. Raucous men converged here to sail worldwide. Whale oil lit the streets of London. The oil boom generated immense wealth. Entrepreneurial whaling captains built the Federal and Greek Revival homes that give the village its old world charm today. Webster, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Longfellow visited to sojourn by the sea.
Beetlebung Dry Goods is located here on the corner of Main and Summer streets. After work, a favorite of ours is the porch of the Harbor View--there at Starbuck’s Neck, you look out past the Edgartown Light and across the moonlit harbor to Chappy. A perfect moment to chill.