About the Book
Helltown: Provincetown's Fabled Fishing Outpost—An Urban Legend Unmasked tells the story behind what has become Provincetown's near-mythological winter fishing encampment. Using previously unanalyzed archives and historic interviews with former camp dwellers, this book shows how a Portuguese seasonal cod-fishing camp helped forge the town's outsider identity.
From the 1870s to the early 1900s, Azorean immigrants braved Cape Cod's turbulent winter waters in two-man dories, fishing the Race where Cape Cod Bay meets the Atlantic. Rather than trek back to town each day, they moved into one-room shacks at Herring Cove, sleeping among rope coils and tackle. Meanwhile, wives and children maintained the home fires: gardening, collecting berries by the quart and beach plums by the bushel, with children as young as eight hiking the three miles to Helltown with hot lunches.
Townsfolk recounted dramatic incidents—knife fights, brawls, lives lost in nor'easters—and over time, Helltown gained a wilder reputation. Later generations imagined lawless fishermen luring ships to destruction on treacherous shoals. These legends obscured the daily reality of immigrant life: hard work, evening guitar sessions, a nip of booze, and the struggle to make a living from the sea.
Helltown's mystique has become a legendary part of Provincetown's DNA, and indeed these hardworking Portuguese fishermen—immigrants starting anew in a Protestant Yankee town—helped create space for artists, playwrights, and LGBTQ+ people to break with convention.
Status: Manuscript largely complete. Seeking publication.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Helltown - The End of Cape Cod,
by Angela McNerny featuring Stephan Cohen, Lisa King, and Dennis Minsky01.08.2025, PROVINCETOWN, MA
Also see Lower Cape News
Helltown, was a mysterious fishing encampment active from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Located near Herring Cove and Race Point at the end of Cape Cod, MA, this mythical area was comprised of Provincetown fishermen and other seamen from surrounding areas. The settlement served as a rustic home base for cod fishermen during the harsh winter months. These living quarters served to offer quicker access to the sea. Though historical evidence is scarce, what there is, paints a picture of a rugged and isolated existence. Over time Helltown has become a blend of fact and fiction, with local Cape Codders providing accounts of what life may have been like there.
In Search of Helltown
Stephan Cohen’s story of a place that’s not quite what popular lore imagines
By Katy Abel Dec 25, 2024
"PROVINCETOWN — It’s here — you just have to picture it. Imagine it’s midwinter in 1871 and your frozen feet are planted on a sandy stretch of what is now called Herring Cove Beach, south of Hatches Harbor. Facing Race Point, you see 33 modest wooden huts, each with a single window and a stovepipe cut through the roof..."
LECTURES
Helltown: an urban legend unmasked, Provincetown Public Library October 15, 2024 @ 6:00 pmStephan Cohen presents a deep dive into the fabled Portuguese fishing settlement at Herring Cove. Provincetown resident Stephan Cohen will present his years long research on the historic Helltown Settlement at Herring Cove on Tuesday, October 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Provincetown Library. Free and open to the public.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Provincetown Public Library
In Person: Helltown: An Urban Legend Unmasked
Thursday, December 12, 2024 @ 6:00 pm
Stephan Cohen returns presenting a deep dive into the fabled Portuguese fishing settlement at Herring Cove. Join us to explore the history and legends of Helltown and its courageous dorymen.
Supported by a grant from the Provincetown Community Compact.
Stories On The Hill – Stephan Cohen on Helltown
Monday, June 3, 2025
Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum
High Pole Hill Road
Provincetown, MA 02657