Jim ‘Butch’ Ellis is best known as our village blacksmith, but he is also a seasoned fisherman with years of experience working in and out of Barnstable harbor.
Starting in the late 1940’s when he was 9 years old, Jim worked for ten summers on the Bluefin – six days a week, all but Saturdays, because there wasn’t a market on Sundays. “The hard work was good training for football,” he admits with a grin. The Bluefin was owned by one of the fish companies that were based in the marina. The boat serviced fish traps (also called weirs) that were set with poles and nets, about a mile off of Sandy Neck. Fish weirs are an ancient form of trapping used around the world for thousands of years.
Jim remembers the traps being used in Barnstable from the mid 1930’s until 1965. Tuna was the prize catch, and they were challenging to hook inside the weirs’ nets. There were also butterfish, whirlpools of mackerel, and whiting. Striped bass were too smart to stay in the traps, according to Jim; and bluefish – then considered a warm water fish – were never caught.
Out in the bay, the crew used a 14’ flat-bottomed skiff to collect the fish heads and guts, then dumped all of that out beyond the bell buoy. Whiting was sold to mink farms. Any small fish caught in the traps didn’t sell – they were called gurry and dumped in the harbor. The harbor was full of lobsters then, and green crabs that were used as bait. Seals were year-round residents.
The marina housed several fish houses in those days, where fish were weighed, sorted by size, layered in barrels with ice and salt water and then sent off to market in New York. Herbie and Shirley Lovell had a Lobster House. The big block of a building called the Freezer that used to sit on the west side of the marina (originally built for freezing cranberries) produced ice in 300-pound cakes. Each fish house had an ice chopper and kept some frozen fish for local consumption.
Nets were changed monthly because they got heavy with growth that Jim called “rosies”. The used nets were set out to dry at the County Farm (now the Cape Cod Organic Farm) or anyplace that had enough flat space where they could be spread out. Cleaning, repairing and tarring them was all part of the job. So was setting and repairing the weirs that supported the nets – a massive task usually done in early spring.
Jim remembers that the men working on the boats and in the fish houses were from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, France, and some from Portugal by way of Fairhaven. Many lived on Commerce Road or Phinney’s Lane – and some of their families are still there. Traces of the old fish traps can still be seen in the harbor. Look for stubs of tree trunks set in lines or circles. And stop in the village and talk to Jim about fishing. He is a fount of information and full of wonderful stories.
October 2022
Susie Littlefield
Barnstable Harbor's working waterfront encompasses commercial fishing including charter boat fishing, shellfish aquaculture and the harvest of wild shellfish, wildlife viewing tours including whale watching, marinas with associated infrastructure, and marine repair.
Long before European settlement, the Wampanoag ("People of the First Light") used Sandy Neck as a seasonal coastal resource, utilizing its rich tidal waters, dunes, and marshes for fishing, digging shellfish, and gathering native plants. Archaeological sites on the barrier spit preserve this deep indigenous history.
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) are places such as Sandy Neck/Barnstable Harbor that receive special recognition because of the quality, uniqueness and significance of their natural and cultural resources.
The Sandy Neck Beach Long-Term Coastal Resiliency Project represents the culmination of nearly a decade of planning, scientific analysis, design, permitting, and community engagement.
Sandy Neck Light, also known as Beach Point Light or Barnstable Light, is one of the pre-eminent historical landmarks of Barnstable Harbor. It is a favorite subject of local artists and images of the tower and the keeper’s dwelling grace the walls of many houses and public buildings around our town. It has also found its way onto t-shirts and mugs and other tchotchkes.
The Cape Cod Water Quality Data Portal is a map-based viewer that allows users to explore freshwater and marine water quality data compiled by the Cape Cod Commission for our regional partners. Data and trends can be viewed by monitoring site, pond, or embayment.
The Cape Cod Coastal Planner is a communication and decision support tool intended to educate users on the climate change hazards impacting Cape Cod's coastline, the adaptation strategies available to address them, and implications for local infrastructure and ecosystems. Choose your location and zone of impact to begin planning. View planning layers and test adaptation strategies for three coastal hazards.
The Cape Cod Commission’s Chronology Viewer allows users to understand past land use and observe how the region has changed over time.
Of the many geographic features for which Cape Cod is known, one of the most distinctive, best known, and aptly named is Sandy Neck. The Great Marshes, contained within the eastward reach of Sandy Neck also hold a high rank, but for this column the Neck itself is in focus. In last week’s paper was an announcement of a guided walk on Sandy Neck, and this, coupled with my recent digital scanning and improvement of some old photos I took therein 1967, stimulated memories of a certain unguided walk that I took in that wonderful place.
Commercial shellfishing has been a defining part of Barnstable Harbor's history, economy, and maritime culture for generations. The harbor's extensive tidal flats and nutrient-rich waters create ideal conditions for shellfish such as quahogs (hard clams), soft-shell clams, oysters, and blue mussels.
Sandy Neck Light is a lighthouse on Sandy Neck, in Barnstable, Massachusetts, at the entrance to Barnstable Harbor. It was first established in 1826. The current tower was built in 1857 and strengthened in the 1880s. It was discontinued in 1931, replaced by a skeleton tower, which was discontinued in 1952.
Barnstable Harbor’s working waterfront has evolved from a hub of fishing, trade, and industry to a quieter but enduring maritime community, where a handful of fishermen and families continue traditions that have shaped the harbor for generations.
The “clam factory” at Bass Hole reflects centuries of coastal use—from Indigenous shellfishing and colonial shipbuilding to modern aquaculture—where today’s operations continue a long tradition of harvesting and cultivating the harbor’s natural abundance.
Ned Handy’s lifelong devotion to Barnstable Harbor—from clamming and fishing in his youth to sailing, birdwatching, and leading family adventures—defined both his way of life and the enduring legacy he passed down through generations.
George Warren was a singular presence in Barnstable—an unconventional artist, mentor, and pioneering saltwater fly angler whose influence lives on through his art, his teachings, and the traditions he passed down on the waters of Barnstable Harbor.
“Braley’s,” the sweeping dunes along Sandy Neck, preserves the legacy of Braley Jenkins, a 19th-century farmer whose successful cranberry cultivation helped shape Barnstable Harbor’s history and introduced Cape Cod cranberries to a wider world.
Scudder’s Wharf grew from a modest 1820s sail repair shop into a vital hub of maritime life in Barnstable Harbor, supporting generations of sea captains, fishermen, and trade as the village evolved from sail to steam.
Bunny Howard was a defining figure in Barnstable Harbor’s sailing culture—an accomplished sailor, boatbuilder, and teacher whose lifelong dedication to wooden boats and Beetle Cats shaped generations on the water.
David Loring Crocker, a lifelong resident of Mill Way, reflected a deep connection to Barnstable’s past, preserving the history and proper naming of the road that once led to Blish’s tidewater grist mill.
