Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District
Within the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Peaked Hill Bars Historic District encompasses 1,900 acres of sand dunes, small bogs, and serene coastline dotted with weathered and historic dune shacks.
Nineteen rustic shacks, the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District, teeter on the ever-shifting hills and valleys of sand, the historic dwellings of writers, poets, painters, playwrights, and others who came for the solitude and inspiration of this stark and unique environment. While many came for and found solitude, a thriving culture of dune dwellers and community of creativity emerged on the ephemeral edge of the continent, from Jackson Pollock, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, e.e. cummings, and more.
Within the Peaked Hill Bars Historic District you will find the Dune Shack Trail that runs between and connects the various shacks. While many of Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District are owned or maintained as private seasonal residences, there are several shacks that are owned by the National Parks Services and rented seasonally through a Dune Shacks Lottery.
Dune Shacks Of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District :
From West to East
The names of the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District generally reflect the family or families that inhabited the shack for the longest period of time.
Jean Miller Cohen Shack/C-Scape
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.08012180329196 -70.19652382310763
Built in 1937, the Cohen shack, or C-Scape, was once home to painter Jean Cohen. The western-most of the dune shacks, C-Scape is the easiest Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District to reach, just a thirty-minute walk away from the Province Lands Visitors Center. Managed by the Provincetown Community Compact, the shack hosts artists and community members in highly sought residencies. The shack was moved to its current location in 1978 and was featured in Suzanne Lewis’ 2009 picture book, Dune Shack Summer.
Leo Fleurant Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.08094645889036 -70.19150062609735
The Fleurant shack was built in the 1930’s by locals for the dual purposes of fishing and socializing. Leo Fleurant lived in the shack year-round from 1963 until his death in 1984, and many still refer to the shack as Leo’s Place. He was known for keeping a horse on the dunes and for leading others on excursions to forage in the cranberry bogs that dot the dune landscape. This shack is visible from the Province Lands Visitors Center.
David and Marcia Adams Guest Cottage
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.08094143130963 -70.18992039186882
The Adams Guest shack was built in 1935 and has been moved inland multiple times as the sands have shifted. As the name suggests, this shack was primarily used to house guests of the Adams family, whose own shack is next door. Along with the Adams family’s shack and the Champlin’s down the dune, this grouping was known as ‘Professor’s Row’ for the pair of Michigan professors that spent time in these shacks.
David and Marcia Adams Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.080821313678 -70.18910408247294
The Adams shack was built in 1935 as a dune resort by Coast Guardsman Jake Loring, who also constructed the Fleurant and Champlin shacks. From 1953 until the National Parks Service took ownership in 2014, the shack was the home of David and Marcia Adams. David, a professor at Western Michigan University, painted wildflowers, and the dune plants at the shack. The wildflower paintings were turned into greeting cards that were sold in gift stores, including National Park Visitors Centers. When out in the dunes, visitors should keep their eyes peeled for wild cranberries, beach plums, dune heather, beach peas, and the beach rose.
Nathaniel and Mildred Champlin Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.080991157258104 -70.18781494666425
The Champlin dune shack was built in 1936 by Jake Loring and fellow Coast Guardsman and carpenter Dominic Avila using salvaged materials from a Provincetown barn. It is the largest of the shacks, with multiple rooms and amenities including indoor plumbing. Acquired by the Champlins in 1953, this dune shack is also known as Mission Bell for its easily recognizable bell to the west of the shack. This is one of the closest of the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District to the 1778 wreck of the HMS Somerset, whose worn wooden bones emerge from the eroding sand from time to time.
Philip Malicoat Shack (Privately owned)
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.080043206578374 -70.17945924735021
The only dune shack still privately owned, the Malicoat cottage was constructed in 1948. Artist Philip Malicot used the original 12×16 cottage as a studio and enjoyed the views that came with its high perch on a dunetop. While being used by friends, the original shack burned to the ground in the 1950’s. Philip Malicot and his son and fellow artist, sculptor Conrad Malicot, rebuilt the shack nearby.
"Euphoria" (Hazel Hawthorne Werner)
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.077801000534215 -70.1668093777767
Euphoria was built in 1936 and sold to Hazel Hawthorne Werner in 1943 for $285. Werner, a writer, and preservationist documented her time on the dunes in Salt House. Werner welcomed visitors to her shack including Jack Kerouac. After a move in 1952 the shack was one of the first of the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District to use fencing to keep the shifting sands at bay. Since Hazel’s death in 2000, the Peaked Hill Trust has managed this shack, offering both artist and community residence programs.
Boris Margo/Jan Gelb Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07766173009352 -70.16264497626123
The Margo-Gelb shack sits on the original site of the Peaked Hill Bars Life-Saving Station. A series of shacks have been built on this spot from the 1940’s-1960’s. Husband and wife painters Boris Margo and Jan Gelb were introduced to the dunes as guests of Hazel Hawthorne Werner, and subsequently reconstructed this shack in 1942. Since 1995 the shack has been used by the Outer Cape Artist in Residency Consortium. When it was home to the Margo/Gelbs the shack was known for a wild ‘Full o’ the Moon’ beach party and barbecue, featuring a 40-foot driftwood bonfire.
Tasha/Harry Kemp Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.077533107502134 -70.161261701208
Tasha or the Harry Kemp shack was the longtime home to the poet of the dunes himself. Harry Kemp was an eccentric poet and author, who spent the better part of 30 years in his modest 8×12 shack, swimming in the ocean regardless of the season. The structure is rumored to have been a chicken coop originally and was rebuilt by Kemp in 1927. Kemp befriended influential figures of the day, including Upton Sinclair, Eugene O’Neill, and Sinclair Lewis. The shack’s name, ‘Tasha’ comes from the last name of the family who cared for Kemp in his later years as his health declined.
Alice Malkin/Zara Ofsevit (“Zara’s”)
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07505086046192 -70.16114041600743
The original Malkin/Ofsevit shack was built in 1917 by the Provincetown Chief of Police, Charles Rogers. In its early years, this shack was used by Kemp and others. Alice Malkin, stepmother to dune dwellers Zara (Malkin /Ofsevit) Jackson and Ray Wells, loved the dune landscape. The structure was moved to avoid eroding dune cliffs several times. A fire in 1990 demolished the original structure, but it was rebuilt through efforts by the Peaked Hill Trust shortly thereafter. The shack, now known as ‘Zara’s,’ is part of the Peaked Hill Trust Residency Program.
Stanley and Laura Fowler
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07658109761038 -70.16050663650282
Built in 1949, this shack was home to Laura and Stanley Fowler. They lived in the shack almost year-round, prompting an unusual feature: a garage. The couple, known for protecting their privacy, were not artists but loved the dunes. When it was constructed the shack overlooked a freshwater pond, but the movement of a barrier dune filled the pond with sand. The Provincetown Community Compact manages the shack and conducts a writer-in-residence program on the site.
Al Fearing/Bessay-Fuller "The Grail"
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07687066881286 -70.15964274118194
The Fearing/Fuller/Bessay shack was built in 1931 but a Coast Guardsman. It was occupied by Dorothy Fearing and then Andrew Fuller and Grace Bessay. This shack is notable for its long-running legal dispute with the Parks Service over its ownership and occupancy (1967-1991). Grace Bessay’s suit was considered the longest lawsuit against the U.S. Government to maintain ownership of “The Grail”, though she ultimately lost. When Bessay died, care of the shack was passed to artist Peter Clemons. He was granted permission to build a small studio near the shack in 2007.
Jean Chanel (“Frenchie’s”)
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07707696147486 -70.15848769134718
Built on the site of the Coast Guard Station, the Chanel shack was built from driftwood and found materials in the 1940’s by Jean “Frenchie” Chanel. Frenchie, came to the Cape with Bette Davis via Broadway, and fell in love. Friend and preservationist Josephine Del Deo spent time at Frencie’s cabin, remembering how Frencie would post the tern nests long before the Parks Service, protecting the shore birds. The original cabin, and the one that came after both fell victim to sand burial. The existing structure sits atop the older ones.
"Thalassa" (Hazel Hawthorne Werner)
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.076824025644754 -70.15701656917116
A similar story to the Euphoria cabin, Thalassa was constructed in 1931 by a Coast Guardsman called Spucky. He’s said to have used salvaged windows from the life-saving station. In later years it was said that the ghosts of shipwrecked sailors haunted the shack. Werner acquired the building in 1936 (for $50) and hosted well-known writers and artists in the shack including e.e. cummings. This is one of the Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District now under the management of the Peaked Hill Trust.
Theodore and Eunice Braaten Shack
Town of Provincetown (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.07629147765206 -70.15588470531246
Built by Coast Guardsmen P.C. Cook and Joe Medeiros in 1931, the Braatens acquired the shack in 1934 and spent time in it seasonally. The shack was leased to the U.S. Navy for mine testing during World War II. As of 2011 it was the only shack occupied year-round. The shack is near a protected nesting area for the Piping Plover, a threatened shorebird. The shack is equipped with wind and solar powered and is unmistakable with an Adirondack chair perched on the roofline.
Margaret Watson Shack
Town of Truro (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.0755578447917 -70.15247177694754
The Watson shack was built in 1931 and rented in the summers for $5 a week. Margaret “Peg” Watson called the shack home from the mid 1930’s until 1972. Watson was known for her open- door policy, harkening back to days of the Life-Saving Stations. Josephine Del Deos remembered how Watson longed to visit the dunes late into her life when she was crippled by arthritis, claiming that she died trying to crawl across the dunes towards her beloved cottage.
Nicholas and Ray Wells Shack
Town of Truro (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.073558161876164 -70.14998695932867
The Wells shack was built in 1935 by a Coast Guardsmen called Bunny, using the materials from a collapsed shack. Soon after, Ray Wells and her husband Nicholas Wells took up residence. Ray Wells was a painter and advocate for artists, and her husband was a realtor and builder. The couple founded the Provincetown Theater Workshop in the 1970’s. The Peaked Hill Trust has been working to combat the erosion threatening the shack and has managed it since Wells’ death at the age of 103 in 2011.
Randolph and Annabelle Jones Shack
Town of Truro (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.0736437218288 -70.14444192596314
The Jones shack was built in 1935 and was used by Coast Guardsman Frank Henderson throughout the 1930’s. After a brief period of abandonment, the shack was acquired by Randolph and Annabelle Jones in the 1940’s. The structure was moved back from shoreline in the 1970s and various stabilization methods have been employed to combat the steep dunes surrounding the shack. The Joneses had small gardens and window boxes during their tenure at the shack.
David and Connie Armstrong Shack
Town of Truro (Lower Cape)
Long/Lat: 42.068284492418734 -70.12561254099337
The most isolated and most easterly of the remaining Dune Shacks Of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District, Armstrong was built in 1926 by Provincetown entrepreneur Pat Patrick. The shack, originally built for fishing, was rehabilitated, and restored in 1948 when it was acquired by David and Connie Armstrong. Three stormy weeks in the early 1980’s removed 23 feet of sand that separated the shack from the shoreline, necessitating a move 400 feet inland in 1983.