SKIP FINLEY
508-696-3742
Prior to 1648 when Thomas Mayhew Jr. proselytized Hiacoomes, the first of the original people to adopt Christianity at Pecoy Point, the neighborhood was called Pohqu-auk, meaning open land. As a major campsite, the area was used for gathering shellfish and eels, and growing corn, squash and tobacco. The main source of fresh water was Weatauque (place of the boundary spring) near the Land Bank’s Weahtaqua Springs Preserve at the southernmost point of the lagoon, where the Oak Bluffs water department’s first pumping station is. The original people traversed between these places by way of an ingenious pattern of trails. Pecoy Point is connected by Pulpit Rock Road, which crosses County Road at one of the entrances to Meadow View Farm, where begins the Chase Road that intersects with the Cross Oak Bluffs Trail, which extends south to Holmes Hole Road and across Barnes Road near Featherstone to Weatauque. The trail systems have been adopted as Special Ways, and are protected and conserved. While rarely used, you will find they are easily — instinctively — seen during a highly recommended walk or trail bike ride. Post-mosquitoes and other flying annoyances, this time of year is a good time for a healthy new adventure — but the poison ivy hasn’t fully disappeared so tall pants and socks are a good plan.
In an earlier column I mentioned a park named Park (Park Park) on Penacook avenue, evidently a place so nice they named it twice. County Road’s Sofia Anthony pointed out that Penacook avenue is spelled that way (with one N) at Sea View avenue, and at Circuit is spelled Pennacook (with two N’s). So one thing leading to another — everyone having favorite Oak Bluffs street names — I went to the maps. Green avenue — which starts as Brewster street at one end and ends as Pall Mall at the other — of course, isn’t any greener than any other street, and one of its two signs isn’t green, either. There’s no mountain on Mountain avenue or camps on Camp street or bridges on Bridge avenue. There’s no major hill on Forest Hill avenue, and not much more forest than any other street. There may be lilacs on Lilac street. And there is the question about June street: Is it named for the month or a lady? There aren’t any other month streets and there are substantially more Oak Bluffs streets named after ladies than guys. No, I didn’t count.
We do have a First street (no, it wasn’t) and a Second avenue and a Third street that are gloriously inconsistent with one another. As you may expect, Windy Hill street has neither wind nor a hill, and intersects with Windy Hill Road. Who couldn’t love a street named Tee Pee (even without any tee pees)? Confusion reigns in terms of directions when one leaves Circuit avenue as it becomes first, Wing and then, Barnes Road. Oak Bluffs avenue turns into New York avenue, which disappears into East Chop Drive or Temahigan avenue. Front street is actually behind County Road and there are no arches on Arch avenue. Was Vanessa Way named for our sea monster or was the sea monster named after the street? I truly hope it was the former.
There is surprisingly no forest on Forest street, not much to see on Lookout avenue and no pond on Pond View Drive — although if you stand on your car (or it’s winter) you can get a glimpse of the Lagoon. We have a South street and a West avenue but no North or East. Our Lexinton avenue is spelled without a G on the map, but the street signs include it. Probably every town has a Penny Lane like we do, but not everyone has an Un-Named street, which is the name of the street between Saco and North Bluff. Deer Run is superfluous or obvious depending on your point of view, as is one of my favorites, Old Dirt Road. But my all-time favorite — the one that brings a smile — is the Oak Bluffs street named Goa Way. Ironically, Goa Way was on the way to our beloved, departed Della Brown Hardman’s home, the last person on the planet who would want anyone to go away.
Understanding that town officials are considering parking options in Oak Bluffs, there is a 4.6 acre parcel (about half the size of Waban Park) unimproved since 1983 on Vineyard avenue between the PA Club and the Sea View Hill Cemetery that would hold, by my estimate, over 300 cars in eight rows with plenty of room for parking lanes and natural vegetation to cover it. If only 100 cars parked there for $15 a day during the 60-day season, the town could generate $90,000 in annual revenue — that could put three folks to work, offer the owner income from rent or tax abatement and perhaps leave some needed cash for town coffers. The VTA’s #7 and # 9 buses could be easily diverted to the site, which would be useful for WMVY-FM’s Annual Chili Festival, the fireworks and Illumination Night, when probably more than 100 cars would park.
There is a memorial service for Jacqueline Russell, resting at peace, widow of Harvey Russell, at Trinity Episcopal Church (adjacent to the police station) tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Featherstone presents the second annual Artists Studio Tour tomorrow and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For tickets ($50), call Featherstone at 508-693-1850. Guests can visit 16 artists’ studios. A closing celebration reception is Sunday from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Many folks visited Suesan Stovall’s Groovy Sue Gallery on Spruce avenue to see her new work last Sunday. Her folks Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Ron Gault are marketing their South African winery’s Passages Wine at Jim’s, Tony’s Market, and Vineyard Wine & Cheese on Circuit avenue, and it is served at Farm Neck, Hooked, Nancy’s, and Sweet Life.
The construction trailer at the fire station is there to house much needed offices for our ambulance corps and will be there until we figure out how to finance the construction of a permanent structure for our public safety personnel — maybe with parking.
Just 261 days until Memorial Day!
Keep your foot on a rock.
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