Chatham is located on the elbow of Cape Cod surrounded on three sides by water.  Located halfway between Falmouth and Provincetown, it extends out to sea as the most easterly point in Massachusetts.  Once a quiet farming and fishing community, Chatham has become a vibrant tourist designation.  Rich in its maritime heritage, as well as a spirited New England town with a variety of small businesses, Chatham is a special place for year-round residents and visitors alike.
You will find the natural beauty of Chatham remarkable.  Visitors are drawn to the expansive and magnificent beaches, the lighthouses, wildlife, nature trails, bike path, and stunning views of the ocean.  Chatham has a special blend of the past and present with quaint streets lined with historic sea captains’ homes, a fine selection of historic museums, and a walking Main Street area with unique shops, galleries, and restaurants.  Lodging options range form a spectacular ocean front resort to lovely bed and breakfast inns tucked in throughout this picturesque seaside village.
One of Cape Cod’s oldest townships, Chatham was settled in 1656 by William and Anne Busby Nickerson.  Incorporated in 1712, the town’s census approximates 6,600 year-round residents.  Originally a farming community, Chatham’s inhabitants found deep sea fishing more lucrative.  Today small boat deep sea fishing and shell fishing continue as important maritime industries. 
Covering an area of approximately 17 square miles, Chatham is a happy combination of past and present.  You will find Chatham to be an old fashioned and picturesque New England seaside village yet offering the best in modern facilities.  Chatham benefits from Mother Nature’s “natural air conditioning” with cool summers, exquisite autumns, and mild winters.  Being fortunate in having navigable waters on three sides, and, as a result, the average summer temperature is close to 70 degrees. Chatham does have fogs but they are rarely cold in summer.  They are a boon to the gardens and usually yield to the sun by noon. 
Autumn and Indian Summer are one of the finest seasons.  The water is never bluer than in October, the air is bracing and dry, the scenery at its best with the sharpest colors of the year.  Indian Summer lingers through September, October, and well into November---a succession of glorious days and cool evenings.  It’s a less crowded time for tennis and golf, bicycling and hiking, beach exploring, sailing and fishing. 
The average winter temperature is about ten degrees warmer than on the mainland.  March to May is their spring and you can expect the thermometer to read in the upper thirties to low fifties most of the time. 
But when June comes, it “busts out all over.”  The waters of Pleasant Bay sparkle and soon the famous roses and early flowers are in bloom everywhere.
The delightful physical characteristics of Chatham, such as the beaches, marsh and wetlands, and meadows, have long been known to its residents and visitors alike.  Many gifts of wetlands and marshlands have been donated to the Chatham Conservation Foundation and others obtained by purchase. To date, more than 588 acres have been put into conservation by the Foundation so they may be enjoyed by residents and visitors.

Chatham Lighthouse You will find few spots on the entire East Cost of North America that can equal the view at “The Light”. If you drive down Main Street to the Lighthouse, you will see cars from nearly every state as you gaze over the majestic Atlantic Ocean. Nearby is the U.S. Coast Guard Station ready to answer emergency calls involving distressed mariners, fisherman, and summer visitors with problems on the water. There are 44 steps and a ladder to ascend to the top of the Lighthouse. Tours are given free but children under 5 years of age are not permitted on the tour.
Fish Pier The Chatham Fish Pier, at the corner of Shore Road and Barcliff Avenue on Aunt Lydia’s Cove, is a constant source of interest to summer visitors. The members of the fishing fleet make their run each suitable day to the fishing grounds from 3 to 100 miles off Chatham. Their catch consists of haddock, cod, flounder, lobster, Pollack, dogfish and halibut. The boats start returning to the pier shortly after noon, depending upon the tide. You can watch from the visitors’ balcony so be sure to bring your camera.
Atwood House Museum
The Atwood House Museum at 347 State Harbor Road is owned and run by the Chatham Historical Society. The original part of the museum is a house built in 1752 by Captain Joseph Atwood when he was a subject of King George II of England. It has remained unchanged since the time it was built. It therefore provides an excellent view into the way of life during the 18th and 19th centuries in New England. Today there are eight spacious galleries that house art, artifacts, and decorative arts to portray life on Cape Cod since the 17th century.There is one gallery with portraits of notable sea captains, as well as a maritime gallery featuring paintings of Chatham ships, their masters and their nautical equipment used.
The Railroad Museum
The Railroad Museum is located in the Old Chatham Railroad Company station on Depot Road. This building is over 100 years old and sits on its original site. It served the town for over fifty years form 1887 to 1937. The exhibits include hundreds of items of historical significance in the railroad field, plus models and objects which never fail to interest visitors. The 75-year-old caboose of olden days, the gift of the New York Central System, has been fully restored and is open for all to enjoy the sounds of the rails.
Caleb Nickerson House
Caleb Nickerson, descendant of William Nickerson, the founder of the town of Chatham, owned this home on Stage Neck Road in the early 1800s. The house stood on a bluff overlooking the Oyster River for almost two centuries until in 2003 the house made a journey by land and sea to its present location at 1107 Orleans Road. This pristine antique full Cape home features three working fireplaces, a beehive oven and original iron cranes, a colonial kitchen and vegetable and herb garden. You can experience colonial life in this restored antique cape which now rests on the original homestead land, a few yards form the cabin site of William Nickerson, founder of Chatham.

by Lisa Franz