Provincetown : : From Pilgrim Landing to Gay Resort / / Karen Christel Krahulik.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter New York University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Krahulik, Karen Christel,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : New York University Press, , [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Series: American History and Culture ; 4
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

How did a sleepy New England fishing village become a gay mecca? In this dynamic history, Karen Christel Krahulik explains why Provincetown, Massachusetts-alternately known as “Land’s End,” “Cape-tip,” “Cape-end,” and, to some, “Queersville, U.S.A”-has meant many things to many people. Provincetown tells the story of this beguiling coastal town, from its early history as a mid-nineteenth century colonial village to its current stature as a bustling gay tourist destination. It details the many cultures and groups-Yankee artists, Portuguese fishermen, tourists-that have comprised and influenced Provincetown, and explains how all of them, in conjunction with larger economic and political forces, come together to create a gay and lesbian mecca.Through personal stories and historical accounts, Provincetown reveals the fascinating features that have made Provincetown such a textured and colorful destination: its fame as the landfall of the Mayflower Pilgrims, charm as an eccentric artists’ colony, and allure as a Dionysian playground. It also hints at one of Provincetown’s most dramatic economic changes: its turn from fishing village to resort town. From a history of fishing economies to a history of tourism, Provincetown, in the end, is as eclectic and vibrant as the city itself.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART I INVENTING PROVINCETOWN, 1859–1928 -- Introduction -- 1 Colonial Outpost -- 2 “The Perfect Compromise” Provincetown’s Portuguese Pilgrims -- 3 “Paradise of Artists” -- PART II SURVIVING PROVINCETOWN, 1929–1969 -- Introduction -- 4 Weathering the Depression -- 5 “Provincetown Tells the Gayflower Set: Scram” -- PART III GENTRIFYING PROVINCETOWN, 1970–2000 -- 6 “Sexism in Paradise” -- 7 “Gay World” -- Conclusion: Cape Queer? -- Notes -- Index -- About the Author