Harwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Harwich lies just north of the Nantucket Sound and west of Chatham. Vacation rentals here are either cottage or private homes. A Harwich vacation home can run from $1,000 per week up to $7,500 per week, and a cottage vacation rental might range between $550 and $2,200 a week in peak months.

- The Lower Cape Cod town of Harwich (pop. 9,996) includes Harwichport.
- Points of Interest: Wychmere, Allen & Saquatucket Harbors, Nantucket Sound & Pleasant Bay beaches, Historical Society at Brooks Academy, Brooks Free Library/Rogers Collection, Brooks Park, Cape Cod Rail Trail.
- Located midway between the Cape Cod Canal and Provincetown
- There is a ferry boat leaving from Saquatucket Harbor which goes to Nantucket, and beautiful saltwater beaches along the Nantucket Sound.
- Historic Harwich Center and Harwich Port are a bit of old-time Americana, with band concerts in the summertime.
- offers golf, charter fishing, and bike trails
- famous for its world class Cranberry Harvest Festival, which takes place every September
- originally known as Satucket until it was incorporated as a town in 1694. After incorporation the town was then named for the famous seaport in England. The commercial growth of cranberries began in the Pleasant Lake section of Harwich in 1844. Cranberry farming is still a big industry in Harwich.
- Harwich Cranberry Festival is one of the Cape's largest, oldest and most popular and draws over 100,000 people every year. The ten-day event celebrates our native American fruit which was first cultivated here. The final night of the festival has one of the best fireworks displays in New England.
- Beaches: over 22 beaches, both fresh and salt water. Most of the saltwater beaches are on Nantucket Sound; Red River: off Route 28 to Hill Road to Hardings Beach Road; Long Pond: Long Pond Road and another beach is at Cahoon Road (off of Long Pond); Sand Pond: Great Western Road Seymour Pond: Route 124; Bank Street Beach, Pleasant Road Beach and Brooks Road Beach
- Museums: Harwich Historical Society, Brooks Academy Builidng, 80 Parallel Street
- Libraries; Brooks Free Library, 739 Main Street, Harwich Center
The Shoemaker Who Spied For The Revolution
Enoch Crosby was born in Harwich in 1750. His early life was rather ordinary, and after completing his apprenticeship as a shoemaker, nothing hinted his life would be anything but ordinary. However, after learning of the fight at Lexington, he decided to enlist. On his way, he met a stranger who incorrectly assumed he was a fellow British sympathizer and introduced him to many leading Torys. When patriot John Jay learned of this, he recruited Crosby to spy on the Loyalists.
As Crosby entered Loyalists' homes to repair or make new shoes, he reported back to his fellow Revolutionaries. And, although his information led to many arrests Crosby escaped suspicion for a long time. When he was discovered, though, his enemies beat him severely. Once recovered, he enlisted in the army and later led a very ordinary life. Author James Fenimore Cooper recognized Crosby was not an ordinary man but the real-life model for his 1821 novel, "The Spy".
In 1827, Crosby attended a New York performance of the play based on the best-selling novel.