A History of Billingsgate

The Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum is proud to present the fourth reprinting of The History of Billingsgate by Durand Echeverria. After thirty years, it remains the definitive account of the 1644 settlement originally called Billingsgate by restless and opportunity-seeking Plymouth colonists. During these early years, the colonists confronted the problems of contentious and divisive politics, man-made environmental destruction, coastal erosion and flooding, the silting of harbors, the protection of oyster beds, and the human and economic toll of an epidemic. Their struggles continue to be our struggles today. Billingsgate's prolonged pursuit of separation from Eastham was finally realized with its incorporation in 1763. This book explores the origins and mystery behind the name finally chosen for the new town - When Wellfleet Became Wellfleet.