On a crisp September evening in 1899, a seventeen-year-old petty thief named Edwin Ray Snow shot and killed a bakery deliveryman named Jimmy Whittemore outside Yarmouth. The gunshots rang out for only a moment, but the effects resounded on Cape Cod for half a century. The idyllic atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Cape Cod was shattered in a flash. Soon after the crime, Snow pleaded guilty to murder in the first degree, and was the first person ever to be sentenced to death by electric chair in Massachusetts history. But his compelling story didn't end there, and his redemption--earned through decades of hard time--was as dramatic and uplifting as his crime was heinous. Drawing upon town records, historical documents, correspondence and newspapers of the day, The Cape Cod Murder of 1899 recreates the towns of Dennis and Yarmouth at the turn of the century and examines the details of a murder that shook Cape Cod to its core.

The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment & Redemption

Biographies & Memoirs

Barbo, Theresa Mitchell

Historical

History Press Library Editions

On February 18, 1952, off the coast of Cape Cod, a fierce nor'easter snapped in half two 503-foot oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer. Human grace and grit, leadership and endurance prevail as Theresa Mitchell Barbo and Captain W. Russell Webster (Ret.) recount the historic, heroic rescue of thirty-two merchant mariners from the sinking Pendleton by four young Coast Guardsmen aboard the 36-foot motor lifeboat CG36500. A foreword by former Commandant Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.) and an essay by Master Chief John "Jack" Downey (Ret.), a veteran of thousands of modern-day small boat rescues, round out the special third edition of this classic work on Coast Guard history.

The Pendleton Disaster Off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History (Updated)

Webster, Rusell

Webster, W Russell

Travel

Hidden History of Cape Cod

The salty waves and sandy beaches of Cape Cod disguise its fascinating and nearly forgotten history. From Provincetown to Falmouth, the Cape's fifteen towns offer a plethora of hidden and enchanting tales. Learn why one of the most famous rescues in Coast Guard history spent nearly fifty years in the shadows without public notice. Discover which wild creature went from the nineteenth-century soup pot to enjoying conservation protection under state law. Historian Theresa Mitchell Barbo explores these mysteries and more, from the lost diary of a nineteenth-century schoolteacher to the reason Cape Codders call their lunch "the noontime dinner." Join Barbo as she lifts the lid on the quirky and remarkable character of Cape Cod and its forgotten happenings.

History

Americas

Some of America's earliest settlers established permanent towns on Cape Cod. These communities and their residents created the quintessential Yankee spirit and the notoriously flinty character of Cape Cod. In True Accounts of Yankee Ingenuity and Grit, learn how people truly lived in the early years along the shore and how their values and beliefs resonate today. Journalist and Cape Cod Voice history editor Theresa Barbo eloquently crafts stories of hardship, challenges, ingenuity and grit from letters, diaries and firsthand accounts that span the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. Meet adventurers, tradesmen, mariners, mothers, husbands and children and follow them through adventures great and small. From the founding of the earliest towns to maritime adventures to the homely details of everyday life?all are here, set against the salty backdrop of the Olde Cape Cod we know and love.

True Accounts of Yankee Ingenuity and Grit from The Cape Cod Voice (American Chronicles)

The History Press

The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment & Redemption (True Crime)

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

European explorers were captivated by the seemingly endless bounty of natural resources on Cape Cod Bay. One Englishman declared that the codfish were so thick one could walk on their backs. Early settlers quickly learned how to harness the bay's resources and excelled at shore whaling, shipping and salt making. But as these new industries flourished, the native Wampanoag, who helped the fledgling colony to take root, nearly vanished. Author Theresa Mitchell Barbo's skillful narrative weaves together the natural and cultural histories of the bay, highlighting some of the region's diverse milestones- from the drafting of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 to the establishment of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant 350 years later. Cape Cod Bay: A History of Salt & Sea inspires new appreciation for this storied and stunning seascape, and underscores the importance of new efforts to preserve the bay's unique ecosystem.

Cape Cod Bay: A History of Salt and Sea

The Pendleton Disaster off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History

Webster USCG (Ret.), Captain W. Russell

For hundreds of years, before English settlers permanently colonized what is now Cape Cod, bears and wolves were the top predators on this peninsula of Massachusetts. The Cape actually became an island when the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges were completed. This book details the history of wildlife on Cape Cod, at near shore, such as whaling and whale migration, and inland, like bears and wolves. It also contains essays on human interactions between animals and humans on this landscape for over 400 years, and how peoples' attitudes and behaviors toward animals have evolved.

Cape Cod Wildlife:: A History of Untamed Forests, Seas and Shores

Jack Nickerson and his faithful lab, Sinbad, wake early one snowy Cape Cod morning, ready for winter fun. Meanwhile, miles away in the ocean, the crew of a cargo tanker ship called the Pendleton" is in serious trouble. The waves and wind of a raging nor'easter rip the tanker in two, leaving the people to cling for their lives in the wicked, cold storm. There's no time to waste--the Coast Guard, including Jack's friend Bernie Webber, leave Chatham Harbor in search of the "Pendleton" crew. They don't yet know that Jack and Sinbad have snuck aboard the rescue boat as stowaways. Join the young duo in the front-row seat for the greatest small-boat rescue in American history."

The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew

Children's Books

Webster, W. Russell Russell

Literature & Fiction

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barbo, Theresa Mitchell. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Barbo, Theresa Mitchell

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Barbo, Theresa Mitchell. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment & Redemption

The Pendleton Disaster Off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History (Updated)

Hidden History of Cape Cod

True Accounts of Yankee Ingenuity and Grit from The Cape Cod Voice (American Chronicles)

The Cape Cod Murder of 1899: Edwin Ray Snow's Punishment & Redemption (True Crime)

Cape Cod Bay: A History of Salt and Sea

The Pendleton Disaster off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History

Cape Cod Wildlife:: A History of Untamed Forests, Seas and Shores

The Daring Coast Guard Rescue of the Pendleton Crew

Hidden History of Cape Cod