Pilgrim Monument Collection - scrapbook circa 1940's

Unknown artist

This is a collection of newspaper articles from the 1940's compiled into a scrapbook now in the possession of the Pilgrim Monument. The topics are far flung and varied encompassing photos of Provincetown High School, Pilgrim Monument, Masonic Hall, churches and other landmarks as well as fires, floods, storms, drownings and harbor ice. There are many articles about individual residents and their accomplishments including Admiral McMillan's arctic explorations, Judge Welsh and the murder trial of Salvatori and Lorenzo Scola for the death of Antone Elias Malhado and stories of combat casualties and survivors of World War II along with common notices of births and deaths. Numerous pictures of wedding parties, sports teams, parades, artists, fishing boats, debutante dances, theatre productions, the town crier, the police force and WPA workers flesh out this collection. Other articles mention halibut, herring, swordfish and mackerel fishing with pictures of boats and catches. There is even a photo of a Provincetown nursery school class and Easter celebrations. As one browses through the many pages of this scrapbook a picture of day-to-day life at the tip of Cape Cod in the 1940's emerges with all its down-to-earth detail and occasional drama.