Advertisement in the Provincetown Advocate, 22 July 1880. [Provincetown Public Library / Community History Archive]
Updated on 22 August 2026 | “Parties wishing to enjoy the scenery of a sail down Boston Harbor, past Minot’s Light and the shores of Massachusetts Bay, should take the Acushnet for Provincetown. Those who enjoy Boating, Bathing, and Fishing, will find Provincetown Harbor one of the most desirable on the New England Coast. Whales are seen almost daily, and Bluefish, Codfish, and Mackerel are caught in abundance.”
With this enticement, the South Shore Steamship Company announced its $2 round-trip excursions in July and August 1880 aboard the steamship Acushnet. The master was F. H. Ray and the agent was F. Wadsworth. Acushnet ran from Steamboat Wharf (a/k/a Matheson’s Wharf) in Provincetown to Comey’s Wharf in the North End of Boston, a site adjacent to what is now Coast Guard Base Boston.