COTUIT, MASSACHUSETTS

'Cotuit' is a village in the city of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. Located on a peninsula on the south side of Barnstable about midway between Falmouth and Hyannis. Cotuit is primarily residential with several small beaches including Ropes Beach, Riley's Beach, The Loop Beach and Oregon Beach.
The town itself is very quaint with only a few businesses in the downtown area. The center of town includes a small restaurant and bar called The Kettle-Ho, which is named after the legend of how the town was acquired from the Indians for a kettle and a hoe. There was a gas station for years in the center of town but it has not been operating for the last few years even though it is still there. There is a post office, a church and several real estate offices, including Mycock Insurance. At one point there were three real estate offices in downtown. Heading out of town there is the COOP which is a general store and liquor store that has had an art gallery from time to time upstairs.
Years ago there was more commercial activity including hotels such as The Pines in town when the town was a resort area. During the 1970s there was a large restaurant called The Harbor View which has been turned into a private residence.
Cotuit Bay, the main body of water in town, is bounded by Cotuit, Grand Island (part of Osterville) and Sampson's Island, making the bay a quiet harbor. Sampson's Island is an Audubon bird sanctuary and can only be reached by boat. The bay is very shallow and as a result is very warm towards the end of summer.
Cotuit is world famous for its oysters and in years past, Cotuit oysters could be found on menus in restaurants from San Francisco to Boston to Paris. In the 1980s, however, many oyster beds were stricken with a disease that killed nearly all Cotuit oysters. They are now mainly found in restaurants on Cape Cod.
Since the early 1900s the Cotuit Mosquito Yacht Club has hosted races during the summer months. Although the yacht club has had more than one fleet, the gaff-rigged sailing craft called the Cotuit Skiff (formerly known as the "Mosquito") has been raced for slightly over the 100 years that the yacht club has existed. Other boats used over the years include Optimist Prams, O'Day Daysailors and Lasers.
The Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League play at picturesque Lowell Park from mid-June to early August. The team has the most championships in league history.
There is a newly published pictorial history of Cotuit by James W. Gould called Cotuit and Santuit, Images of America: Massachusetts. The Cahoon Museum of American Art is located in Cotuit at the former home of the Cahoons who were prominent painters.

Contents

External links

External links

★ Cotuit Skiff Class Association

★ Cotuit Mosquito Yacht Club Association

★ ''Cotuit and Santuit, Images of America: Massachusetts'' (ISBN 0-7385-1155-2)

★ Cotuit Skiff History

★ [1]

★ Cotuit Kettleers