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it 



100 YEARS EXPLORING LIFE, 1888-1988 



Behind Sam Cahoon 's 

 fish market on the dock, 

 where much of the 

 processing took place, 

 circa 1930. Photographs 

 by Alfred F. Huettner, 

 MBL Archives. 



Steam," the latter two from the train yard next door. Once a popular actress 

 was in Woods Hole for a visit. She rowed over to the town from Penzance 

 Point; the fashionable lower tip of Cape Cod, to get some fish; but she had 

 forgotten her money. She announced that she was the actress Katharine 

 Cornell, expecting her familiar name to be sufficient. The generous and 

 honest Sam Cahoon responded that, in fact, he had never heard of her but 

 that did not matter to him. "Give the lady her fish," he said. 



In addition to fish markets, the town had its drug store, dry goods shop, 

 and even its own hardware store, the latter run by Edward Swift. The 

 popular Mr. Swift recalled when the whaling ships were built in Woods 

 Hole, as well as when the first train had arrived and when tlie last train left. 

 In addition, a few informal businesses kept things happening at times. 

 Rumrunners during Prohibition added excitement, especially when they got 

 news of a coming redd and had to toss the wooden crates overboard for later 

 retrieval. Town boys tried to get tliere first. Woods Hole was a busy town, vvath 

 an active commercial life and a scientific population growing side by side. 



World War I brought changes in Woods Hole. The Great War ended witli 

 a heroic burning of the Kaiser at a grand bonfire, very inspiring to the 

 local youth. During the war, Woods Hole had a few exotic exiles, including 

 one Russian family who built tlieir own house by hand, and tlie future 

 president of Czechoslovakia. Following the war, people began to build more 



