Yarmouth is named after Great Yarmouth, a town in the county of Norfolk, on the east coast of England, which is itself at the mouth of the River Yare. Though none of the initial settlers hailed from that English town, the name was possibly chosen because across the North Sea from Yarmouth is the Netherlands, where a portion of the Mayflower passengers had lived in exile. This group of pilgrims arrived back in England via the port of Yarmouth before heading to the New World.
The Bass River and its tributaries make up the majority of the town's border with Dennis. There are also several smaller ponds throughout the town. The Cape Cod Bay shore is marshy, with several creeks flowing into it. The town's southern shore is known for its beaches, from the west jetty of the Bass River to Great Island, on the east and south sides of Hyannis Harbor. The town is also the site of four golf courses, a rod and gun club, and a Boy Scout camp.
For centuries, the economy in Yarmouth revolved around fishing, whaling, and maritime trade. In the early nineteenth century, many ships from Yarmouth transported goods between New England and Guangzhou as part of the Old China Trade. Visitors can learn more about the town’s rich maritime history at the home of Captain Bangs Hallet in Yarmouth Port. In the late nineteenth century, the quiet villages and scenic ocean beaches of Yarmouth began to attract a large number of summer visitors. Soon after, several summer cottage communities, many of them affiliated with religious groups, popped up along Route 28. As tourism developed in Yarmouth, these cottages gave away to hotels, motels, and individual summer homes.
Much of this early development was focused on the coastline around Lewis Bay in West Yarmouth. Lewis Bay has warm water and gentle waves, which makes it a popular vacation spot for families with young kids. Popular beaches on Lewis Bay include Englewood Beach, where beachgoers can watch ships passing through the bay, and Bayview Street Beach, where beachgoers can explore a marsh stream that empties fresh water into Nantucket Sound.
Yarmouth was organized and incorporated as part of the Plymouth Colony on September 3, 1639, following a settlement led by John Crowe (later Crowell), Thomas Howes and Anthony Thacher, and is, together with Sandwich, the oldest town on Cape Cod. Yarmouth originally included what is now the town of Dennis, which was incorporated as a separate community on June 19, 1793.
Check out the Yarmouth Sand Sculpture Trail, featuring sand sculptures at various local businesses across Yarmouth. The trail is organized by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce and paid for in part by the Town's Tourism Revenue Preservation Fund.
