Brewster History
Brewster was once part of Harwich, actually the original part of
Harwich, the North Parish. Then, in 1803 the North Parish was spun
off to become incorporated as Brewster and the newer section of
Harwich, the South Parish, remained as Harwich. This provided for
some interesting politics as many of the movers and shakers of
Harwich lived in the North Parish, now Brewster.
Brewster, with its northern boundary on Cape Cod Bay, has always
been associated with the sea. At one time, it is said, Brewster had
more deep water captains per population than any other town, roaming
the globe, from Europe to Australia to the islands of the South
Pacific. But the deep water shipping is now history.
Today Brewster, and its visitors, benefit from the legacy of its
ship captains. Many of their beautiful homes have become the
delightful B&Bs that are prime examples of the current major
industry of Brewster - host to visitors.
However, if you call the Brewster Chamber of Commerce and ask for
information about hotels and/or motels you will get this answer: "We
don't have any hotels or motels in Brewster. The nearest thing to a
hotel is the Ocean Edge Resort and everything else is either a B&B,
three rooms or less, or an inn."
Brewster is not "any place U.S.A." and this is what Brewster wants.
And this is what its many happy and repeat visitors want.
Though Brewster, by design, doesn't have hotels or motels it does
have many attractions, not the least of which wandering around it
and absorbing its charm.