Tour the Villages: West Yarmouth

Tour the Villages
West Yarmouth

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Old School House and Congregational Church	Baxter Drew House	1750 House	Aberdeen Hall, Great Island

Point Gammon Light	The Sunlight Laundry	The Casino	Tower at Crelthome

Called "South Seas" by the Native Americans, the southern portion of the Town of Yarmouth was home to many generations of Indians. The first European settler, Yelverton Crowe, arrived in 1643, purchasing much of what is now present-day West Yarmouth from the Indians. Crowe(ll) and his descendants populated the region, although the village remained small and rural in nature. Homes with large acreage for subsistence farming dotted the county road (now busy Route 28) and most villagers were farmers, fishermen, or seafarers. A fulling mill in the village, operated by the Baxter family, was the first known mill in Yarmouth. The Baxter's also built and operated a grist mill, which is still in existence along Route 28 and is today a town-owned historic site open to the public. As the 1800s came to a close, more and more people from the cities began to look toward the shore for rest and respite. The rural nature, open spaces, and large beaches of West Yarmouth made it a prime target for developers who were soon building hotels, cottage communities, and cabins. The summer trade soon became the primary industry of the village and it remains so today.