The Secret History of Wychmere Harbor: From Horse Race Track to Cape Cod's Most Photographed Harbor

By Bobby Bantick | Bantick Properties | Harwich, MA

Most people who pull over at the small dirt overlook on Route 28 in Harwich Port see one of the most picturesque harbors on Cape Cod and assume it's always been there. Bobby Bantick, a Cape Cod REALTOR® based in Harwich, MA, is here to set the record straight: Wychmere Harbor is entirely man-made, and the story of how it came to be is one of the most fascinating in all of Barnstable County.

What Was Wychmere Harbor Before It Was a Harbor?

Before Wychmere Harbor existed, the site was known simply as Salt Pond, a completely landlocked body of water with no meaningful connection to Nantucket Sound. There was a small trickle of water between the pond and the ocean, but nothing that would allow any boat, skiff, or fishing vessel to pass through. To the fishermen of Harwich Port, it was a source of considerable frustration. All that water, right on the edge of some of the most productive fishing grounds on the East Coast, with no way in.

So they tried to dig a channel by hand.

They failed.

When the hand-digging proved impossible, the town took a different approach entirely. The small stream was plugged, and a makeshift horse racing track was built around the perimeter of Salt Pond. For roughly three years, locals raced horses, sulky racing, around the edge of what would eventually become one of the most photographed harbors in New England.

How Wychmere Harbor Was Born: 50 Men and Shovels

The race track didn't last. In 1887, a group of determined fishermen and town residents took another run at the channel problem, this time with a crew of fifty men and shovels. They dug by hand from Salt Pond to Nantucket Sound, opening the harbor to the sea for the first time. Jetties followed, and almost immediately, the harbor began fulfilling the promise that fishermen had seen in Salt Pond all along.

Within a few years, fishing boats were working out of the new harbor, and the transformation of Harwich Port's waterfront had begun.

Where the Name "Wychmere" Came From

For decades after the channel was dug, the harbor was still called Salt Pond by most locals. That changed in the 1920s, when a group of business investors purchased most of the land surrounding the harbor and south toward South Harwich. They called themselves the Wychmere Syndicate, and one of their first orders of business was giving the harbor a more distinguished name for their real estate advertising.

The name "Wychmere" is more meaningful than it might appear. It comes from two roots:

• "Wich", a British term given to places associated with salt, which is why you'll find it in Sandwich, Greenwich, and Harwich itself
• "Mere", a Scottish word for lake

Put them together and you get Wychmere: salt lake. A fitting name for a harbor that started life as a salt pond, on land the English settlers had already given a salt-related name to centuries earlier.

By the early 1900s, the granite jetty on the west side of the channel had been completed. Within a few years of the Syndicate's investment, a fleet of shoal-draft catboats were calling Wychmere home.

A Harbor Shaped by Harwich Characters

Wychmere's history isn't just geology and engineering, it's full of notable Harwich figures worth knowing.

Waldo Brown is one of them. A Harwich Port native who graduated Andover in 1916, attended MIT, and served as an air commander in World War I, Brown returned to Harwich Port after the war and played a key role in the development of Wychmere's jetty and harbor infrastructure. He later helped his father-in-law, the president of Ford Motor Company, develop the Gray Marine Engine before returning permanently to Harwich Port and his beloved Wychmere Harbor.

The Stone Horse Yacht Club put down roots at Wychmere, and the Harwich Port Boat Works, run by Bill Lee, built the original Stone Horse sailboats designed by Samuel S. Crocker right at the harbor's edge before World War II. These were serious boats, built by serious craftsmen, in a working harbor that took its business seriously.

And then there was Thompson's Clam Bar, the iconic family restaurant that occupied the large building at the harbor entrance for decades. The building is still there, now home to the Wychmere Beach Club, but generations of Cape Codders remember pulling up in a skiff, tying off, and walking in for a bowl of chowder. Thompson's was the soul of Wychmere for much of the twentieth century.

Wychmere Harbor Today

Today, Wychmere Harbor is home to commercial fishing vessels, lobster boats, charter fishing boats, and recreational sailors. The Wychmere Beach Club, a luxury resort and event venue spanning nearly 20 pristine acres along the harbor channel and Nantucket Sound, sits on the western shore. The Stone Horse Yacht Club is still active. The narrow channel entrance remains a test of seamanship on a busy summer afternoon, and the jetty walk is one of the best free things to do in Harwich Port.

The small dirt pullout on Route 28 is still there too, still packed with people taking photos, still hosting wedding portraits, still giving locals and visitors alike a reason to stop and look at something genuinely beautiful.

Wychmere is one of three harbors in Harwich Port, alongside Allen Harbor to the west and Saquatucket Harbor to the east. Together, the three harbors support commercial fishing boats, charter operations, the Nantucket ferry service, harbor cruises, and hundreds of recreational boaters every season. But of the three, Wychmere is the one people come back to photograph. It has always had that quality, even when it was just a salt pond with horses running around it.

What Wychmere Harbor Means for Harwich Real Estate

Properties near Wychmere Harbor command a premium, and they always have. Walkability to the harbor, water views along the channel, and proximity to the Harwich Port village center are all factors that consistently push values higher here than in other parts of Harwich.

Harbor Road and Snow Inn Road are the closest streets to the water. The village is walkable, with restaurants, marina, Bank Street Beach, and local shops all within easy reach. That combination of walkability, water access, and authentic Cape Cod character is rare on the Lower Cape, and well-priced properties in this pocket of Harwich Port move quickly.

FAQ: Wychmere Harbor, Harwich MA

What was Wychmere Harbor before it was a harbor? It was a landlocked salt pond called Salt Pond, with no ocean access. Before the channel was dug in 1887, locals built a horse racing track around it for roughly three years.

Is Wychmere Harbor man-made? Yes. Unlike Allen Harbor and Saquatucket Harbor, which are natural harbors, Wychmere is entirely man-made. The channel to Nantucket Sound was dug by hand in 1887 by a crew of fifty men.

How did Wychmere Harbor get its name? The name was coined by the Wychmere Syndicate in the 1920s, a group of investors who purchased the surrounding land. "Wychmere" combines the British "wich" (associated with salt, as in Sandwich or Harwich) and "mere" (Scottish for lake), meaning "salt lake."

Where is Wychmere Harbor in Harwich? Wychmere Harbor is located in Harwich Port, between Snow Inn Road and Harbor Road, with a direct view from Route 28. It overlooks Nantucket Sound, west of Saquatucket Harbor.

Can you walk to the harbor in Harwich Port? Yes. Harwich Port is one of the most walkable villages on Cape Cod. The harbor is within easy walking distance of restaurants, shops, Bank Street Beach, and the broader village center.

What is the Wychmere Beach Club? The Wychmere Beach Club is a luxury resort and event venue on the western shore of Wychmere Harbor, spanning nearly 20 acres along the harbor channel and Nantucket Sound. It was formerly the site of the iconic Thompson's Clam Bar.

Thinking About Buying Near Wychmere Harbor?

If you're exploring homes in Harwich Port or anywhere on Cape Cod, Bobby Bantick at Bantick Properties knows this market inside and out. Let's talk about what's available and what's right for you.