A Historic Dedication? Officials Consider Whether Boathouse Should Be Memorial

CHATHAM – With the former Stage Harbor Coast Guard boathouse nestled onto sturdy pilings at its new home at 90 Bridge St., some town officials are thinking about whether the historic structure should be a memorial to a specific person.

 Several possibilities were raised at a recent select board meeting. Among those who could be honored are Dr. Robert Duncanson, Cassie Abreu and Bernard Webber.

 At its March 31 meeting, Historical Commission Chair Frank Messina asked the board to consider dedicating the boathouse to Duncanson, the town’s long-time director of natural resources who passed away late last year. Duncanson was key in helping return the boathouse to town, Messina said.

 “It would be an appropriate way to honor him,” he said. Duncanson also played a key role in preserving the town’s shellfish resources through his work protecting water quality. “I don’t think there’s one person in Chatham who’s done more for water quality.”

 Because of that, it may be more appropriate to dedicate the town’s wastewater treatment plant, which includes a laboratory that Duncanson founded, to the late scientist, said select board member Cory Metters. That seems more fitting, agreed board member Stuart Smith, who suggested that dedicating the boathouse to Webber, the coxswain on the Coast Guard rescue boat 36500, would be more in line with its historic use.

 “My sense is Bob would understand,” Smith said, adding that Duncanson also served in the Coast Guard.

 The former boathouse once sheltered the 36500, which is famous for rescuing crewmembers from the wreck of the Pendleton during a blizzard in February 1952. The incident is still considered the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Board member Jeffrey Dykens added that he’d like to see the 36500, which is owned by the Centers for Culture and History in Orleans, at the boathouse dedication.

 Board member Shareen Davis suggested that Abreu would be a more appropriate person for the dedication, since the boathouse is being repurposed to house the town’s shellfish upwelling operation. The propagation program began when Abreu was shellfish constable, Davis pointed out.

 “I think it would be fitting that the upweller be named after her,” she said.

 In an email, historian Richard Ryder suggested steering clear of naming the building after a person. He suggested a plaque or sign reading, “In Appreciation Of The Men And Women Of The U.S. Coast Guard Who Have Supported The Mariners Of The Town Of Chatham Since 1915."

 There’s plenty of time to mull over a dedication. Work on completing renovations to the boathouse and installing a new shellfish upwelling system will take some time, and ribbon cutting probably won’t be held until next spring. Board Chair Dean Nicastro said the matter will be placed on a future board agenda for further discussion, and he’d hope to get a recommendation from the historical commission.

 Nicastro added that a free-standing memorial either at the boathouse site or elsewhere may be more appropriate for Duncanson. “He was a person of regional impact,” he said.