Jeremiah's Gutter, also called ''Jeremy’s Dream'' was a canal located on the border of Orleans and Eastham, Massachusetts, the first canal to cut across the peninsula of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. It connected

Cape Cod Bay A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It was active for over 100 years, although it gradually fell out of use and was replaced by the

Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately canal traverses the neck o ...

History

The eastern side of Cape Cod has always been treacherous to shipping. On 26 April 1717, a passage on land owned by Jeremiah Smith between Boat Meadow Creek on the side of

and Town Cove to the east was deepened by a storm. The resulting canal was very shallow, allowing a maximum of 20-ton boats. In 1804, it was widened and improved which allowed use during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Proposals for a new canal began to take priority in the late 1800s, and the canal began to fall into disrepair. In 1916, the

opened between

Bourne Bourne may refer to: Places UK * Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town ** Bourne Abbey ** Bourne railway station * Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex * Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset * Bourne ...

and

Sandwich, Massachusetts Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and is the oldest town on Cape Cod. The town motto is ''Post tot Naufracia Portus'', "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". The population was 20,259 at the 2020 census. History Cape Cod wa ...

. The only remains of Jeremiah's Gutter are a river and cut through the marsh. These can be viewed from the

Cape Cod Rail Trail The Cape Cod Rail Trail (CCRT) is a paved rail trail located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The trail route passes through the towns of Yarmouth, Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, and Wellfleet. It connects to the 6-plus mile (1 ...

about 0.3 miles north of the Rock Harbor Road parking. All traces of the canal from the eastern end near Town Cove have been removed by the construction of the rotary at

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to P ...

and by the construction of homes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeremiah's Gutter Canals in Massachusetts Bodies of water of Barnstable County, Massachusetts Orleans, Massachusetts Transportation buildings and structures in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Canals opened in 1717 1717 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies