The mission of the Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation is to raise money through donations, fundraising, and grants to erect a monument at the foot of MacMillan Pier in Provincetown, MA. The bronze statue will be 14’ x 8′ and feature an empty Grand Banks dory atop a rolling wave. On this wave, the names of the Provincetown and Truro men, women, and children lost at sea will be engraved. It is a fitting tribute and also symbolic of the many thousands of souls who perished on the backside bars of Cape Cod over the past centuries.

In the ten years between 1890 and 1900, Provincetown lost 91 fishermen to the sea. On October 3, 1841, Truro suffered the devastating loss of 57 men who were carried to their deaths in a violent storm leaving behind a generation of fatherless children. This is just a portion of the names that will be engraved on the Fishermen’s Memorial being erected in Provincetown to honor these men, women, and children who died while making a living at sea.

When the waterfront was teeming with activity in the mid to late 1800s, roughly 50 wharves stood perpendicular to the shore. The hard-working people of Truro and Provincetown risked their lives to provide seafood to the markets, bolstering the economy, and building up Provincetown as it took its place as one of the top ports in the North Atlantic.

Many Cape Codders are blessed to have grown up immersed in the fishing community, but the blessing came at a significant cost. The fishing industry, particularly in the Northeast, is one of the most hazardous occupations in the country, ranking second on the list of deadliest jobs according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The villages of Provincetown and Truro have lost many hundreds of family and friends to the unforgiving sea for over three hundred years.

Please help us honor them by donating to this historically important cause.

We are grateful for your consideration and support.
Thank you.