Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District

Along more than five miles of undeveloped Atlantic coastline in Provincetown and Truro, a scattering of weathered wood shacks sits among shifting sand dunes. This district covers roughly 1,960 acres within Cape Cod National Seashore and includes 18 contributing shacks built between the 1920s and early 1950s, plus the dune landscape itself. The shacks are small, unornamented, shingled buildings, usually a single room, set on piers and altered over time as sand eroded or accreted. Several have been moved back from the shoreline, and their parts are often salvaged or reused. Access is by unmarked sand tracks, which adds to the sense of isolation. The area is recognized as a seasonal retreat used from 1920 to 1991 for recreation, fishing, artistic inspiration and contemplation, with ties to writers and artists such as poet Harry Kemp. The shacks, the dunes and the open views together convey that rustic, maritime and creative heritage. Eleven small modern outbuildings are counted as noncontributing.