Brewster, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Brewster is a town
in Barnstable County
, Massachusetts
, United States
, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod
. The population of Brewster was 9,820 at the 2010 census.
Brewster is twinned with the town of Budleigh Salterton
in the United Kingdom
.
The Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League
play at the Stony Brook School from mid-June to early August.
. The town separated from Harwich as the northern, more wealthy parish of Harwich
in 1693, and was officially incorporated as its own town in 1803 when the less wealthy citizens of Harwich were upset that the town's institutions were all on Brewster's main street (Route 6A), including the town hall and churches. Brewster was named in honor of Elder William Brewster
, the first religious leader of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony. The town's history grew around Stony Brook, where the first water-powered grist and woolen mill in the country was founded in the late 17th century. There were also many rich sea captains in the town, who built many of the mansions and stately homes which now constitute the town's inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Most notable of these is the Crosby Mansion on Crosby Lane by Crosby beach, which is currently undergoing renovations to allow for more weddings and other functions.
, the town has a total area of 25.5 square miles (65.9 km²), of which, 23.0 square miles (59.5 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it (9.70%) is water.
Brewster is bordered on the north by Cape Cod Bay
, on the west by Dennis
, on the south by Harwich
, and on the east by Orleans
. The town is usually separated into two villages, West and East Brewster. Brewster is thirty-one miles south of Provincetown
, seventeen miles (27 km) east of Barnstable
, thirty-one miles east of the Sagamore Bridge
, and eighty-five miles southeast of Boston, Massachusetts.
The town is bordered by extensive tidal sand flats to the north, along the shores of Cape Cod Bay. The town is also home to the Roland C. Nickerson State Forest Park, the largest state forest on Cape Cod. The town has several large ponds, especially along the Harwich town line. There are several brooks throughout the town, all of which lead to Cape Cod Bay. The bay is also home to several boat landings and beaches in the town.
Brewster is home to the largest pond on Cape Cod, Long Pond. The Brewster-Harwich townline goes directly through the middle of the pond. The second largest pond is Cliff Pond located in Nickerson State Park. Both are popular motorsport (boating) destinations.
Brewster holds the worlds record for largest freshwater largemouth bass ever caught. Eric Frechette, on April 15, 1999 caught a 17.7 lbs bass that took him 45 minutes of brutal fighting to wind in. The record still holds today.
passes through Brewster from south to north, as a two-lane expressway with no exits in the town, although exits 9–12 provide access to Brewster via other roads. The five other numbered highways in Brewster are all surface roads. Route 6A
passes through the town from east to west as Main Street through the town center. Routes 124
and 137
both have a northern terminus along Route 6A in town; short portions of Routes 28 and 39
also pass through the southeastern corner of town (the portion of 28 is less than 100 yards long). Brewster has one stop light (blinking red light-four way stop) at the intersection of Harwich Road (Route 124) and Long Pond Road (Route 137).
There is no rail or air service in the town. The Cape Cod Rail Trail
, as well as several other bicycle trails, pass through the town. The nearest public airfield is in Chatham (Chatham Municipal, CQX); the nearest regional airport is Barnstable Municipal Airport
(HYA), and the nearest national and international air service is at Logan International Airport
in Boston.
of 2000, there were 10,094 people, 4,124 households, and 2,853 families residing in the town. The population density
was 439.2 people per square mile (169.6/km²). There were 7,339 housing units at an average density of 319.3 per square mile (123.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.76% Black or African American
, 0.23% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races
, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 4,124 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,276, and the median income for a family was $57,174. Males had a median income of $41,407 versus $33,388 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,638. About 1.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Brewster is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
as a part of the First Barnstable District, along with Dennis and a portion of Yarmouth. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
.
On the national level, Brewster is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
, and is currently represented by William Keating
. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
. The junior (Class II) senator is Scott Brown
, who came to office in a special 2010 election after the death of Senator Ted Kennedy
.
Brewster is governed by the open town meeting
form of government, led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen
. The town has its own police and fire departments. The fire department remains on Route 6A near the terminus of Route 137, while the police station is located about a half mile away on Route 124. There is a single post office near the geographic center of town, as well as the Brewster Ladies' Library http://www.brewsterladieslibrary.org/, a 50,000-volume library which is a part of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
library network. The Long Pond Medical Center, located just over the Harwich line at the intersection of Routes 6 and 137, serves the medical needs of the town, as well as the southeastern corner of the Cape.
in North Eastham. There is also a public charter school available to middle school students from Brewster: The Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans.
Additionally, the town's high school students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in neighboring Harwich free of charge. There are also two private schools, The Family School and The Laurel School, both of which serve elementary students.
See also: Brewster (CDP), Massachusetts
Nickerson's shares in First National Bank of Chicago were sold according to the New York Times 9/29/1899 for $2.1M. The syndicate that purchased the shares included J.P. Morgan, E.H. Harriman & Marshall Field. The Nickerson summer house, Fieldstone Hall, in Brewster, MA, is now a condominium resort called Ocean Edge.
In a 2011 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Ashley Judd traced her direct lineage back to William Brewster, the town's namesake.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Barnstable County
Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, consisting of Cape Cod and associated islands. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,902...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. The population of Brewster was 9,820 at the 2010 census.
Brewster is twinned with the town of Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the south coast of Devon, England 15 miles south of Exeter. It is situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designated East Devon AONB.- Features :...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer baseball league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, in which many college baseball stars play during the summer. Many future Major League Baseball players have started there during their college years; MLB has provided...
play at the Stony Brook School from mid-June to early August.
History
Brewster was first settled in 1656 as a northeastern parish of the town of Harwich, MassachusettsHarwich, Massachusetts
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on "the Sound side" of Cape...
. The town separated from Harwich as the northern, more wealthy parish of Harwich
Harwich, Massachusetts
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on "the Sound side" of Cape...
in 1693, and was officially incorporated as its own town in 1803 when the less wealthy citizens of Harwich were upset that the town's institutions were all on Brewster's main street (Route 6A), including the town hall and churches. Brewster was named in honor of Elder William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
, the first religious leader of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony. The town's history grew around Stony Brook, where the first water-powered grist and woolen mill in the country was founded in the late 17th century. There were also many rich sea captains in the town, who built many of the mansions and stately homes which now constitute the town's inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Most notable of these is the Crosby Mansion on Crosby Lane by Crosby beach, which is currently undergoing renovations to allow for more weddings and other functions.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 25.5 square miles (65.9 km²), of which, 23.0 square miles (59.5 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²) of it (9.70%) is water.
Brewster is bordered on the north by Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....
, on the west by Dennis
Dennis, Massachusetts
Dennis is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; located near the center of Cape Cod. The population was 14,207 at the 2010 census.The town encompasses five distinct villages, each of which has its own post office...
, on the south by Harwich
Harwich, Massachusetts
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on "the Sound side" of Cape...
, and on the east by Orleans
Orleans, Massachusetts
Orleans is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,890 at the 2010 census....
. The town is usually separated into two villages, West and East Brewster. Brewster is thirty-one miles south of Provincetown
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
, seventeen miles (27 km) east of Barnstable
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
, thirty-one miles east of the Sagamore Bridge
Sagamore Bridge
The Sagamore Bridge in Sagamore, Massachusetts carries U.S. Route 6 across the Cape Cod Canal, connecting Cape Cod with the rest of Massachusetts, USA....
, and eighty-five miles southeast of Boston, Massachusetts.
The town is bordered by extensive tidal sand flats to the north, along the shores of Cape Cod Bay. The town is also home to the Roland C. Nickerson State Forest Park, the largest state forest on Cape Cod. The town has several large ponds, especially along the Harwich town line. There are several brooks throughout the town, all of which lead to Cape Cod Bay. The bay is also home to several boat landings and beaches in the town.
Brewster is home to the largest pond on Cape Cod, Long Pond. The Brewster-Harwich townline goes directly through the middle of the pond. The second largest pond is Cliff Pond located in Nickerson State Park. Both are popular motorsport (boating) destinations.
Brewster holds the worlds record for largest freshwater largemouth bass ever caught. Eric Frechette, on April 15, 1999 caught a 17.7 lbs bass that took him 45 minutes of brutal fighting to wind in. The record still holds today.
Transportation
U.S. Route 6U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
passes through Brewster from south to north, as a two-lane expressway with no exits in the town, although exits 9–12 provide access to Brewster via other roads. The five other numbered highways in Brewster are all surface roads. Route 6A
Route 6A (Massachusetts)
Route 6A is the name for parts of former U.S. Route 6 on Cape Cod. Most of "6A", as the locals call it, is also known as the Old King's Highway...
passes through the town from east to west as Main Street through the town center. Routes 124
Route 124 (Massachusetts)
Route 124 is a south–north state route located in the towns of Harwich and Brewster, Massachusetts.-Route description:The road begins at the intersection of Route 28, overlapping Route 39. It leaves Route 39 next to the First Parish Church in downtown Harwich. After , the road passes the...
and 137
Route 137 (Massachusetts)
Route 137 is a north–south state route on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It is located within the towns of Brewster, Harwich and Chatham.Route 137 begins in Brewster at the intersection of Route 6A and Long Pond Road...
both have a northern terminus along Route 6A in town; short portions of Routes 28 and 39
Route 39 (Massachusetts)
Route 39 is a southwest-northeast route through the towns of Harwich, Brewster and Orleans, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It begins and ends at Route 28, acting as a bypass route for those not wishing to follow the Highway through Harwich Port and Chatham....
also pass through the southeastern corner of town (the portion of 28 is less than 100 yards long). Brewster has one stop light (blinking red light-four way stop) at the intersection of Harwich Road (Route 124) and Long Pond Road (Route 137).
There is no rail or air service in the town. The Cape Cod Rail Trail
Cape Cod Rail Trail
The Cape Cod Rail Trail is a paved rail trail located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.Operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, it occupies an abandoned Old Colony Railroad corridor and extends from Route 134 in South Dennis to LeCount Hollow Road in South Wellfleet.Its...
, as well as several other bicycle trails, pass through the town. The nearest public airfield is in Chatham (Chatham Municipal, CQX); the nearest regional airport is Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable...
(HYA), and the nearest national and international air service is at Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
in Boston.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,094 people, 4,124 households, and 2,853 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 439.2 people per square mile (169.6/km²). There were 7,339 housing units at an average density of 319.3 per square mile (123.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.76% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.23% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.
There were 4,124 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.79.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,276, and the median income for a family was $57,174. Males had a median income of $41,407 versus $33,388 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $24,638. About 1.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
as a part of the First Barnstable District, along with Dennis and a portion of Yarmouth. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
as a part of the Cape and Islands District, which includes all of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket except the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Sandwich and a portion of Barnstable. The town is patrolled by the Second (Yarmouth) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
.
On the national level, Brewster is a part of Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district is a political constituency that includes parts of the South Shore of Massachusetts, and all of Cape Cod and the islands. With a population of 635,901 and a land area of , it is the most populous of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts and the...
, and is currently represented by William Keating
William R. Keating
William Richard "Bill" Keating is the U.S. Representative for . From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator....
. The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, re-elected in 2008, is John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
. The junior (Class II) senator is Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Scott Brown is a United States senator.Scott Brown may also refer to:-Sportsmen:*Scott Brown , American college football coach of Kentucky State...
, who came to office in a special 2010 election after the death of Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
.
Brewster is governed by the open town meeting
Open town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government, led by an executive secretary and a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. The town has its own police and fire departments. The fire department remains on Route 6A near the terminus of Route 137, while the police station is located about a half mile away on Route 124. There is a single post office near the geographic center of town, as well as the Brewster Ladies' Library http://www.brewsterladieslibrary.org/, a 50,000-volume library which is a part of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing
The Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing network is a non-profit, cooperative association of thirty-two member libraries and thirty-five locations located throughout Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket...
library network. The Long Pond Medical Center, located just over the Harwich line at the intersection of Routes 6 and 137, serves the medical needs of the town, as well as the southeastern corner of the Cape.
Education
Brewster is a member of the Nauset Regional School District, along with the towns of Eastham, Orleans and Wellfleet. The town operates the Stony Brook Elementary School, which serves students from kindergarten through second grade, and the Eddy Elementary School, which serves students in third through fifth grades. Middle School students attend Nauset Middle School in Orleans, and high school students attend Nauset Regional High SchoolNauset Regional High School
Nauset Regional High School an NEASC accredited High School located in North Eastham, Massachusetts. Nauset is the only high school on the East Coast located within a National Park. . The open campus is situated about a half-mile from Nauset Lighthouse...
in North Eastham. There is also a public charter school available to middle school students from Brewster: The Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans.
Additionally, the town's high school students may attend Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in neighboring Harwich free of charge. There are also two private schools, The Family School and The Laurel School, both of which serve elementary students.
See also: Brewster (CDP), Massachusetts
Brewster (CDP), Massachusetts
Brewster is a census-designated place in the town of Brewster in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,212 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Brewster is located at ....
Points of interest
- Brewster Historical Society Museum
- The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
- The Brewster Store
- Brewster Ladies' Library
- The Woodshed
- Cape Cod Sea Camps
- Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
- Brewster Sweets
Notable associations
- In July 1888, Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
, and her teacher, Anne SullivanAnne SullivanJohanna "Anne" Mansfield Sullivan Macy , also known as Annie Sullivan, was an American teacher best known as the instructor and companion of Helen Keller.-Early life:Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts...
visited Brewster. In the photo, Helen is shown cradling a doll. The photograph was recently discovered almost 120 years after it was taken. The mother of the woman who provided the photograph was Helen's playmate at the Elijah Cobb House.
- Minnie Riperton's song, "Alone in Brewster Bay," refers to when Riperton and her husband, producer Dick Rudolph, vacationed on Cape Cod during the early 1970s, prior to the release of her 1975 hit single, "Lovin' You".
- Samuel M. Nickerson, president of the First National Bank of Chicago. S. M. Nickerson was one of the most influential business leaders of the time.
Nickerson's shares in First National Bank of Chicago were sold according to the New York Times 9/29/1899 for $2.1M. The syndicate that purchased the shares included J.P. Morgan, E.H. Harriman & Marshall Field. The Nickerson summer house, Fieldstone Hall, in Brewster, MA, is now a condominium resort called Ocean Edge.
- The Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod baseball league has been home to many current and former major league baseball stars, such as Mike Aviles, Sean Casey, Chris Dickerson, Bobby Keilty, Aaron Rowand, Gaby Sanchez, Brian Bannister, Matt Herges, Mike Meyers, Billy Wagner and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and his son Tony Gwynn Jr.
In a 2011 episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, Ashley Judd traced her direct lineage back to William Brewster, the town's namesake.