By Mike Shaw
“I’m going on an adventure!” Just one week before Christmas, and channeling my inner Bilbo Baggins (you know, for the kids), I decided to take advantage of a (voluntary) two week self-quarantine to explore part of the Outer Cape which could provide a memorable yet socially distant experience. Upon receiving a suggested itinerary from my brother, Jeff (editor and founder of this very website), I hopped in the car in Chatham and worked my way east along Route 6 to North Truro. Besides the well-marked Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod, I wasn’t familiar with the expansive list of sites located along this historic highway. These spots are readily accessible to the public yet seemingly hidden from those visitors unaware of the rich history of this “bent elbow jutting into the Atlantic.” The destination: Jenny Lind Tower, a stone tower located within the Truro Highlands Historic District and nearby the North Truro Air Force Station.
Before hitting the road, I conducted a preliminary Google search to confirm what the Tower looked like to expedite my upcoming quest. Directions for the approximately 30-mile journey from the Lower Cape are straightforward: take Route 6 East towards North Truro, right on South Highland Road, right onto Old Dewline Road, and Tower is on your left. Simple, right? While these directions are certainly accurate, it’s best to consider the old adage that “the devil is in the details.” Once on foot from Old Dewline Road, the walk towards the Tower among the surrounding woods is quite pleasant. At the end of Old Dewline Road, in addition to the sprawling grounds of the Payomet Performing Arts Center on the right, you’ll find three trails on the left as possible options to reach the Tower. Now the fun begins!
As it’s not initially obvious which path leads towards the Tower, I’d like to announce a spoiler alert! Based on my own experience, the second path (or “Door Number Two”) appears to be the best option to reach the Tower. The first path leads to a dead end road which is currently home to a maintenance facility, and the third one brings you towards the Air Force Station which is (unsurprisingly) restricted to U.S. Government personnel. While the second path is a tad uneven and gently rolls up-and-down, it will bring you alongside the secure fence of the Air Force Station, and the Tower will appear much closer to you along the Western horizon. Surrounding the Tower is a wooded area which, at first glance, doesn’t appear to have a clear footpath for those making the trek. After several failed attempts, I slowly walked along this wooded area and discovered a narrow path wide enough for one foot at a time; literally. Within three minutes (and after being whacked a few times by tree branches), I found myself at the base of the Tower and immediately marvelled at its simple yet unmistakable beauty. While it may lack common tourist features, like a Welcome Center, signage or gift shop, a fascinating history surrounds the Tower and the woman after which it is named.
Based on myriad open sources, Jenny Lind was a world famous, Swedish-born soprano singer who toured throughout the United States in the mid-19th century. According to a January 2017 publication on CapeCod.com: “It is around this time that Lind’s connection to Cape Cod begins. Though she would not step foot on the peninsula, the tower that bears her name is indeed intertwined with her legacy. In early October of 1850, Lind would perform a show in Boston at one of the largest auditoriums in New England at the time. The popular myth is that the concert Jenny Lind performed at the depot in Boston was oversold with countless fans being left outside of the auditorium. These fans were understandably angry and were on the verge of causing a riot. In order to quell the masses, Lind is purported to have stepped out into one of the two stone towers of the building and sang to the crowd from one of the turrets.” (Link to January 2017 Cape Cod.com publication: https://www.capecod.com/lifestyle/the-story-of-the-jenny-lind-tower/)
While this historical account may never be proven, it’s hard not to be captivated by the notion of someone using innate gifts and talents to defuse a potentially dangerous moment for the masses – in fact, total strangers – gathered below. As I learned more about Jenny Lind’s story, it turns out that she encountered some competition from another bit of Cape Cod folklore. According to Bellamy’s Bride: The Search for Maria Hallett of Cape Cod by Kathleen Brunele(2010): “Local stories passed down for 300 years say that the ghost of Goody Hallett – known as “the Witch of Wellfleet”, “the Sea Witch of Eastham”, and “the Red Heeled Witch”, and was the lover of Samuel Bellamy, captain of the pirate ship Whydah Gally – haunts the woods of Truro and Wellfleet in central Cape Cod. Her banshee screams can be heard at sunset from the cliffs of Wellfleet as she curses the passing ships to cause them to wreck there as her lover Sam Bellamy did in 1717. Legends say that when Goody Hallett begins her haunting, the ghost of Jenny Lind once again ascends the tower to sing, and the beauty of her nightingale song repels Goody and frightens her away.”
In a mythical sense, more than 170 years after Jenny Lind first rose to fame, one can hope and imagine that her indomitable spirit continues to live on not only within the Tower, but across the surrounding lands which will forever be connected to this distinctly Cape Cod legend.