The oldest house in Chatham is about to get a new address and a new purpose. Believed to have been built sometime around the late 1600s to early 1700s, the old one-room home can be traced back to the son of the town’s founder, William Nickerson.

After failed efforts to sell the property, the owner recently agreed to donate the oldest section of the home to save it from likely demolition. According to records, the home may have been built around 1700, but it was added onto several times, including in the early 1800s, the early 1900s and the 1920s.

Only the oldest portion of the home is being saved for now. It’s been donated to the Nickerson Family Association.

Plans call for moving it from its current location on Shell Drive to the Nickerson

Sure, Chatham is a great place to visit, but if you’ve ever considered a move to Cape Cod, Chatham has plenty to offer its residents, too. While it was a bit hard to narrow it down to just five, we easily came up with five fun facts about living in Chatham.

Beautiful Homes

To begin with, you’ll quickly discover that Chatham has some beautiful, large homes. Some of the most picturesque seaside homes are easy to see just by take a bike ride down Shore Road. Whether you have your eye on a pricey home by the beach, or a quaint Cape Cod-style home, you have some great options to choose from in Chatham.

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

Living in Chatham provides plenty of time to enjoy the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. This is great place

Whether sailing, kayaking, fishing or lounging on the sand, Pleasant Bay presents a wealth of options for Cape Cod visitors and locals alike. Close to Harwich, Chatham and Orleans, the bay is extremely popular with visitors to both Nauset Beach and Barrier Beach.

As Cape Cod’s largest saltwater estuary, Pleasant Bay has likely been known by many names over the years. It’s believed Native Americans once called the protected waterway Monomoyick Bay, while an early explorer referred to it as Manamock. It took about a century more for the current name of Pleasant Bay to emerge.

To this day, though, Pleasant Bay continues to live up to its most current namesake, a relaxing and peaceful location that’s inspirational to all who visit. It’s also a great

Photo: kathy1006

Birding on Cape Cod does not have to be left to the busy tourist season. Void of the big crowds, winter can be a great time to do just that.

There’s very little traffic during the winter months. While you won’t find yourself fighting the crowds, you will likely spot some birdlife you may not necessarily see in other places.

Provincetown, in particular, has several good birding locations during the winter months. If you have the time, consider heading to Herring Cove, Beech Forest or Race Point.

If time is a consideration, try one of the easier spots to get to like Provincetown Harbor. You can drive onto MacMillan Wharf and even stay in your car if you want. It’s a good place to spot gulls, seabirds, loons and ducks.

Some

When you think of Cape Cod you likely envision opportunities to get out on the water or visit one of the Cape’s beaches. But there’s plenty to see and experience just by strolling along one of the region’s many walking and hiking trails.

In fact, if you’re looking for a place to explore on Cape Cod that’s a little off the beaten trail, you’ll find a number of different options to choose from. The Chatham area, in particular, is a great place to simply walk around and enjoy the natural beauty of the region.

The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has a good ocean-side trail to follow, plus there’s also a visitor center to experience at the site. While the visitor center operates with some seasonal hours, you’re likely to spot wildlife at the refuge

Situated at the elbow of Cape Cod, Riverbay Estates is a delightful Chatham neighborhood with plenty to appeal to existing and future residents. Stretching across nearly 300-acres, the neighborhood dates back to the early 1960s, with nearly 400 home sites to choose from.

Serving a mix of seasonal and year-round residents, the neighborhood also draws in those vacationing on Cape Cod. While you’ll find a number of different home styles throughout Riverbay Estates, you will also, of course, find some more traditional Cape Cod-style homes. It may even be possible to find an existing lot for sale in the neighborhood.

The desirable setting of Riverbay Estates is also home to mature trees, two ponds and quiet, winding streets. Served by a homeowner’s

The holiday season is in full swing, and the New Year is right around the corner. If you’re still making plans for how to ring in 2020, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on the Cape. From live music and dancing to fireworks, Cape Cod is the place to be this New Year’s Eve. Several area locations are offering special New Year’s packages, or you can choose to attend one of the many family-friendly, town-wide events planned this year.

First Night Chatham

One of the longest running events on Cape Cod is First Night Chatham. The day-long event includes a town photo at the lighthouse, horse-drawn wagon rides and dozens of events and performances for those of all ages. This town-wide celebration is topped off by fireworks over Oyster Pond when the

From its landmark lighthouse to its historic homes, there’s plenty to uncover when you set out to explore Stage Harbor. The Stage Harbor Lighthouse, also known as Harding’s Beach Lighthouse, may just be one of the most recognizable sites in this part of Cape Cod.

It’s actually the region’s youngest lighthouse. Constructed in the late 1800s at the entrance to Stage Harbor, the lighthouse is privately owned today, but you may still find time to see it during the occasional tour. It does open to the public during a designated week in May.

It’s still possible to see the lighthouse from afar, though, with some of the best views possible from Harding’s Beach. You may also be able to get a good view from the other side of the harbor.

If historic

With sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Monomoy Islands, Morris Island is the place where nature and luxury meet in Chatham. Found on Chatham’s south side, Morris Island includes the waterfront neighborhoods of Quitnesset and Stage Island, two of the area’s most prestigious local communities.

It’s not uncommon to find homes topping $1 million on Morris Island, although one of the priciest homes in the area just sold for more the $14 million. The six-bedroom estate enjoys a full two-acres of private property, bordering the nearby Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.

Other homes in the area also provide easy access to the trails of the refuge, found right next door to the Quitnesset community. You’ll find some of the best views on Cape Cod from the

Serving students of Chatham and Harwich, Monomoy Regional High School in Harwich continues to be a shining example of new technology and innovative ideas for success. A project more than a half century in the making, the new regional high school officially opened just a few years ago, serving more than 600 students in 8th through 12th grade.

Now part of the Monomoy Regional School District, the building is the only high school in the district, fed by the Harwich and Chatham Elementary schools plus Monomoy Regional Middle School. It wasn’t an easy solution, though, for either community.

In fact, it took decades for town leaders to come up with an agreement, reached by voters in 2010. It then took $49 million to complete the vision, funded by tax money