In 1957 the Santuit-Cotuit Historical Society circulated a petition to change the name of “East Main Street” to “Old Shore Road” and “inasmuch as Samuel Hooper gave the land to the town in the early 1800s, that the name of “Hooper’s Landing” be restored in that the present sign of “Ropes Beach” This to be presented to the Selectmen of Barnstable for the 1958 town meeting.”
Barnstable Patriot July 25, 1957.
In March of the following year, 1958, at the annual town meeting of the Town of Barnstable, the Patriot reported:
“Adopted [was…] Article 113, which changes the name of East Main Street in Cotuit to Old Shore Road and of Ropes Beach in the same village to Hoopers Landing.
“The meeting was told that these changes “to keep the old salty flavor” were desired by the Cotuit Historical Society and had been approved by a majority at a meeting of the Santuit-Cotuit Historical Society.
“Opponents argued that to change the name to “Old Shore Road” would be to encourage tourists to drive down along the waterfront and create a traffic hazard to the many small children in the beach area.”
I guess someone forgot to tell the town DPW’s sign czar that it ain’t “Ropes Beach” but has officially been “Hooper’s Landing” since 1958.
In 1970, Mrs. Nita M. Crawford, curator of the Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit wrote the editor of the Barnstable Patriot to correct his reference to the public beach at the landing as “Ropes Beach” (after the Ropes family who lived there in mid-20th century, not because of the floating rope corral the once delineated the swimming area before the town gave up on the beach and let it turn into a muddy mess).
“Dear Mr. Hornig,”
I have read with great interest your article “Cotuit’s Beach Needs” (Aug. 27 issue). This was a subject that my late husband. Calvin D. Crawford, was deeply interested in. It is to be hoped that you will have started the ball rolling and that now real positive work will start.
Now I must tell you that you should say “Hooper’s Landing” (sometimes called “Ropes Beach”).
The present Ropes house was purchased in 1849 by Samuel Hooper of Boston along with much land even into Little River. At his death in 1874 he left the beach below this house to the Town of Barnstable. Then it was called “Hoopers Landing.”
However the house, which had changed hands several times, was finally willed to Prof. and Mrs. James Ropes in 1898. The beach then began to be called “Ropes Beach.”
At the March 1958 town meeting a petition was presented to change the name of East Main Street to Old Shore Road and Ropes Beach back to the original name of Hoopers Landing. This was so voted and the sign names changed.
As a Historical Society we like to keep to the old original names. I hope you understand.
Cordially,
Nita M. Crawford, Curator
Historical Society of Santuit and Cotuit, Inc.
