Bayview Bog Project

History of the Bog

Bayview Bogs in West Yarmouth was used for growing cranberries from the late 1800s until the late 1990s. The bogs were originally owned and operated by the A.D. Makepeace Company, based in Wareham, one of the world’s largest cranberry growers and largest private property owners in eastern Massachusetts. They have been growing cranberries since the 1800s, and today, continue to operate several bogs in the state. The company was a founding member of the Ocean Spray Cooperative and became its largest grower-owner.

Cape Cod Hospital bought the bog property in the 1980s with plans of building a new hospital on the site, but the project never got off the ground. CCH then turned in another direction. They decided to put the bogs back in operation and hired professionals to evaluate the land. It was determined there was enough healthy vegetation to make a restoration possible. CCH crew went to work and were well on their way to putting the bog back into operation. But in the early 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency declared the bogs “wetlands in perpetuity.”

In the years since, the area has become overgrown with invasive vegetation that has prevented public use and attracted unwanted activity.

Today, historical research of Bayview Bogs is actively underway. The Cape Cod Conservation District (CCCD) plans to visit local historical societies and/or historical commissions and obtain maps, photographs and other relevant site material that describe the landscape prior to, during and after cranberry farming. The purpose of this research is to identify land uses/land over for the site prior to cranberry farming. Additional research may include obtaining historical aerial photographs from commercial vendors.