coming home ... that's what Buoy #2 means to us.

Living on the Coast whether it's Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Marco Island, Florida is just the best. To us the red #2 Buoy you see whenever you see the name Upper Cape Realty, Upper Cape & Vineyard Realty or Cape & Islands Realty is a symbol of coming home to the Coast and the great lifestyle that we enjoy here and love to introduce people to. The Buoy #2 marks the entrance home to a harbor ~ home to the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Marco Island for us and maybe for you!

Inside the red Buoy #2

 that the Buttermilk Bay area of Buzzards Bay was once the playland of one of our country's very first movie stars and theatrical giants Joseph Jefferson? Joe Jefferson, a pioneer of early cinema and star of silent films, built his summer mansion "Crow's Nest" along Buttermilk Bay. The mansion which housed an extensive art collection burned to the ground in 1893. Undaunted Joseph Jefferson rebuilt on the bluff by what is now Electric Avenue Beach overlooking the Cohasset Narrows Bridge which links Buzzards Bay and Wareham, MA.  That second home became a beloved inn first known as the Joseph Jefferson Inn and later known as the Inn at Buttermilk Bay. It endured into the 1990's when ultimately it burned to the ground as well.

Not unlike famous actors of today, Joseph Jefferson was well known for his close friendship with then sitting President Grover Cleveland who made his home roughly a mile across Cohasset Narrows and the Monument River in Gray Gables area of Bourne. Cleveland's House became known as the nation's first Summer White House.  The two men hunted and fished extensively on the Upper Cape.

Joseph Jefferson's most famous role was his portrayal Rip Van Winkle in the theatrical and silent film productions of  Washington Irving's best known short story Rip Van Winkle. He debuted his role as Rip in 1865 and nearly 150 years after as you visit the area you will notice signs of Jefferson's impact on Buzzards Bay as you drive down Crow's Nest Drive, Rip Van Winkle, Nick Vedder, Van Bummel, Gardenier, Electric, Wolf and Jefferson Shores Roads. One neighborhood platted as "Rip Van Winkle Land" in 1925 was developed at the edge of the Joseph Jefferson Inn site in 1925.

Today Rip Van Winkle Land is a tucked away secret beachside gem of a neighborhood. Attractive understated homes enjoy peace and quiet yet are situated by the sandy warm water beach and just a minute's stroll to Buzzards Bay Village, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Cape Cod Canal and the Cape Cod Railroad. Just a 2 minute hop onto I-495 makes this neighborhood a perfect find for vacationer and year rounder alike.

Characters

• Rip Van Winkle - a henpecked husband who loathes profitable labor.
• Dame Van Winkle - Rip Van Winkle's cantankerous wife.
• Rip - Rip Van Winkle's son.
• Judith Gardenier - Rip Van Winkle's daughter.
• Derrick Van Bummel - the local schoolmaster and later a member of Congress.
• Nicholas Vedder - landlord of the local inn.
• Mr. Doolittle - a hotel owner.
• Wolf - Rip's faithful dog
• The Ghosts of Henry Hudson and his crew - Ghosts that share purple magic liquor with van Winkle