Knollmere Beach is a small neighborhood association beach located at the mouth of the Nasketucket River in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.  Little Bay and the Nasketucket estuary are located within Buzzards Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  

 

Fairhaven was part of the territory originally inhabited by the Wampanoag tribe.  The Wampanoag people would primarily "summer" in Nasketucket harvesting fish and shellfish.  It was sold in 1652 as part the "Old Dartmouth" land trade made by Chief Massasoit and his son Wamsutta to the Plymouth colonists.  

 

Around this time, one of the first settlers of European descent was Lt. Jonathan Delano.  He built a mill along the "Tusket" river.  Although most of the Delanos settled in Fairhaven village, a map dated 1871 notes E. Delano and T. Delano as homesteaders along what looks to be Weeden Road.  Primarily the East Fairhaven area at this time was used for farming. The large marsh next to the Nasketucket river was called the "moorlands".  The name Camp Knollmere was established sometime in the early 1920's.

 

Author Natalie Hemingway included a piece on Knollmere Beach in her book Fairhaven Massachusetts, East Fairhaven,  Naskatucket History  vol2 as shown below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directly across Little Bay to the south a similar summer camp was established in the early 1920's.  See Little Bay Camp for more info.

 

Most of the cottages currently located in Knollmere Beach were rebuilt in the second part of the 20th century after the devastating 1938 hurricane and other storms.  The current members of the Knollmere Beach Association deeply treasure and actively protect the neighborhood's natural resources while continuing to enjoy its pristine beauty and long tradition of community.   The beach and marsh area remain mostly unchanged and must look very similar to when it was occupied by the Wampanoag.  It is as if entering the neighborhood through the winding country road allows one to travel back in time.