Back in 1641-47, the colonial powers in Massachusetts passed laws to encourage coastal development. These laws generally entitled beachfront landowners to own the property to the mean low tide line rather than the mean high tide. This effectively blocked public passage along privately owned beaches (with some exceptions). Today, 370+ years later, many beaches are a confused patchwork of private and public land between high and low tide lines (the intertidal "wet sand" areas). In some places, the landowners post signs and stand guard and chase and/or yell at folks who try to walk through. In other places, the landowners welcome the public walking through. It is, in a nutshell, a confusing mess. Emotions run hot on both sides of the issue. If someone yells at you to "get off my beach," they might just have every legal right to do so. Of course, they might be wrong also - it's very confusing.
White Horse Beach in the center, Priscilla Beach in the distance.
Manomet Beach in the distance.
A lone vacationer on White Horse Beach, Priscilla Beach in the distance.
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