Spektor Island Massacre enthusiasts flock to Provincetown; local tourism flourishes
December 20, 1972
As the identities of the 12 victims of the Spektor Island Massacre remain under wraps until further confirmation, hundreds of ghost seeking enthusiasts have descended on Provincetown with the hope of glimpsing the Wydah butcher phantom.
"We're used to activity in the summer months during tourist season when folks pass through to enjoy the beach," said Wilbur Arable, owner and manager of local Seaside Bed and Breakfast. "Normally we wouldn't even be open in December. Who vacations in New England in the winter?"
With news of Spektor Island's mysterious history and more recent associated deaths gaining national attention, travelers from all over the nation have taken to Provincetown's streets and beaches, renting even the smallest of canoes to gather glimpses of the sunken remains of the Wydah pirate ship, widely rumored to contain a fortune in pirate treasure, as well as Spektor's Babirusa Mansion. While Wydah treasure-seekers have flocked to Provincetown in the past, today's tourists are ghost hunters searching for phantom pirate ships and evidence of Wydah's butcher, a phantom known for both his skill with a blade and his thirst for blood.
Provincetown business owners are cashing in on their sudden fame with residents selling souvenirs, like "genuine" Wydah sunken "gold" pieces and t-shirts proclaiming, "I Survived the Butcher!" A local winemaker is selling a "Butcher's Blood" vintage (available early next year) and restaurants have added menu items like the "Captain Wydah's Massacre Meal," a four-course affair claiming to be the authentic menu of the ghost ship's captain including an assortment of local salted meats paired with a variety of rum cocktails.
Not all of Provincetown is pleased with the tourism boom.
"Out of respect for the families of the victims found on Spektor Island earlier this month, we ask for privacy while investigations are still being conducted and concrete answers are found," said Provincetown's District Attorney's Office in a statement earlier this week.
Despite the sincerity of the district attorney's request, tourists within Provincetown can still be seen trudging through the New England snow, eyes fixed on their electromagnetic field readers, on their way to their Massacre Meal reservations.
