At the Cape Cod celebration of 1839, a Harvard professor stated, "The duck does not take to water with a surer instinct than the Barnstable boy . . . It is but bound from the mother's lap to the masthead." These prophetic comments were realized most profoundly in Centerville, which originally derived its strength from a strong maritime economy. One of seven villages in the town of Barnstable on Cape Cod, Centerville has a history that is tied in with...