Location: Meetinghouse Pond is the northernmost basin in Pleasant Bay. It is located in East Orleans, on the southern side of Main Street.
Access: There are two town landings on Meetinghouse Pond. At the eastern edge, off Barley Neck Road, a wooden pier and an gentle slope provide access for smaller recreational boats, kayakers, and paddle-boarders. The town of Orleans maintains boat moorings in the eastern side of the Pond. Another town landing is at the western end of the pond, where “The River” begins, at the end of River Road (behind the Orleans Town Hall). This has a paved boat launch for motorboats.
Nauset Marine East, a marina on Meetinghouse Pond, is located at 235 Main St. It offers boat services and serves as a departure point for local tours.
Description: The 46-acre tidal pond is at most 5-7 feet deep and surrounded by marshes. It connects to Little Pleasant Bay via a narrow outlet known as “The River.” Heading south, flow from the pond eventually reaches Pleasant Bay and then into the Atlantic Ocean as it passes Strong Island in Chatham, and the southernmost areas of this estuary including Crowe’s Pond, Ryder’s Cove, Bassing Harbor, Lydia’s Cove, and the Chatham Fish Pier.
History: The early colonial meetinghouses of Orleans gave their name to Meetinghouse Pond. Some Native Americans had meetinghouses here as well. Religious life flourished in the form of the Universalist Meetinghouse, which is now the site of the CHO (Center for Culture and History in Orleans). Today, the Orleans Conservation Trust protects some of the shore area as part of its mission.
Animal Life: When conditions are right, many birds, ducks and geese can be found enjoying life on the pond. River otters and, Increasingly, gray seals can also be observed in Meetinghouse Pond.
Water Quality: Because the pond is located at the northernmost end of the Pleasant Bay estuary, tidal flow and exchange of water through the narrow estuary out into the ocean is slow and inefficient. The impact of fertilizers and septic system effluent leaching into the pond has led to excess nutrient concentrations, which are not sufficiently flushed out. The excess nutrients promote unwanted algal growth, impairment of the pond’s water quality, and deleterious consequences for its plants and animal inhabitants. Consequently, sewer installation to connect the homes up-gradient from the pond was expedited to deal with this issue. This is Phase 2 of the overall wastewater treatment project in Orleans.
Interesting Facts: By the town landing at the end of River Road, a historic marker commemorates that this location was once a packet ship landing for ships carrying passengers and freight to and from New York city.