Delilah Sampson Gibbs left us with very few but very intriguing and fascinating records. She is known as a “widow and last of her tribe” in this vicinity. She is a mysterious figure in our town’s history. Delilah, Patience and Drusilla are our representatives for the “SALLY Project”.

“SALLY is representative of women’s history being lost, or just unknown,” says Jaffe. “Included in our portion, it mostly focuses on Deliliah Gibbs, a Native woman from Wellfleet and her land. We know from a reminiscence that she cured her friend and neighbor of a breast cancer some time in the early 1800’s. We are fascinated to learn that the eco-system of the land still produced plants that she knew how to harvest, prepare and use to heal the sick and even, in this case: to cure cancer. She was married to an African American man, his father was married to an African American woman, Patience Gibbs they lived near Gull Pond, near a place known as Patience Brook. The Herring River estuary connects to Higgins Pond and it is the only geographic feature we know of on the map named for a person of color in Wellfleet.”

To read more of Candace Hammond’s August 5 article in the Provincetown Banner go to: Delilah