Guano isn't the most glamorous of substances--it's basically a glorified name for the feces of bats and birds--but it's rich in many nutrients essential to agriculture. On the eve of the Civil War, fertilizer produced from guano became a full-fledged American industry right here in Woods Hole.

The factories of the Pacific Guano Company used to be located on Bar Neck Road between Woods Hole's Great Harbor and Buzzards Bay .