Sandwich, MA
Sandwich was incorporated in 1639, making it the oldest town on Cape Cod. Originally settled by families drawn to its fertile land, streams, and access to Cape Cod Bay, the town developed around farming, fishing, milling, and later the famous Sandwich glass industry. Its historic village still contains centuries-old homes, churches, mills, and civic buildings, while places such as the Benjamin Nye Homestead preserve its earliest colonial story. Today, Sandwich retains much of its historic New England character, where Cape Cod's colonial beginnings, maritime heritage, and small-town life remain especially visible.
Recent Posts
The Mathewson Cranberry Picker
The Mathewson cranberry picker at Heritage Museums & Gardens represents an early effort to mechanize one of Massachusetts’ distinctive agricultural industries. Developed by grower and inventor Clarence W. Mathewson, it adapted automobile technology to the demanding task of gathering cranberries. Built on a Model T truck chassis, the machine used combs to remove berries from […]
The 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe
The blue 1925 Rickenbacker 8 Coupe at Heritage Museums & Gardens connects automobile history with one of America’s best-known World War I aviators. Behind its name is Eddie Rickenbacker, whose career carried him from automobile racing to aerial combat and then into the competitive business of manufacturing cars. Before becoming a fighter pilot, Rickenbacker was […]
Working the Cranberry Bogs
The small locomotive and tip cart at Heritage Museums & Gardens introduce a practical side of cranberry growing: moving heavy materials across the bogs. Beyond picking berries, growers needed to build and maintain beds, transport supplies, and move their crop toward markets. Small industrial railways helped meet those needs. Temporary tracks allowed equipment to reach […]
The 1924 Brewster Brougham
The 1924 Brewster Brougham at Heritage Museums & Gardens carries the traditions of luxury carriage making into the automobile age. Its upright passenger compartment, decorative bodywork, and separate chauffeur’s position reveal how established ideas about comfort and status influenced early motoring. Brewster & Company began making fine horse-drawn carriages in 1810 and produced its first […]
The 1917 Milburn Light Electric
The 1917 Milburn Light Electric at Heritage Museums & Gardens preserves a chapter of motoring that can seem surprisingly familiar. More than a century ago, manufacturers were already addressing questions about battery charging, convenience, and how electric vehicles could fit into daily life. Built by the Milburn Wagon Company of Toledo, Ohio, this automobile has […]
The 1912 Mercer Raceabout
With its bright yellow body, exposed seats, and minimal protection from the weather, the 1912 Mercer Raceabout at Heritage Museums & Gardens makes its purpose clear. This was a car designed around the experience of driving, with little separating its occupants from the road. Manufactured in Trenton, New Jersey, the Raceabout earned a reputation for […]
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Sandwich was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1911, to honor the men of the town who served in the Civil War. Rising approximately thirty feet above what is now known as Eaton Square, the monument is crowned by the figure of a Union soldier. Its story, however, reaches […]
First Church of Christ
The history of the First Church of Christ reaches back to the establishment of Sandwich itself. The congregation was organized in 1638, only a year after the town was incorporated, when religious and civic life in colonial New England were closely connected. The early meetinghouse served not only as a place of worship but also […]
1910 Sears Model P Surrey
Long before people ordered automobiles online, a customer could select one from the pages of the Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog. The 1910 Sears Model P Surrey displayed at Heritage Museums & Gardens represents a brief period when the company best known for mail-order clothing, tools, household goods, and even complete houses also delivered motor […]
Sandwich Town Hall
Standing prominently in the center of Sandwich, the Town Hall represents an important change in the relationship between religion and government in Massachusetts. Before it was constructed, Sandwich conducted its civic business in the Congregational meetinghouse, where religious services and town meetings took place beneath the same roof. This arrangement had been common throughout colonial […]
1922 Ford Model T Howe Pumper
This 1922 Ford Model T Howe Pumper tells the story of how motorized vehicles transformed firefighting in small American communities. Before trucks like this became available, many rural fire departments depended upon hand-operated or horse-drawn equipment. Firefighters often had to transport heavy pumps, ladders, and hoses over unpaved roads while every passing minute allowed a […]
The Ready Rooms
During a hike through the Sagamore Hill area of Sandwich, we came upon this earth-covered entrance hidden among the grass and trees. What appears at first to be a small bunker is one of the Ready Rooms belonging to the former Sagamore Hill Military Reservation, a World War II coastal-defense installation overlooking Cape Cod Bay […]
