Sandwich Historical Commission

The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
See William Eaton and the Soldiers and Sailors’ Monument full document PDF. See also, Sandwich and the Civil War, reprinted, with permission, from the Fall 2011 issue of The Acorn, Journal of the Sandwich Glass Museum.
100 years ago, the town of Sandwich celebrated a very special Memorial Day. On May 30, 1911 William Eaton, who started working in the B&S Glass Factory at the age of 8, donated a 30 foot Civil War Monument to the people of Sandwich. William was a boy of 12 when the war started and had, for 50 years, admired and appreciated those who fought for the Union. The memorial was erected next to the Town Hall on a piece of greenery that became known as Eaton Square. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is still there today for all to see.

The dedication took place on a rainy day, but that did not dampen the spirit of the throngs of townspeople and visitors who turned out for the festivities. There was a parade lead by the band from the Keith Car & Mfg. Company and, the full crew of the Revenue Cutter Walter W. Gresham, Civil War veterans from the GAR, school children and a host of town officials. There was even a recital of Lincoln’s Address at Gettysburg. Patriotic speeches were given including one by the keynote speaker, John F. (Honey Fitz) Fitzgerald, the Mayor of Boston and the grandfather of President John F. Kennedy. Mayor Fitzgerald spoke of the custom of various nations honoring their great generals, but said the United States was the one nation to recognize the common soldier in granite.

During the years from 1861 to 1865, 386 men from Sandwich enlisted in military service. Approximately 100 of these were glass factory workers. Patriotic fervor was running high and Deming Jarves, the head of the glass factory, suspended the rents of any factory worker who enlisted in the war. Volunteers reduced the number of workers in the factory and glass production decreased. It would take years to rebuild the manpower at the factory. By the war’s end 54 Sandwich men had died on the battlefields or from wounds or diseases contracted while in service. Civil War Dead – Sandwich MA For a small town of 4,500 people, this represented a tremendous sacrifice. It was within this atmosphere that William Eaton spent his early teenage years at the glass factory in Sandwich and as head of his family household.

Sandwich Town Hall Restoration PDF
Built in 1833-4, the first floor was originally rented out as commercial retail space, just as Boston’s Fanuel Hall is today. Eventually, as fortunes changed in the town, the first floor was taken over by town administrative offices and the second floor ball room was relegated to use as attic storage. The entire building was restored to its former glory in 2009 through the urging of many town citizens and the Historical Commission. The project was selected for a Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award for 2011. The work would not have been feasible without Community Preservation Act funds. MHC – 2011 Preservation Award
The second floor ballroom is particularly beautiful with its historically accurate stenciling of tan and brown paint and gold leaf, theatrical stage, balcony seating and fully restored historic shuttered windows. The entire building is open to the public with the first floor occupied by town administrative offices. Groups and individuals are invited to rent the town hall for non-political events. Amenities include a professional sound system, refreshment galley and new accessible restrooms and elevator. Contact the Town Manager’s office for details. Phone: (508) 888-5144 Email: townhall@townofsandwich.net

Benjamin Nye Homestead Museum www.nyefamily.org
The beautiful natural setting of the Benjamin Nye Homestead & Museum surrounded by several other 18th century colonial homes makes it unique.  The house was built by Benjamin Nye, one of the first fifty men to settle in Sandwich.  Given permission by the town to erect a mill by the stream from his pond, Benjamin Nye  built one of the first grist mills in the country in 1669.  Later he also built a fulling mill nearby, and his home by 1681.

Wing Fort House Museum www.wingfamily.org
The oldest house in New England owned and occupied continuously by the same family for over three centuries. Built in 1641, this house was traditionally called the Fort House because of its possible use as a refuge from Indian attack. In 1646 it became the home of Stephen Wing, one of the early settlers of Sandwich, son of the Reverend John Wing and Deborah Bachelor. Stephen and his descendants occupied the house from then on, adding on as families grew and changing tastes dictated. Now restored, it is furnished almost entirely with Wing family antiques showing the different periods of its long history. The house is maintained by the Wing Family of America and open to the public.

 

Hoxie House Museum
This classic Saltbox was presumably built circa 1675 and is most likely the oldest Saltbox on Cape Cod. It was the home of the town’s second minister, Rev. John Smith, his wife, Susanna, and their 13 children. It is named for Abraham Hoxie, a Sandwich whaling captain who bought it in the 1850s. Remarkably, its occupants lived without electricity, plumbing or central heat until the early 1950s. In the late 1950s, the town purchased the Hoxie House and restored it to its current late-17th-century condition.

Sandwich Glass Museum www.sandwichglassmuseum.org
For over one hundred years the Sandwich Glass Museum, incorporated as the Sandwich Historical Society, has promoted a broad understanding and appreciation of Sandwich town history, with particular emphasis on the unique contribution of the glass industry to the local community, the region, the nation, and the world.

 

Thornton Burgess Museum www.thorntonburgess.org/ThorntonBurgessMuseum.htm
The Thornton Burgess Museum is housed in the Deacon Eldred house on historic Shawme Pond.  The Museum features a variety of memorabilia relating to the life and times of Thornton Burgess – the famed children’s author and native son of Sandwich, MA. Visitors can browse a variety of books, toys, games, and household goods that feature some of Burgess’ most famous characters including Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, and Jimmy Skunk. Currently on display is a red work quilt made by a 10 year old girl with Ruby Short McKim’s patterns based on the Burgess Bedtime Stories. The highlight of the museum exhibit is a display of several  recently acquired Harrison Cady illustrations. Also housed in the museum are a gift shop, featuring Green Briar Jam Kitchen products, educational toys and games, storybooks, and Cape Cod goodies, plus the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center.

Heritage Museum and Gardens www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Heritage Museums and Gardens, 100 beautifully landscaped acres overlooking the upper end of Shawme Pond, includes gardens and a café as well as an impressive complex of museum buildings with specialty collections ranging from cars to toys. A highlight is the Shaker Round Barn, which showcases classic and historic cars—including a 1930 yellow-and-green Duesenberg built for Gary Cooper. The American History museum houses the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame as well as antique firearms, a collection of 2,000 hand-painted miniature soldiers, military uniforms, and Native American arts. The art museum has an extensive Currier & Ives collection, Americana, antique toys, and a working 1912 Coney Island-style carousel.

Paths crisscross the grounds, which include gardens planted with daylilies, hostas, heather, herbs, and fruit trees. Rhododendron enthusiasts will recognize the name of onetime estate owner and hybridizer Charles O. Dexter; the rhododendrons are in full glory from mid-May through mid-June. Daylilies reach their peak from mid-July through early August. In summer, concerts are held in the gardens, often on Wednesday or Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon.