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Chatham History Weekend
Featured Listings
June 12 – 14, 2020
An opportunity for everyone in town to become aware of Chatham’s history organizations, and our town’s historic riches.
History Weekend Events
During History Weekend, most Historic Chatham museums and history centers will be open (at different times and days).
See the Historic Chatham Map page for the locations of the Historic Chatham museums and history centers.
See the Historic Chatham Map page for the locations of the Historic Chatham museums and history centers.
| Atwood House & Museum | The Atwood House will be open with three new exhibits from 10:00 AM to 5:00 pm, on Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th, and from 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday June 14th. On Sunday, June 23rd, at 2 PM, the At The Atwood Lecture Series will present ““Chatham’s Archaeological Digs”. See full details below. |
| Eldredge Public Library | The Library will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Friday and Saturday, June 12th and 13th. |
| Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum |
The museum of the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center will be open with new exhibits from 10:30
am to 4:30 pm, on Friday, June 12th, and Saturday, June 13th, and from 1 to 4 pm on Sunday, June 14th.
This season's new special exhibit for 2019 is “Celebrating The Centennial: Radio Corporation of America 1919 – The Beginning”,
and updated exhibits will be on display across both buildings and the outdoor Antenna Field Trail.
See full details below. |
| Caleb Nickerson Homestead | The Caleb Nickerson Homestead will be open on Saturday, June 13th from 10 AM to 4 PM, with an archaeological dig and talks, plus tours and demonstrations. See details below. |
| Benjamin Godfrey / Chatham Windmill | The Benjamin Godfrey / Chatham Windmill will be open for History Weekend on Saturday, June 13th from 10 AM to 3 PM. Weather permitting, the sails will be up and the mill will be grinding corn. Colonel Godfrey will be distributing his corn bread, and tours will be available throughout the day. Great area for children and picnics. |
| Chatham Lighthouse | The Chatham Lighthouse will be open for tours on Saturday, June 22nd, and Sunday, June 23rd, from 1:00 - 3:30 pm on both days (weather permitting), as part of Chatham History Weekend. Proper footwear is required. It will also be open for tours in as part of its regular Wednesday afternoon schedule, from May through October (see schedule) |
| Chatham Railroad Museum | The Railroad Museum will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm Friday and Saturday, June 12th and 13th. |
| Mayo House | The Mayo House will be open for tours from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, June 13th. |
| Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge | The Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center will be open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 12th, 13th, and 14th. The trails are open dawn to dusk. Visitors may enjoy self-guided walks or tours from volunteer or staff available upon request. The MNWR will be offering free public tours to the Monomoy lighthouse on Friday and Saturday – registration through the Refuge is required. See details below. |
| Chatham Walks | There will be a special free “Walking Tour” on Saturday, June 13th, at 10 AM, starting at the Chatham Community Center. See details below. |
| Note: Admission | Special admission prices during History Weekend at The Atwood House & Museum, and The Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum (see below). For the other Historic Chatham locations, admission is always free. Donations are welcome at many of the locations. |
Historic Chatham Virtual Bus Tour
Guided Tour of Historic Chatham with virtual stops at Museums & Historic Sites
Saturday, June 13: 10 AM; and 2 PM (2 tours)
Cost: free
Reservations: Click to make a Reservation
Virtual Tour Information Page: Click here
Cost: free
Reservations: Click to make a Reservation
Virtual Tour Information Page: Click here
Take a guided tour of Historic Chatham's museums and Historic Sites on Saturday of History Weekend.
Tour Bus Schedule: The virtual bus tour will depart from Depot Rd. next to the Chatham Railroad Museum. The tour will make an approximately 90-minutes circuit around Historic Chatham, with tour guide narration and stops. The tour will stop at the following locations, where a local guide from the museum / site will join the virtual tour for a brief introduction to each site, with visuals.
In addition, the tour bus route will pass by other historic sites, including the Atwood School, the Champlain Monument, and a variety of less well-known hidden gem historic locations in the town.
Note: This is a guided Virtual tour around the town, not a real bus tour, and definitely not a hop-on/hop-off bus.
Tour Bus Schedule: The virtual bus tour will depart from Depot Rd. next to the Chatham Railroad Museum. The tour will make an approximately 90-minutes circuit around Historic Chatham, with tour guide narration and stops. The tour will stop at the following locations, where a local guide from the museum / site will join the virtual tour for a brief introduction to each site, with visuals.
- Eldredge Public Library
- Chatham Conservation Foundation's Mayo House
- Chatham Godfrey Windmill
- Atwood Museum
- Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge
- Chatham Lighthouse
- Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum
- Nickerson Family Association's Caleb Nickerson House
- Chatham Railroad Museum
Note: This is a guided Virtual tour around the town, not a real bus tour, and definitely not a hop-on/hop-off bus.
Eldredge Public Library History Weekend Program
French Explorer Champlain and the Great Chatham Misadventure of 1606
Thursday, June 14, 7:00 PM
Location: Forgeron Hall (Library Lower Level)
Location: Forgeron Hall (Library Lower Level)
As part of Historic Chatham's History Weekend (June 15-17), join National Seashore Park Historian Bill Burke for an illustrated journey back four centuries to take a closer look at Samuel de Champlain's maps and travel journal.
While explorer Samuel de Champlain may be most widely known as the “Father of New France” (Canada), he left the earliest detailed descriptions and sketches of Cape Cod's land forms, native peoples and flora and fauna during his exploration from Acadia to the Cape. Do they correspond with the archeological record, and were they accurate and true? His remarkable maps of Nauset Marsh and Stage Harbor are stunning in their detail, but do they leave us with more questions than answers? Why did his journey end in open conflict with the Monomoyick people?
Atwood House & Museum - History Weekend
Friday, June 21, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday, June 22, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Sunday, June 23, 2:00 PM Lecture
History Weekend Special Half-Price Museum Admission: Adults $5.00, Children $2.50, Members and Children 7 and under: free
Saturday, June 22, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Sunday, June 23, 2:00 PM Lecture
History Weekend Special Half-Price Museum Admission: Adults $5.00, Children $2.50, Members and Children 7 and under: free
The Atwood House & Museum will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with three new exhibits:
“Main Street Cape Cod” featuring an historic walk down the main streets we love;
“Chatham Digs,” an exhibit all about the archaeological dig that was done underneath the foundations of the old Atwood House,
and “Flight into Chatham” featuring the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight that
made an historic stop in Chatham.
On Sunday, June 23rd at 2:00 PM, the At The Atwood Lecture Series will present “Chatham’s Archaeological Digs” presented by Craig Chartier, director of the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project. Lecture admission is free for members, and $10 for non-members.
On Sunday, June 23rd at 2:00 PM, the At The Atwood Lecture Series will present “Chatham’s Archaeological Digs” presented by Craig Chartier, director of the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project. Lecture admission is free for members, and $10 for non-members.
Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum – History Weekend
Friday, June 21, 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday, June 22, 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
History Weekend Special Admission: $5.00 ages 13 & higher, Children 12 & under free.
Saturday, June 22, 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday, June 23, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
History Weekend Special Admission: $5.00 ages 13 & higher, Children 12 & under free.
The Wireless History and Wireless Today Galleries and the outdoor Antenna Field Trail
will be open during History Weekend.
The Wireless History Gallery features the new “Celebrating The Centennial: Radio Corporation of America 1919 – The Beginning” exhibit, which celebrates the formation of the Radio Corporation of America in 1919.
The public is welcome to walk the CMMC campus grounds and the Antenna Field Trail during daylight hours.
The Wireless History Gallery features the new “Celebrating The Centennial: Radio Corporation of America 1919 – The Beginning” exhibit, which celebrates the formation of the Radio Corporation of America in 1919.
- The World War 1 era saw both advances and declines in the world’s developing radio technologies. In America, government control of radio during wartime was extended for over a year after the 1918 armistice, through early 1920. The intervening year saw the emergence of a new all-American radio company, Radio Corporation of America (RCA). On December 1, 1919, the radio communication station here in Chatham was one of only five that constituted all of RCA. Under the Radio Corporation of America, American innovation and technology would come to ensure American supremacy in radio communication. Chatham Radio remained under RCA until 1988.
The public is welcome to walk the CMMC campus grounds and the Antenna Field Trail during daylight hours.
Caleb Nickerson Homestead - History Weekend Saturday
Saturday, June 22, 10:00 AM to 4 PM
On Saturday of Chatham History Weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
archaeologist Craig Chartier will be conducting test pits at the 1664 homestead of William and Anne Nickerson on the campus of the Nickerson Family Association.
Beekeepers Mark and Kathleen Francis will speak on “Colonial Beekeeping” at 12:00 pm,
At 2:00 pm Craig Chartier, who directs the Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project, will speak
on the “Excavation of the c1664 Nickerson Homestead”.
Caleb Nickerson Homestead will be open for tours throughout the day.
Join us at 1107 Orleans Road, North Chatham, for this fun day and then join us later in the summer as our heirloom gardens blossom. We will be open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through September, and for special events throughout the year.
Caleb Nickerson Homestead will be open for tours throughout the day.
Join us at 1107 Orleans Road, North Chatham, for this fun day and then join us later in the summer as our heirloom gardens blossom. We will be open on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through September, and for special events throughout the year.
Monomoy Point Lighthouse Tour
Friday, June 21, and Saturday June 22, one 4-hour trip each day
Take a guided boat and island tour to the historic Monomoy Point Lighthouse, located on South Monomoy Island.
Explore the waters, landscapes, wildlife, and rich cultural history of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge.
This tour requires a 16-mile round-trip boat ride from Stage Harbor, wet beach landing, and a 1-mile round-trip walk through sand dunes and freshwater ponds to the lighthouse. Weather permitting.
Important Details:
This tour requires a 16-mile round-trip boat ride from Stage Harbor, wet beach landing, and a 1-mile round-trip walk through sand dunes and freshwater ponds to the lighthouse. Weather permitting.
Important Details:
- Advance registration is required. Registration will take place between June 3 and June 7 (not before), and seats are first-come, first-served. Contact Crystal Bradley (crystal_bradley@fws.gov) for reservations or questions. The tour is free but requires advance registration.
- There will be 1 tour each on Friday and Saturday, each can accommodate 20 passengers.
- The tentative times are from 10am-2pm Friday and 11am-3pm Saturday, but the exact time may vary and will be based on weather 2 days out. MNWR will be communicating directly with participants at that time.
- The MNWR website will be updated on June 1 with a flyer showing additional details, but registration must be on/after June 3. These tours will fill up fast.
Chatham Walks Special Free Walk
Saturday, June 22, 10:00 AM starting at the Chatham Community Center
Take a walk through
historic downtown Chatham!
Learn about the history, architecture and people of our beautiful Cape Cod village in a fun, informative 90-minute walk through the town’s scenic business district, the heart of Chatham.
“Chatham Walks” is a Guided Tour service in Chatham. They will lead a special free walk on Saturday of History Weekend, at 10:00 AM, leaving from the Chatham Community Center. Look for the guide with the red sneakers.
Read more on the Chatham Walks Website and Facebook pages.
historic downtown Chatham!
Learn about the history, architecture and people of our beautiful Cape Cod village in a fun, informative 90-minute walk through the town’s scenic business district, the heart of Chatham.
“Chatham Walks” is a Guided Tour service in Chatham. They will lead a special free walk on Saturday of History Weekend, at 10:00 AM, leaving from the Chatham Community Center. Look for the guide with the red sneakers.
Read more on the Chatham Walks Website and Facebook pages.