Schedule of Activities
Aptucxet Trading Post Museum Complex is open Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day Weekend.
- Open Tuesday through Saturday: 11:00am to 3:00pm
- Closed Sunday and Monday
- Open by appointment for bus tours and school groups in May and October (after Columbus Day).
The Bourne Historical Society, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization. The charge for admission to the Aptucxet Trading Post Museum and its grounds are:
| Adults | $5.00 |
| Children 6-18 | $2.00 |
| Seniors and AAA and Educators | $4.00 |
| Groups of 10+ | $4.00 |
| Family | $10.00 |
Special rates are available for students and pre-arranged group tours. We have a
turnaround for buses to drop visitors off at the Trading Post, with a parking area
near the Windmill Gift Shop.
Bourne Historical Society
2011 Season
Saturday, Mardh 26, 2011
Ham & Bean Dinner (Fishcakes too)
Newcomer's Night
At the Bourne United methodist Church
Sandwich Road, Old Bourne Village
"Join us-Learn what the BHS is all about"
Raffles-Door Prize
Meet Jonathan and Mrs. Bourne and
their daughter Emily Howland Bourne
Dinner Seating at 6PM
Tickets maybe purchased at the Jonathan Bourne Historical Center or at the door that evening Tickets $8.00
The second Wednesday Lectures
7 PM at the
Jonathan Bourne Historical Center
30 Keene Street, Bourne Village.
Donation $5.00
5th Annual
April Maritime Lecturer Series
7 PM at the Jonathan Bourne Historical Center
30 Keene Street, Bourne Village.
Donation $5.00
Wednesday April 6th
Morning Fire:John Kendrick's
Daring American Odyssey
Lecturer and book signing by Scott Ridley
A tale of maritime adventure, intrigue and high-stakes diplomacy.
Scott Ridley is a policy analyst and author who has written for the New Republic, The Nation, Newsday, The Denver Post, and a host of other publications. He is coauthor of the book Power Struggle: The Hundred-Year War over Electricity, author of Morning of Fire: John Kendrick's Daring American Odyssey in the Pacific, and he has received s grants from the Fund for Investigative Journalism. Descended from a long line of New England sailors and shipbuilders, he has studied and collected books and artifacts on maritime life for forty years. He lives with his family in East Harwich, Massachusetts.
Morning of Fire by Scott Ridley is the thrilling story of 18th century American explorer John Kendrick as he journeyed for land and trade in the Pacific. Set against the backdrop of one of the most exciting and uncertain times in world history, John Kendrick's odyssey aboard his sailing ship Lady Washington carries him from the shores of New England across the unexplored waters of the Pacific Northwest to the contentious ports of China and the war-ravaged islands of Hawaii, all while avoiding intrigues and traps from the British and the Spanish. Morning of Fire is riveting American and naval history that brings the era of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson gloriously alive—a tale of danger, adventure, and discovery that fans of Nathaniel Philbrick will not want to miss.
Wednesday April 13th
The Wreck of the Portland
Lecture by Arnold Carr, Undersea Explorer
Known as the "Titanic of New England," the loss of the Portland is one of the greatest maritime disasters to occur off the Northeast coast of the United States. On Nov. 26, 1898, the 291-foot, paddle-wheel passenger ship, Portland, on route from Boston to Portland, was caught in a fierce blizzard, now known as the Portland Gale.
Struggling through the night with raging seas and 90-mile-per hour winds, the Portland finally sank with all 190 passengers and crew on board. Little of the shipwreck and few victims were ever recovered, and even the exact location of the tragedy was a mystery.
During the summer of 2002, using undersea sonar and the imaging capability of a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), the discovery of the wreck of the Portland was confirmed ... 104 years after her disappearance.
Wednesday April 20th
Overboard - Heart-stopping True-life Tale
of Maritime Disaster
Lecture and book signing
by author Paul Tougias
In May 2005, Tom Tighe, captain of a forty-five-foot-long sailboat named the Almeisan, and his first mate, Loch Reidy, welcomed three new crewmembers for a five-day voyage from Connecticut across the blue waters of the Gulf Stream to sun-drenched Bermuda.
Four days into the voyage, an enormous storm struck, sweeping two of the crew into the towering sea. The remaining crewmembers managed to stay aboard the vessel as it was slowly torn apart by the rampaging ocean. Overboard! follows the simultaneous desperate struggles of both those still on the boat and those fighting for their lives in the sea.
By turns tragic, thrilling, and deeply inspiring, Overboard! is a riveting, fast-paced story of death and survival at sea—amazing, unforgettable, and all true.
Wednesday April 27th
Cape Cod Canal During World War II
Lecture by Donald "Jerry" Ellis, member of the Bourne Historical Commission, Bourne Historical Society, founder of Cape Cod Militaty Museum and Local Historian.
July 22, 1918 a German submarine fired on an American ship three miles off of Cape Cod. President Wilson ordered the Federal Railroad Administration to take over and operate the Canal in order to increase coastal safety.
During World War I, German U-boats attacked ships along the Atlantic Coast of Cape Cod. The Canal was an important safe haven for ships. After World War I, August Belmont sold the Canal to the Federal Government for 11.5 million dollars in 1928.
During World War II, in 1939, British ships in camouflage (Dazzle) used the Canal to avoid German submarines. With the threat of German U-boats, the Canal was on high alert. Although The United States did not participate in World War II for two more years, the war came early to Cape Cod.
In 1942, the Canal’s operation was placed in the hands of the United States Coast Guard. The army manned the coast while the Navy maintained offshore patrols. The Coast Guard was able to control, operate and defend, as well as limit the naval traffic to one direction and gave priority to east-bound ships. Within the first six months of war (January to July), five United Nations vessels fell prey to German submarines in the Cape Cod area. Later on in the war, the Germans successfully added three more to their list. In contrast, one hundred ships were sunk in the Eastern Sea Frontier. If it were not for the protection of the Cape Cod Canal the number of ships lost would have been much higher.
Second Wednesday Gatherings, Cont.
Wednesday May 12th Wampanoag School House in Mashpee
More detail to follow
Wednesday, June 8th Opening of Camp Edwards Exhibit and
Lecture
This years exhibit on Camp Edwards is a collabrotive betwwen the Historical Society and the Cape Cod Military Museum,exhibiting artifacts ffrom both groups.
Wednesday July 13 Highland Piper Band Concert
Come and join us for a delightful evening of pipers and stepdances on the banks of the canal at Aptucxet Trading Post, 24 Aptucxet Rd.
Wednesday Sept 14 Toys for Boys and Girls – Dolls and Trains
Ronald and Diane Costa will share there love and knowledge of teh wonderful toys
2nd Annual Native American Lecture Series
Celebration of Native American Month
Wednesday November 2 at 7pm People of the First Light
Wampanoag Elder Joan Tavares Avant
Author Joan Tavares Avant will talk about her new book “People of the First Light” and will be available to sign copies of her book after the lecture. The book will be on sale that evening.
Wednesday November 9th The Wessagusset Incident
Lecture by Christopher Daley
The presentation which begins with a quick chronicle of early European and native contact and conflict in the South Shore area starting with the Vikings right up until the arrival of the pilgrims in 1620. The focus will then turn to the tensions that broke out with the Masachuset Tribe and the Wessagusset Colony which was north of Plymouth and founded in 1622. By utilizing several primary sources, the story of how relations between the natives and the English broke down and escalated into violence in 1623 will be told. The lecture is fully illustrated with photographs of the actual sites where events occurred as well as artistic depictions of the events themselves.
November 16 at 7pm Subject forth coming
Wampanoag Educator Linda Coombs of the Aquinnah Tribe
Educator Linda Coombs will discuss the relationship Native people have with the world around them.
Wednesday November 30 at 7pm Subject to be announced
Wampanoag Historian Carol Wynne of the Mashpee Tribe
Carol Wynne will describe a variety of cooking techniques used by the Wampanoag and provide tasty samples of some of the dishes.
Special Events at Aptucxet Trading Post Museum Complex 24 Aptucxet Road, Bourne
Saturday May 14th Merry Month of May Craft Fair and Flea Market
Hand made crafts by local artistians, treasures at the flea market tablesand refreshments and lunch available by the canal. 9AM -2 PM
Saturday May 21th Pirate Day and Pig Roast
Dress as a pirate and join in all the excitment, treasure hunts, walk the plank, join in the canon ball fight (prepare to get a bit wet), music, and so many other fun events.
The Pig Roast will begin at 1PM, Hot dogs available too. 11AM-3PM
Save the dates below more details to follow
Saturday June 25th Strawberry Festival and Craft Fair
Saturday July 16
9:30 -11 Walk for History with Cast of Characters
11 am-3 pm Colonial Day
Saturday Aug 13
7 pm Walk through History
Saturday Sep 17
11 am-3 pm Wampanoag Day & Native American Craft Fair