Sagamore Information Booth
You can't tell the story about this little building without it quickly turning into a story about Bourne and its relationship with the rest of Cape Cod. The Sagamore Information Cottage and those who faithfully staffed it for over 70 years have humbly earned the respect of our Town and it should be preserved.
It was built in 1928, replacing an old Sagamore "land office" and it reportably sat at the foot of the old Sagamore drawbridge on Pleasant Street. It was later moved to the intersection of Tupper Road and Route 130 "Old Main" (there was no 6A by Stop & Shop). After the "new" Sagamore bridge was completed, it was moved to its present location next to the Fire Station.
Between 1928 and 1945, a woman named Geneva Eldridge, lived on Pleasant Street, and later on Old Plymouth Road. Her husband was a carpenter at the Keith Car Works. Geneva was a very prolific writer and local character who loved Bourne and Cape Cod. She wrote a speech for the then head of the Cape Cod Chamber on June 18, 1929. This speech outlined a day in the life of the cottage.
"Now a man from New Jersey who is bound for Provincetown and wants to be on Cape Cod all the way."
It is full of humerous anecdotes and reflects the experiences of many tourists and booth workers for years to come. Her actual Booth notebook is in a collection of her items located in the Hostorical Nickerson Room in Cape Cod Community College.
"The history of Bourne must include our responsibility to greet the visitors to the Cape. No other Cape town has this responsibility. Those who I know and those whom I've recently met researching this cottage have answered this call with enthusiasm and respect."
Structurally speaking, the cottage looks a little modern. The painted shingles must be replaced. The door is falling apart and there is a sag in it that will probably be corrected with a new foundation. It needs rehab and has been neglected. The Bourne Information Booth, a topic for another day looks as original as possible.
This season the Information Booth will be
open to the visitors as the Windmill
Gift Shop.