Welcome to the Harwich Historical Society online.

Visit
What’s New
Membership
Get Involved

The Harwich Historical Society is a private, nonprofit organization that seeks to preserve, collect, and interpret over two hundred years of Harwich history through exhibitions, education programs, active collecting, and research. The Society is housed in the historic Brooks Academy (the former Pine Grove Seminary). The 1844 building is owned by the town of Harwich.

Visit
Founded in 1953, the Society's collection includes Charles D. Cahoon paintings, Crowell carved birds, the Cape's largest cranberry culture exhibit, historic photographs, manuscripts, and genealogical records. The museum is open to the public Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 26 through October 11, 1 to 4 p.m. and at other times by appointment. The genealogical and research library is open by appointment year-round.

What's New
Opening in 2008 is an exhibit about Harwich in the Civil War, “War Knows No Sabbath.” Visitors will follow in the footsteps of Harwich’s Sidney Brooks, proprietor of Pine Grove Seminary, who joined the Christian Commission in 1864 to help care and give spiritual comfort to wounded soldiers. Visitors will experience the devastating conflict through the eyes of this 51-year old volunteer, many of whose students were serving in uniform, and his hometown on Cape Cod which sent several hundred of its men to fight.

“All Aboard the Harwich Railroad,” chronicling the influence of the railroad on life in Harwich, remains on display. The exhibit features an impressive HO scale working model train layout of the town and the surrounding area, built by the Nauset Model Railroad Club.

Membership
Whether you are a Cape Cod native, a “wash ashore,” or a summer visitor, membership in the Harwich Historical Society is a great way to connect with Harwich’s history on an ongoing basis. Your contribution supports education programs, exhibits, and the preservation of Harwich’s past.

Members receive a quarterly newsletter, advance information about upcoming lectures and exhibitions, free admission to the museum and research library, reduced fees on programs, and a gift shop discount.

Please click here for a printable version of our membership form, or contact the museum by email or call (508) 432-8089.

Get Involved
We invite you to join our active group of volunteers who are involved in all parts of museum work. They enjoy fellowship with like-minded volunteers and the opportunity to learn more about Harwich history. There are opportunities in guiding, working with collection materials, exhibit construction, gift shop assistance, and more. We'd love to hear from you.