History
First settled in 1637, and officially
incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the
oldest town on Cape Cod, and for that
matter, is one of the oldest towns in
the United States. It was settled by a
group from
Saugus with the permission of the
Plymouth Colony. It was named for the
seaport of
Sandwich, Kent,
England. Sandwich was the site of an
early
Quaker settlement. However, the
settlement was not well-received, as
their beliefs clashed with those of the
Puritans who founded the town. Many
Quakers left the town, either for
further settlements along the Cape, or
elsewhere, including places like
Dartmouth. Early industry revolved
around agriculture, with fishing and
trading also providing for the town.
Later, the town grew a small industrial
component along the Scusset River and
Old Harbor Creek and its tributaries.
Today, most of its industry revolves
around tourism.[1]
There are several attractions in
Sandwich, including Heritage Museums and
Gardens, the Sandwich Glass Museum, the
Thornton Burgess Museum, Hoxie House
(the oldest house on Cape Cod), the
Dan'l Webster Inn, and the Dexter Grist
Mill, the oldest on Cape Cod. Sandwich
is home to numerous art galleries, rare
book and antique stores. It is also home
to a major portion of
Otis Air National Guard Base,
including half the land the runways are
on.
