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Osterville Historical Museum

@ostervillemuseum

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Regular museum hours Thursday-Saturday 10 am-2 pm through Sept 13. Open year round for weddings and special events.

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82 years ago today, a hurricane erased a mansion from Dowses Beach.

On September 14, 1944, the Great Atlantic Hurricane struck Cape Cod with destructive winds and storm-driven flooding that devastated low-lying parts of Osterville.

At the time, Dowses wasn’t a public beach. The point at East Bay was the Dowse family estate, with a waterfront mansion roughly where the bathhouse is today.

William B.H. Dowse was a Harvard-educated patent lawyer and businessman who married Fanny Reed, daughter of Henry G. Reed of @reedandbarton. After Reed’s death, Dowse became president of the famed silver company and helped modernize and expand it.

He was the Wianno Yacht Club’s first recorded commodore (1913-15), and in 1913 he and Henry Day approached H. Manley Crosby about creating the one-design sailboat that became the Wianno Senior.

The estate had an impressive design pedigree as well. Records at @olmstednhs show that Olmsted Brothers - the landscape architecture firm led by Frederick Law Olmsted’s sons - worked on the Dowse estate in 1909-11 and again in 1920.

Then came the hurricane. The storm lifted the mansion from its foundation and carried it into East Bay. The family chose not to rebuild. Remarkably, a pianoforte recovered from the house survived and is now preserved by @ostervillemuseum.

Across Osterville, more than 60 feet of Wianno Beach was lost and hundreds of trees came down. At @crosbyyachtyard, floodwater lifted stored boats off their blocks. At the time, storage was just $5 per month. Shoaling also changed where Wianno Senior races could begin. JFK’s own Wianno Senior, Victura - built by Crosby’s - survived the hurricane after he dragged it onto a beach to save it.

After the storm, German POWs held at nearby Camp Edwards helped with cleanup. The Wianno Club sold “Hurricane Notes” to fund shoreline work; Barnstable covered 15% and the state 50%.

The Dowse family gave the land to the town, which spent about $30,000 creating the public Dowses Beach generations of Osterville residents know today.

Hard to imagine all of this sitting where we now park, swim, and watch the sunset.

#osterville #capecod #capecodhistory #newenglandhistory #dowsesbeach taken in Dowses Beach by @ostervillemuseum

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23 days ago

Happening now! #osterville #capecod #barnstable by @ostervillemuseum

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2 months ago

Beat the heat and stop into Fête and feast your eyes on the stunning collection of artwork by artist @sueferriman! Her pieces are inspired by coastal inlets, beach roses, and of the course our infamous Cape Cod sunsets!

🍾Let’s Fête Together🍾

🌿Visit us in-store:
846 Main Street
Osterville, MA 02655
Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm
Sunday: 11am-4pm

🌿Shop via telephone:
774.228.2103

🌿Order online:
www.fete.shop taken in Fête Among the Flowers by @ostervillemuseum

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2 months ago

Today! Our 12th Annual Art@theMuseum from 4-6 pm. Come browse and shop our one day sale from renowned Cape Cod artists under the tent amidst the boat shops. #capecod #osterville #barnstable by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

Have a vintage or antique car? Join us this Saturday for the Village Day parade. Cars gather at the Osterville Historical Museum starting at 9 am. Engines start at 12:45. #capecod #osterville #barnstable #vintagecar by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

A preview of @krryderart paintings to be included a week from today, Sunday, July 19th from 4-6 pm during our annual Art@theMuseum #capecod #osterville #barnstable by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

Another preview from our upcoming Art@theMuseum on Sunday, July 19 from 4-6 pm from @jennykelleypaints #capecod #osterville #barnstable by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

A preview from the upcoming Art@theMuseum: Liz Mumford hand signed and hand numbered giclée on board of Baxter’s in Hyannis. See this and more on July 19th from 4-6 pm #capecod #osterville #barnstable taken in Osterville Historical Museum by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

Mark your calendars — the 12th Annual Art@TheMuseum will be on Sunday, July 19th. Join us underneath the tent and amongst the boat shops for our annual fine art sale with renowned Cape Cod artists. 30% of all sales benefit the museum and are tax deductible. #capecod #barnstable #osterville #shopsmall by @ostervillemuseum

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3 months ago

Final day! Silent auction ends today, Saturday, at 2 pm — need not be present to win #capecod #osterville #barnstable taken in Osterville Historical Museum by @ostervillemuseum

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10 months ago

Happening now! Visit the Festival of Trees today until 4 and tomorrow from 10-2 #capecod #osterville #barnstable taken in Osterville Historical Museum by @ostervillemuseum

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10 months ago

Come see us tomorrow 10-1 taken in Osterville Farmer's Market by @ostervillemuseum

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10 months ago