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The town of Bourne, Massachusetts, is a medium-sized rural community located at the beginning of Cape Cod. Bourne is the first town on Cape Cod that has oceanfront on both the north and east sides. Known as the "Gateway to Cape Cod," the Cape Cod Canal actually bisects the community, and the Bourne Bridge, Sagamore Bridge, and Buzzards Bay Vertical Railroad Bridge are all located in Bourne.
Bourne was founded in 1627 and was originally part of Sandwich. In those early times, Sandwich included the villages of Bourne, Sagamore, Pocasset, Buzzards Bay, and Cataumet. The date of Bourne's origin, 1627, was also the year the Plymouth settlers established Aptucxet Trading Post on the banks of the Manomet River for trading with the local Indians and with the Dutch from New Amsterdam (New York) to the south. The trading post was closed in the late 1650s, but a replica of it is still in place on the original foundation near the present-day canal in Bourne.
Bourne was officially incorporated as a town in 1884. It was named after one of its first prominent citizens, Jonathan Bourne, who made his fortune in the whaling industry. The town of Bourne was popular with wealthy people who summered there and built beautiful estates along the shore. President Grover Cleveland purchased a summer house in Bourne called Gray Gables and vacationed there (the house, unfortunately, was destroyed in a 1976 fire).
Bourne, MA, is located in Barnstable County. The town is a quiet community without the summer tourist crush experienced by some of the other Cape communities. Bourne has numerous quiet harbors and inlets for boating and swimming. Shell fishing in also popular in the area. The town offers many other recreational activities, including fishing, biking, and golfing.
Briggs-McDermott House |
Scenic Bourne Street |
United Methodist Church |
The construction of the Cape Cod Canal was an important event for Bourne and in many ways defines the community. The canal lessened the number of shipwrecks near the treacherous shores of Cape Cod and the Islands, and made the trip from New York to Boston by sea quicker and safer. The canal took seven years to build and opened in 1914. The Cape Cod Canal stretches from Sandwich and Sagamore in the east to Bourne and Buzzards Bay in the west. The canal is 480 feet wide, and its strong current runs throughout its approximate 8 mile length.
The Cape Cod Canal is well-known for its superb sport fishing and for viewing the many ships from all nations that continually cruise through its waters. A scenic bike path runs along the canal and is perfect for walking, jogging, or biking. The Bourne Scenic Park campground is located beneath the Bourne Bridge and is a perfect location for those seeking to enjoy the canal.
Alonzo Booth Forge |
Bourne Bridge |
Bourne Historical Center |
The annual Bourne Scallop Festival is held during the month of September and the celebration attracts visitors from across the nation. The National Marine Life Center, Aptucxet Trading Post, and Monument Beach are other favorite town attractions.
Historic Bourne Village showcases the town's heritage and beautiful New England architecture.
Bourne Post Office
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Train Tracks Along Canal |
Aptucxet Windmill
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- Bourne Town Hall: 24 Perry Avenue, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532; Phone 508-759-0600
- 2000 population: 18,721
- Median Household Income: $45,113
- Per capita income: $22,092
- Median house value: $166,100 (2000)
- Monthly homeowner costs: $ 1,148. (2000)
- Tax rate: $6.69 (2005)
- Area: 18.92 square miles
- Local School Committee
- John Harrington, chairperson
- Richard Lavoie
- Patricia Cleary
- Wayne Collamore
- Jack Conway
- Wendy Gaspar
- Tammy Staiger
- Bourne Public Schools Administration
- Address: 36 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA02532
- Contact: 508-759-0660 Phone; 508-759-1107 Fax
- Superintendent -- Edmond LaFleur
- Assistant Superintendent -- Dr. Joyce Harrington
- Pupil Personnel -- Lorna Ibbitson
- Director of Business Services -- Hans Baumhauer
- Bourne High School
- Address: 75 Waterhouse Road, Bourne, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-0670
- Grades: 9-12
- Principal: Ron McCarthy
- Bourne Middle School
- Address: 77 Waterhouse Road, Bourne, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-0690
- Grades: 5-8
- Headmaster: Ernest Frias
- Peebles Elementary School
- Address: 70 Trowbridge Road, Bourne, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-0690
- Grades: 1-4
- Principal: Donald Morrissey
- Otis Memorial Elementary School
- Address: 5500 Curtis Blvd., Air Station Cape Cod, MA 02542
- Telephone: 508-563-2206
- Grades: PK-4
- Principal: Jeanne Holland
- Ella F. Hoxie Elementary School
- Address: 30 Williston Road, Sagamore Beach, MA 02562
- Telephone: 508-888-0150
- Grades: 1-4
- Principal: Ms. Debra J. Haskell
- Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School
- Address: 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-7711
- Grades: 9 - 12
- Superintendent: Barry J. Motta
- St Margaret Regional
- Address: 143 Main Street, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-2213
- Principal: Mary Ann LaFleur
- The Bridgeview School
- Address: P.O. Box 270, Sagamore, MA 02561
- Telephone: 508-888-3567
- Principal: Lillian Chance
- Waldorf School - Cape Cod
- Address: 85 Cotuit Road, Bourne, MA 02532
- Telephone: 508-759-7499
- Principal: Meridith Hunnibell
- Library: Jonathan Bourne Public Library, 19 Sandwich Road, 508-759-0644
- Bourne Scenic Park
- Monument Beach, Emmons Road, Bourne, MA
- Queen Sewell Beach, off Puritan Rd. Buzzards Bay
- Sagamore Beach, off Sagamore Rotary
- Sagamore Beach, Scusset Beach Road, Bourne, MA
- Scusset Beach, Scusset Beach Road, Bourne, MA
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