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From the Town Archives
Discover fascinating moments from Sandwich’s past in "From the Town Archives," a monthly column spotlighting unique and often little-known pieces of our local history—preserving the heritage of our town, one article at a time. These captivating stories are also featured in The Sandwich Enterprise.


What Sandwich Has Meant To Me
This year, the Friends of the Sandwich Town Archives (FOSTA) awarded two scholarships to graduating Sandwich High School seniors. One of the application criteria was to write an essay on “What Sandwich Has Meant to Me.” We would like to share the two heartfelt essays written by this year’s scholarship recipients, Lauren Frazel and Megan Jakubicka. Congratulations to Lauren and Megan, and we wish the very best to all of Sandwich High School’s 2026 graduates. FOSTA's scholarshi
Lauren Frazel & Megan Jakubicka
1 day ago5 min read


A Building With A Past
If you’ve walked through Sandwich village, you’ve likely noticed the white storefront with the big windows at the corner of Jarves and Main Streets. When the owner expressed interest in obtaining a historic marker, I dove into the records in search of the build date and original owner. I’m dating myself, but what began as routine research turned into a fun ride in Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine. The more I found the more I wanted to know.
June Murphy
Apr 177 min read


Touching All the Chords of Memory
This notice, placed in a time capsule destined to be opened on July 4, 1976, in Sandwich, advertises the "Greate Concerte" held at Town Hall in March 1876. The two-day concert, featuring Auld Lang Syne and The Star Spangled Banner, was part of the town's year-long Centennial celebration. The notice and most of the other items packed into the Centennial Box capsule are in the Town Archives. COURTESY OF THE SANDWICH TOWN ARCHIVES When history buffs plan our share of a big natio
Robert Thomson
Mar 135 min read


How to Visit Revolutionary Sandwich
From the junction of Water and Main streets in Sandwich Village, you can see five centuries. But for the 250th birthday of the United States this year, let's put on spectacles that filter out all those centuries but the revolutionary 18th. Across town, we have spaces, homes, taverns, historic cemeteries and historical institutions that show us how lucky we are to live right here right now for this national party. Most of the United States has no such physical legacy of the Re
Robert Thomson
Feb 205 min read


That Was Then
NEW! Sandwich Stories : View a narrated photo essay of this article c reated by Sandwich Community Television. The 1950s in Sandwich. Our family lived on Jarves Street and our town’s population was a bit over 2,000 residents. As I look back, I remember that time in my life fondly. I admit it seems to me to have been an idyllic time to grow up in our town. First of all, you knew everyone. When someone drove by, you waved. You stopped to chat on the street. Even as a young
Joan Osgood
Jan 167 min read


How Sandwich Throws a History Party
Sandwich has celebrated historic birthdays so often you’d think we’d be short on candles. For at least a century and a half, big civic parties have marked the births of the town, the county and the nation. But like an Olympic torch passed from runner to runner till it reaches the cauldron, each generation picks up the flame where the last one left off. We’re about to take on that collective challenge again as the town participates in the 250th birthday party of the United Sta
Robert Thomson
Dec 5, 20256 min read


How to Make a Time Capsule: Lessons from the Centennial Box
The creators of Sandwich's Centennial Box didn't have an instruction manual in 1876 when they launched one of America's first time capsules on a 100-year voyage. Their wood-and-tin box looks as crude to us as the Mayflower or a Mercury spacecraft. But like those other pioneering voyagers, it delivered the goods. On July 4, 1976, the 200th birthday of the United States, town leaders opened the lid and fulfilled the 19th century community's wish to link generations. In this sec
Robert Thomson
Dec 3, 20258 min read


What was in the 1876 Centennial Box
When Russell A. Lovell Jr. first saw the contents of the newly opened Sandwich time capsule on July 4, 1976, he berated its chief packer, Charles C.P. Waterman. Then the Sandwich historian spent the rest of the year studying, displaying and writing about Waterman's century-old selections. The more Lovell looked into the Centennial Box, the more he saw. Though he still had complaints, Lovell's Dec. 30 wrap-up article in the Village Broadsider newspaper included this phrase: "M
Robert Thomson
Nov 20, 202511 min read
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