Growing up, I had a favorite game, maybe you played it, too. Every time we drove over the bridge, I’d sit up as tall as I could, scanning both sides of the canal and counting boats as quickly as possible. The outcome was predictable: whoever sat on the side of the car with the most boats won. I’ll admit, I still play. How could you not? Am I really supposed to ignore a canal full of boats and instead focus on how unnervingly close we are to the sidewalk, or the car approachi

I have lived on Quaker Meetinghouse Road my entire life. As far as I knew there was nothing much here except for wood lots until the developments of the 1970s and 80s. I didn’t question that understanding until I stumbled across a photograph of a farmhouse with trellised flowers bordering the porch. On the back of that photograph was a note that read simply: “the Hermitage.” I later came across a series of photographs in the Sandwich Town Archives that included the same flowe

Noble P. Swift (Source: Geni.com) In April 1866, Emily Harrison of Sandwich brought suit against Noble P. Swift of West Sandwich (presently Sagamore) for Breach of Promise to Marry. Now this may seem like a quaint and curious situation, but in centuries past it was a serious matter and courts granted a woman the legal right to sue when she felt that a gentleman grievously wronged her. From the early beginnings of the United States, women were second class citizens who could

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

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.

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