Historical Society of Old Yarmouth

For my third major stop during my adventure to Yarmouth, MA on Cape Cod in late September 2023, I visited sites run by the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth (HSOY). Stops included a tour of Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum, a collection of little historical buildings, a massive weeping beech tree, and nature trails.

Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum

Located across the roundabout from the Edward Gorey House and down the street from Historic New England’s Winslow Crocker House, the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum offers the third house tour experience within a quarter mile. The property bills itself as the only furnished captain’s house available for tour on the Cape. Originally built in the 1700s, the house received a makeover not from Bangs Hallet himself but from his wife, Anna Eldridge Hallet, while he was away on a lengthy voyage at sea around 1840. The house was donated to the society in 1959 by Guido Rinaldo Perera, a descendent of Antony Thacher and his son John Thacher, who built Thacher House down the street. That house is now owned by Historic New England and was mentioned on my tour of Winslow Crocker House.

Inside the house are high-end furnishings customary with the wealth of a captain during the period, including a working tall clock build in 1750 by London-based clockmaker Isaac Rogers, recently refurbished pump organ, fancy china, and many oil paintings depicting Yarmouth residents. Also on display is HSOY’s collection of model boats and maritime memorabilia and a room full of antique toys. My favorite toy was a poster showing the flags of the world. While many flags were the same as those today, several countries had completely different flags. Both Canada and South Africa used a flag with a Union Jack in the upper left corner and a distinct coat of arms. China’s flag featured colorful stripes, while the country of Serb-Croat-Slovene no longer exists.

Little Historical Buildings

After the tour, I walked down the street to view the many little historic buildings in the HSOY collection. I took a quick picture of the adorable post office built in the same Cape style as many other buildings on the street. Behind the post office was Faith S. Tufts Memorial Gate House guarding the entrance to the Nature Trail. I could not find much on the life of Faith Simpkins Tufts, except that she was born in New York City but spent much of her adult life in Yarmouth with her husband and four children. The Tufts family was descended from the Peter Tufts who came to Massachusetts in 1635 whose most famous descendents include Charles Tufts of Tufts University fame, where I received my MA in Museum Education.

Other cute buildings preserved by HSOY include Benjamin Hallett Blacksmith Shop, Benjamin T. Gorham Cobbler Shop, and David Kelley Chapel. All buildings on the property were donated and moved to the site. The chapel is now non-denominational and formerly served the Quaker community in Yarmouth. It seats up to sixty people and has become a destination for intimate weddings and other social events.  unique new building is the wigwam Turtle Wetu constructed by members of the Wampanoag nation, which is currently the only building of its kind on Cape Cod. I last saw a similar project at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, NH, where a smaller and rounder version of the wigwam was reconstructed on an archeological site by members of the Wabanaki nation.

Weeping Beech Tree & Nature Trails

Just behind Hallet House is an enormous European Weeping Beech tree now over a hundred years old. A sign near its base reminds visitors not to climb the beautiful tree, whose leaves and branches act like a canopy shielding walkers from sun and rain. The nature trails on fifty acres of HSOY property provide an easy walk through the quiet forest, allowing visitors time to process all the history they have learned on their trip.

Conclusion

The outside portions of HSOY are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk throughout the year with donations accepted. Tours of the house museum occur on a rolling basis between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the season from late June through mid October. Tickets are $10 for adults and $0 for HSOY members, children, Yarmouth residents, active military and their families, Massachusetts educations, and New England Museum Association members (like me!). Like most historic houses, the building is not accessible to those using wheelchairs or with limited mobility. A brief video previewing the tour is available online.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 7/10