:: Onset
Points of Interest
On-Iset Wigwam, Old Onset Fire Station,
Shell Point, Onset Bluffs, Onset Pier, Wicket Island, Onset Island, Victorian
Homes Along South Boulevard, Porter's Thermometer Museum, Cruises of Cape Cod
Canal.
Victorian Tour
Over the years, businessmen and theatrical
stars built impressive Victorian estates. To truly appreciate the architecture,
stroll or drive along Onset Avenue, where you will discover a classic row of
well-preserved 19th century hotels. Before Rose Fitzgerald married Joseph
Kennedy, their families vacationed here. The television miniseries about the
famous family was filmed from this location.
From any point in Onset, visitors are
within a minute's walk to the shore.
Here are a few suggested stops off Onset Avenue:
- Longwood and West Central Avenues. Both General Washington and
Lafayette were guests as the old hotel and Eagle Lodge, which hosted both
General Washington and Layfayette and The Washburn House, the first to furnish
"take out meals" for those who chose not to cook. Located on Union Avenue.
- The Union Villa, built in the 1870s, became the first hotel to
remain open all year. A "Sears, Roebuck Kit House" stands at #9 on the avenue.
First introduced through their mail order house catalog in 1908, the kit
includes all the building materials for a full six-room house with reception
hall, pantry and porch-all for $645.
- Highland Avenue. All these cottages belonged originally to
Spiritualist. Both the church and Hollister House are beautiful Victorian
buildings.
About Onset
From any point in Onset,
visitors are within a minute's walk to the shore. For a spectacular view, stand
on the bluff at Shell Point, where West and South Boulevards meet. Some of
Onset's finest Victorian homes are along this Boulevard. Onset Pier was built
close to the sight of the original 1877 Wharf. The beach along Onset Ave
overlooks Wicket and Onset Islands. During prohibition, rum-runners used to
hide liquor on Wicket Island; legends tell of buried pirate treasure on Onset
Island. The town developers planned logically. Streets run East and West,
Avenues North and South. Boulevards circumvent the village.
History
In 1666, the settlers of
Plimoth Plantation purchased over 8,000 acres of land from the native people,
whose regional affiliation was with the Wampanoags. The plantation was named
Agawam, which meant "The Sandy Landing Place" in the Algonquin dialect.
Over the years, the village assumed many names, including "Old Pan"
after the large evaporation pans used in the manufacture of salt. At one time
it was also called "Pine Point" after a grove of majestic oaks and pines which
grew to the very edge of the high bluffs.
Don't miss the beautiful
Vicortian architecture all around you in Onset.
In the 1870s, summer holidays by the sea and spiritual "camp meetings"
became fashionable. Drawn by the natural beauty of the area, a group of
spiritual Boston businessmen purchased 150 acres of land for campgrounds and
established the Onset Bay Grove Association.
The association soon developed streets and parks and sold lots for
summer residences. Over the next decade, hundreds of summer cottages dotted the
landscape. The Old Colony Railroad ran a line exclusively for the Onset Bay
Grove Association, and businesses, which catered to the growing tourist
population, emerged. Onset Village became one of the most fashionable,
well-known resorts of the time.
Museums
Porter's Thermometer Museum -- Onset's Only Museum
Some
are old, some are new; some are rare, some are commonplace. You'll see
everything from antique to high-tech models when you visit Porter's Thermometer
Museum, featuring the largest (currently numbering over 2,600) collection of
thermometers in the world.
For about 20 years, curator, Richard Porter has amassed over
2,700 thermometers, earning his "not-your-average museum" listings in Guinness
Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Many of Porter's
thermometers were collected at flea markets, yard sales and antique shops. He
found others while touring the United States, Europe, South America and
Africa.
Some of his collectibles include a model woman's shoe with a
miniature thermometer sewn into the side (a 1920s prize from a box of Cracker
Jack) and a 150-year-old model embedded into a French woodcut (purchased for
$1.00 at a flea market in Wellfleet, Cape Cod). Visitors will also discover
reptile, bath and grain thermometers.
A retired schoolteacher, Porter also brings
"Thermometermania," a travelling lecture/history presentation to interested
clubs, civic groups and other organizations. On a recent trip (or shall we say,
"busman's holiday") to California, he attended the rededication of the world's
largest thermometer. The thermometer, advertising the Bun Boy Restaurant, is
134-feet tall and can be read from a mile away.
True to its motto "always open, always free," The
Thermometer Museum is open (with advance notice) 365 days per year. To book a
lecture or visit the museum (located near the center of Onset), call (508)
295-5504.
Places of Worship
- Beth Israel of Onset, Corner Locust and Main St., Onset
- Hebron Tabernacle, 6 Cherry Street, Wareham, 508-295-6025
- Emmanuel Assembly of God, 15 Highland Ave, Onset, 508-295-3111
- Church in the Pines, 17 Carver Road, W. Wareham, 508-295-3021
- First Congregational Church, 5 Gibbs Avenue, Wareham,
508-295-1630
- Church of the Good Shepherd, 74 High Street, Wareham,
508-295-2840
- Evangelical Zion Church, Carver Road, Wareham, 508-291-1578
- Living Faith Fourquare Church, 301 Onset Avenue, W. Wareham,
508-291-1595
- Tabernacle of Praise, 187 Hathaway Road, Wareham, 508-295-8116
- Feed My Lambs, 10 Woodville Way, Wareham, 508-291-7831
- On-I-Set Wigwam Spiritualist Camp, 9 Crescent Place, Wareham,
508-291-0073
- Wesley United Methodist Church, 462 Main Street, Wareham,
508-295-2262
- Saint Mary's Catholic Church Onset Bay Lane, Onset 508-759-7777
- Saint Patrick's Catholic Church 82 High Street, Wareham
508-295-2411, 505-291-2924
- Saint Anthony's Mission Chapel Gault Road, West Wareham
Cape Cod Town Menu
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