Town of Sandwich Information

The Town of Sandwich is a seaside community of 23,000 residents located in the northwest corner of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod and one of the oldest towns in the United States. The town, named for Sandwich in Kent, England, was settled by European immigrants in 1637, nearly a century and a half before the American Revolution. There are many attractions in Sandwich, including Heritage Museums and Gardens, the Wing Fort House, the Sandwich Glass Museum, the Thornton Burgess Museum, Hoxie House (the oldest house on Cape Cod), the Dan'l Webster Inn, and the Dexter Grist Mill (the oldest on the Cape). The Sandwich town boardwalk is a very popular place for tourists and locals. The walkway was destroyed by Hurricane Bob in 1991, but was rebuilt via private donations. Sandwich is home to numerous art galleries, rare book shops, and antique stores. It is also home to a major portion of Camp Edwards (Army National Guard) and Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Sandwich is the site of the Cape Cod Bay entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. The northern point of Sandwich, where Sagamore Hill and Scusset Beach State Reservation lie, is divided from the rest of the town by the canal. The town is also the location of the Shawme-Crowell State Forest and the Massachusetts State Game Farm. The town is home to six beaches along the shores of Cape Cod Bay. The rest of the town's geography is typical of most of the Cape, with many small ponds and rolling hills, and with most of the trees being pine or oak. Sandwich is also the site of Old Harbor Creek, a large inlet with several small creeks feeding it, which once served to provide safe harbor for ships. Sandwich is a quaint and quiet New England town with seaside charm. The Town's historic charm and uniqueness, combined with its ideal location, make Sandwich an attractive place to both visit and live!