Incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest of the Cape towns. During the town’s first 100 years, the English settlers farmed the land and ran small coastal fishing enterprises.
Sandwich was also an important stagecoach stop on the Old King’s Highway (now Route 6A) from Boston to Provincetown; it quickly became a center for travel and tourism. Taverns and inns cropped up along the main street. Wealthy Boston travelers on business and vacation stayed at these establishments en route to other parts of Cape Cod. The Fessenden Tavern (later called the Central House) was one of the most famous stops; it was noted for being the Patriot Headquarters before the Revolutionary War and was later renamed for its most popular guest, Daniel Webster. Across town, Newcomb’s Tavern served as the Tory headquarters.
In the early 1800s, factories were started in the region, taking advantage of the natural resources of land, waterpower and wood fuel. The Boston & Sandwich Glass Company was founded in 1825 and grew steadily over a 63-year period to employ 500 workers who created various types of glassware. The company is best known for its pressed-glass items, which could be produced quickly, inexpensively and in large quantities for sale to middle-class shoppers desiring fine objects for their homes. The Boston & Sandwich Glass Company closed in 1888 after the center of pressed-glass production shifted from New England to the Midwest, where the cost of glassmaking was less expensive. Today, glass made at the Sandwich factory is a highly prized antique collectible. The Sandwich Glass Museum, located across from the Grist Mill in the center of Sandwich village, displays thousands of glass objects made at the factory during the 19th century.
Museums in Sandwich, such as Hoxie House, Heritage Museums & Gardens, and Thornton Burgess, are windows to our past and give us a sense of what life was like in the early days of America. Many of the famous buildings and sights in Sandwich appear as they did during the 18th and 19th centuries, and they illustrate the artistic and commercial contribution Sandwich made to our national history.
EDUCATION
Sandwich Public Schools
Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nancy Young
16 Dewey Avenue, Sandwich 508-888-1054
Sandwich High School • 508-888-4900
Sandwich Community School • 508-888-5300
Forestdale School • 508-477-6600
Oak Ridge School • 508-833-0111
Henry T. Wing School • 508-888-1343
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School
Barry Motta, Superintendent
220 Sandwich Road, Bourne 508-759-7711
GOVERNMENT
Web site • www.sandwichmass.org
Beach Stickers • 508-833-8012
4-wheel drive permit for Sandy Neck Beach can be purchased through the Town of Barnstable
by calling the Ranger Station 508-362-8300
Building Permits • 508-888-4200
Public Works Department • 508-833-8002
Fire (general business) • 508-888-0525
Food Pantry • 508-888-3816
Police (general business) • 508-888-3343
Public Library • 508-888-0625
Registry of Motor Vehicles • 800-858-3926
Sandwich Housing Authority • 508-833-4979
Town Hall, 130 Main St. • 508-888-4910
HEALTH INFORMATION
Cape Cod Hospital
Hyannis 508-771-1800
Falmouth Hospital
Falmouth 508-548-5300
Jordan Hospital
Plymouth 508-746-2000
Tobey Hospital/Wareham Southcoast Hospitals Group • 508-295-0880
POPULATION
Year Round 21,746
POST OFFICE
General Number • 800-275-8777
Tax Rate • 2005
Tax Rate • $10.20 per 1,000
UTILITIES
Cable TV: Adelphia Cable 877-277-9658
Electric: NSTAR 800-592-2000
Gas: KeySpan Gas 800-548-8000
Telephone: Verizon
Residential 800-980-9999
Business 800-941-9900
Sandwich Water District • 508-888-2775
VILLAGE ZIP CODES
East Sandwich • 02537
Forestdale • 02644
Sandwich • 02563
South Sandwich • 02563
VOTING
Seven voting precincts make up the Town of Sandwich:
Precinct 1 Henry T. Wing School
Precinct 2 Henry T. Wing School
Precinct 3 Sandwich High School
Precinct 4 Oak Ridge Elem. School
Precinct 5 Oak Ridge Elem. School
Precinct 6 Forestdale Elem. School
Precinct 7 Forestdale Elem. School
