CG Heritage Museum

Updates & Events at the Coast Guard Heritage Museum

   Inside the Coast Guard Heritage Museum. cctoday photo.

The Coast Guard Heritage Museum (CGHM)  in Barnstable is dedicated to the history and heritage of live-saving along the coasts.  The Museum is housed in the Trayser building--an impressive landmark in its own right.

Within the CGHM is one ofthe finest collections of art, artifacts and memorabilia assembled in one place to celebrate the heroic heritage of those who risked their lives to save shipwrecked sailors, merchantmen, fishermen and recreational boaters.

• Among those honored by our exhibits are:
• The famous Life-Savers of Cape Cod
• the "Surfmen" of the US Life-Saving Service
• Keepers of the Lighthouses
• the US Revenue Cutter Service
• the Coast Guard in war and peace
• and much more

We offer books and publications for sale, video presentations, exhibits, paintings, shipwreck history and interpretive tours.

If you visit us, we are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-3pm.  Admission is $4  for all visitors and children 10 and under are free. We are located at 3353 Main Street (Route 6A) in Barnstable Village, 508-362-8521.

 As we launch our blog site, we hope to convince you and your visitors to come and visit us.  You can't miss us once you arrive in Barnstable Village.  We are atop Cobbs Hill just across Route 6A from the Unitarian Church.   You will find our exhibits are self explanatory and you can rely on some very knowledgable guides--most of whom are ex Coast Guardsmen.  We have two retired Captains on our Board of Directors, and a good mix of former Coasties who have served aboard every type ship imaginable, served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and spent many hours aboard weather ships, ice breakers and rescue vessels as well as aircraft.

UP COMING EVENTS:  While the museum, housed in the 1856 Custom House and Post Office buildig, is  open to the public  five days a week, we also have special events  like our Lecture Series.  The next one is scheduled for June 17th at 7:00 P.M.  We hold these lectures in the Lowell Room of Sturgis Library, one of our Barnstable Village neighbors.  Admission is $5.00 for adults while active Coast Guard and their families are admitted free. On June 17th the lecture will be by CAPT Robert P. Dinsmore. His subject will be: "Ocean Weather stations-1940 to 1980".  It will be a video and power point presentation aboutthe history of the U.S. Coast Guard Weather Ships and Weather Stations.  CAPT Dinsmore, now retired, served on the folliwing weather ships: USS Muskegon (PF-24) CGC Sebago (WPG-42) CGC Duane (WPG-33) and CGC Cook Inlet (WA VP-384)  The retired Captain sailed on seventee Atlantic Weather Patrols.  

THE VILLAGE SMITHY:  Jim Ellis, the Village Blacksmith, is celebrating the 100th anniversary year of his family working the forge in the Smithy (which is what he calls the blacksmith shop).  He gives a great lecture while he works the forge in the 19th Century carriage house.  He makes souvenirs for sale and he is marvelous with children.  We recently had groups of school chidren from Cape Cod Academy in Osterville and from Veritas Academy in Centerville.  You must read and observe their letters and drawings they sent to comment on their visit. 

STUDENT FIELD TRIPS FREE OF CHARGE:  We are trying to reach out to all school children urging the principals to set up field trips for their students.  We do not charge the schools. We just ask that the students  write essays  or send art work telling us what they liked most about the museum.  Wait til you see their essays.

RECENT VISITORS: The Cape Cod Chapter of the Military Spouses organization from the Mass, Military Reservation held their monthly meeting in our museum and Air Station Cape Cod commander CAPT Dan Abel came to let us know what the Air Station does. They do a lot!

The Mens Club of Mashpee came over for a tour and helped us out financially.

The Lightship Sailors Association is going to hold its annual  meeting here on Cape Cod and will bring many of their exhibits along for permanent display.  Several of our directors are members of the LSA.Also in the future is the annual meeting of the Eastwind Association which is made up of Coast Guard veterans of service aboard the famous icebreaker. They pulled off some heroic trips including the capture of a German weather station, their supply ship and brought  their crews back from Greenland as the first Prisoners of War taken in World War II.

RECENT EVENTS:  We hosted a Search and Rescue Demonstration in Barnstable Harbor on Saturday May 17th to show how the Coast Guards elite rescue swimmers drop out of their helicopters to pluck survivors out of the sea.  The Demonstration was set up by Senior Chief Petty Officer William Collette (USCG RET) working with Barnstable's Deputy Fire Chief Chris Olsen, members of the Cape Cod Canal Coast Guard Station in Sandwich, and the Barnstable Harbor Master.  More than 100 people attended the demonstration despite the cold weather and the rain.  The rain finally ended and those who went to the event came up the Museum Grounds for a free cookout.  The Board of Directors are grateful to the following businesses for providing us with donations to bring the victuals to be cooked: Star Market in Festival Mall, Hyannis, Star Market on West Main St., Hyannis, Stop and Shop in Independence Park and BJ's Wholesale Club on Attucks Way, Indepenence Park. and Cape Cod Potato Chip company in Hyannis. Many thanks to all of them! 

NEW MEMBERS:  One of Cape Cod's most beloved historians, Benjamin Muse of Yarmouth, recently signed on as a member of the Coast Guard Heritage Museum with a substantial donation.  He served in the Coast Guard Reserve and was called up to duty during WWII and Korea. Those who served under him say he was one of the best officers ever. He knew what he was doing and he led by example. 

We hope more Coast Guard Veterans will follow his example and help us in our annual appeal for funds and volunteers.  The more we have, the better we will be as  we seek to build a world class facility at the Custom House and Post Office Building.  It is one of the most historic brick buildings in New England.