About the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth (HSOY) was founded in 1953 by Caroline Siebens and Ann Maxtone-Graham to preserve and build community interest in the history of Yarmouth, a Cape Cod town settled in 1639. It has since grown to more than 500 members and states its mission as discovering, preserving, and celebrating the history of the place and all of its people. Its properties cluster around the Yarmouth Port Common just off Old King's Highway (Route 6A), one of the best-preserved stretches of the Cape's historic north-side road.
The centerpiece is the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum at 11 Strawberry Lane, a fully furnished sea captain's home of about 1840 listed on the National Register of Historic Places and described by the society as the only furnished sea captain's home on Cape Cod regularly open to the public. The house was given to the society in 1958 by Guido Perera, a descendant of early settler Anthony Thacher, along with 50 acres of adjoining woodland that now carry the society's nature trails. Two other buildings round out the campus: Kelley Chapel, a non-denominational chapel available for weddings and small gatherings, and the Gorham Cobbler Shop, a relocated and reconstructed building that serves as the society's office and holds its archives in climate-controlled storage. Through the year HSOY runs lectures, school programs, exhibitions, walking tours, concerts, and holiday events.
Collections and Research Services
The archives at the Gorham Cobbler Shop are open by appointment for scholars, genealogists, and homeowners, and the society strongly suggests booking ahead so staff can pull material and have a volunteer on hand. Simple questions are answered free, with donations welcome. House-history researchers will find a dedicated "Yarmouth Houses" file that includes National Register documentation, plus maps of the town from 1795, 1830, 1858, and 1880 and a map book of village plans. For family research there are family files, member-submitted genealogies, a card catalog cross-referenced by family name, diaries, and other original documents. Digitized photographs and postcards are searchable through the Digital Commonwealth portal, and the reading area has public wifi, a copier, scanner, and printer. The office keeps hours Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursdays 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with appointments available at other times. Before you visit, read our guides on finding out when your house was built and finding old photographs of a house or neighborhood so you arrive with the right questions.
Planning Your Visit
The society's office and mailing address is 229 Old King's Highway (Route 6A), P.O. Box 11, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675; call (508) 362-3021 or email info@hsoy.org. The Captain Bangs Hallet House is open seasonally; in 2026 docent-led tours run Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from June 5 through October 10, hourly from 11 a.m. with the last tour at 2 p.m. Discounts apply for library pass holders, educators, Blue Star Families, and members, and admission is free for EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders through the Card to Culture program. Because of the building's age, the house does not meet accessibility standards. The 50-acre nature trails adjoin the campus. Check hsoy.org for current admission prices and the events calendar. Elsewhere in Massachusetts, Salem Maritime National Historic Site interprets the same seafaring era from the North Shore, and Old Sturbridge Village recreates rural New England life of the 1830s.
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