About the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth
Historic Sites Along Old King's Highway
The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth was founded in 1953 by Caroline Siebens and Ann Maxtone-Graham with a mission to preserve, promote, and present the history of Yarmouth, Massachusetts — and to keep that history from being discarded, misplaced, forgotten, or lost. More than seventy years later, the society cares for a cluster of historic sites off Old King's Highway (Route 6A) in Yarmouth Port, one of the most historically intact stretches of Cape Cod.
The society's centerpiece is the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the only furnished sea captain's home on Cape Cod regularly open to the public. Its other properties include the Kelley Chapel, which is available for rentals and small gatherings, and the Gorham Cobbler Shop, a relocated and reconstructed building that now serves as the society's administrative headquarters and houses its archival collections in climate-controlled storage. Behind the village, the society maintains roughly 50 acres of woodland nature trails, a gift received in 1958 that lets visitors walk the same landscape early Yarmouth residents knew.
Throughout the year the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth offers lectures, school programs, exhibitions, walking tours, concerts, holiday events, and other social and educational opportunities. Researchers can consult the society's archives and local history collections by contacting the office, which keeps regular weekly hours and welcomes appointments.
Plan Your Visit
The Historical Society of Old Yarmouth is headquartered at 229 Old King's Highway (Route 6A) in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, where the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum, Kelley Chapel, and nature trails are all close at hand. For current museum hours, trail information, event schedules, and research appointments, visit hsoy.org.
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