On Sunday, March 24 at 2:00 pm in our Community Room, as part of our Sunday afternoon lecture series, join noted historian, author and filmmaker Don Wilding for his presentation of some of the greatest shipwrecks and rescues of Cape Cod’s outer beaches. His talk narrows in on the earliest days of the U.S. Lifesaving Service (1872) to the early years of the U.S. Coast Guard in the first half of the 20th century, focusing on notorious shipwrecks including the Italian bark Castagna (1914), the Canadian schooner Montclair (1927), and the British ship Jason (1893), in which 25 men perished.
An award-winning writer and editor for Massachusetts newspapers for over 30 years, Don pens the popular “Shore Lore”history column for Orleans’s Cape Codder newspaper, and is the author of two books, Henry Beston’s Cape Cod: how The Outermost House inspired a National Seashore, and A brief history of Eastham: on the Outer Beach of Cape Cod.A co-founder of the nonprofit Henry Beston Society of Cape Cod, Don is also an instructor of Cape Cod history courses for the Open University of Wellfleet and Nauset Community Education. He’s been a public speaker on the Cape for more than 15 years.
In 2018, Cape Cod Maritime Museum and Wood Boat Shop celebrated its 20th anniversary of preserving, protecting and promoting the maritime history and tradition of wood boat building on Cape Cod. The museum offers permanent and rotating exhibits, interactive maritime-themed activities and a fine arts gallery. The Cook Boat Shop is a working exhibit space for traditional and contemporary wood boat building and includes restoration projects on historic Cape Cod water craft. The Historic Wood Boat Shed holds the only collection of all wooden boats native to Cape Cod. The museum is also home to “Sarah,”a Crosby catboat replica, and a gift shop featuring unique and beautiful maritime themed gifts, books and apparel.
Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: A Talk with Historian Don Wilding
Sunday, March 24, 2:00 pm
Community Room at Cape Cod Maritime Museum
Members $10