Sandwich Real Estate
One of the oldest villages on Cape Cod, MA

About Sandwich, MA on Cape Cod

Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,136 at the 2000 census.

First settled in 1637, and officially incorporated in 1639, Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod, and for that matter, is one of the oldest towns in the United States. It was settled by a group from Saugus with the permission of the Plymouth Colony. It was named for the seaport of Sandwich, Kent, England. Sandwich was the site of an early Quaker settlement. However, the settlement was not well-received, as their beliefs clashed with those of the Puritans who founded the town. Many Quakers left the town, either for further settlements along the Cape, or elsewhere, including places like Dartmouth. Early industry revolved around agriculture, with fishing and trading also providing for the town. Later, the town grew a small industrial component along the Scusset River and Old Harbor Creek and its tributaries. Today, most of its industry revolves around tourism.

There are several attractions in Sandwich, including Heritage Museums and Gardens, the Sandwich Glass Museum, the Thornton Burgess Museum, Hoxie House (the oldest house on Cape Cod), the Dan'l Webster Inn, and the Dexter Grist Mill, the oldest on Cape Cod. Sandwich is home to numerous art galleries, rare book and antique stores. It is also home to a major portion of Otis Air National Guard Base, including half the land the runways are on.