Onset, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Points of Interest
On-Iset Wigwam, Old Onset Fire Station, Shell Point, Onset Bluffs, Onset Pier, Wicket Island, Onset Island, Victorian Homes Along South Boulevard, Porter's Thermometer Museum, Cruises of Cape Cod Canal, Victorian Tour. Over the years, businessmen and theatrical stars built impressive Victorian estates. To truly appreciate the architecture, stroll or drive along Onset Avenue, where you will discover a classic row of well-preserved 19th century hotels. Before Rose Fitzgerald married Joseph Kennedy, their families vacationed here. The television miniseries about the famous family was filmed from this location.
Here are a few suggested stops off Onset Avenue:
- Longwood and West Central Avenues. Both General Washington and Lafayette were guests as the old hotel and Eagle Lodge, which hosted both General Washington and Layfayette and The Washburn House, the first to furnish "take out meals" for those who chose not to cook. Located on Union Avenue.
- The Union Villa, built in the 1870s, became the first hotel to remain open all year. A "Sears, Roebuck Kit House" stands at #9 on the avenue. First introduced through their mail order house catalog in 1908, the kit includes all the building materials for a full six-room house with reception hall, pantry and porch-all for $645.
- Highland Avenue. All these cottages belonged originally to Spiritualist. Both the church and Hollister House are beautiful Victorian buildings.

About Onset
From any point in Onset, visitors are within a minute's walk to the shore. For a spectacular view, stand on the bluff at Shell Point, where West and South Boulevards meet. Some of Onset's finest Victorian homes are along this Boulevard. Onset Pier was built close to the sight of the original 1877 Wharf. The beach along Onset Ave overlooks Wicket and Onset Islands. During prohibition, rum-runners used to hide liquor on Wicket Island; legends tell of buried pirate treasure on Onset Island. The town developers planned logically. Streets run East and West, Avenues North and South. Boulevards circumvent the village.
History
In 1666, the settlers of Plimoth Plantation purchased over 8,000 acres of land from the native people, whose regional affiliation was with the Wampanoags. The plantation was named Agawam, which meant "The Sandy Landing Place" in the Algonquin dialect. Over the years, the village assumed many names, including "Old Pan" after the large evaporation pans used in the manufacture of salt. At one time it was also called "Pine Point" after a grove of majestic oaks and pines which grew to the very edge of the high bluffs. In the 1870s, summer holidays by the sea and spiritual "camp meetings" became fashionable. Drawn by the natural beauty of the area, a group of spiritual Boston businessmen purchased 150 acres of land for campgrounds and established the Onset Bay Grove Association. The association soon developed streets and parks and sold lots for summer residences. Over the next decade, hundreds of summer cottages dotted the landscape. The Old Colony Railroad ran a line exclusively for the Onset Bay Grove Association, and businesses, which catered to the growing tourist population, emerged. Onset Village became one of the most fashionable, well-known resorts of the time.
Museums
Porter's Thermometer Museum - Onset's Only Museum
Some are old, some are new; some are rare, some are commonplace. You'll see everything from antique to high-tech models when you visit Porter's Thermometer Museum, featuring the largest (currently numbering over 2,600) collection of thermometers in the world. For about 20 years, curator, Richard Porter has amassed over 2,700 thermometers, earning his "not-your-average museum" listings in Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe it or Not. Many of Porter's thermometers were collected at flea markets, yard sales and antique shops. He found others while touring the United States, Europe, South America and Africa. Some of his collectibles include a model woman's shoe with a miniature thermometer sewn into the side (a 1920s prize from a box of Cracker Jack) and a 150-year-old model embedded into a French woodcut (purchased for $1.00 at a flea market in Wellfleet, Cape Cod). Visitors will also discover reptile, bath and grain thermometers. A retired schoolteacher, Porter also brings "Thermometermania", a travelling lecture/history presentation to interested clubs, civic groups and other organizations. On a recent trip (or shall we say, "busman's holiday") to California, he attended the rededication of the world's largest thermometer. The thermometer, advertising the Bun Boy Restaurant, is 134-feet tall and can be read from a mile away.