Orleans Historical Society at The Meeting House Museum

Frommer's Review

Other towns may have fancier facilities to house their historical societies, but few have quite so colorful a history as Orleans -- the only town on the Cape with a non-English, non-native name. Upon separating from Eastham in 1797, Orleans assumed the name of an honored guest: future king Louis-Philippe de Bourbon, duke of Orleans, who safely sat out the Revolution abroad, earning his living as a French tutor. Not that all remained quiet on these shores either: Orleans suffered British naval attacks during the War of 1812 and German submarine fire in 1918. You'll find a great many mementos in this 1833 Greek Revival church, along with assorted artifacts -- from arrowheads to hand-hewn farm tools -- and a thinly veiled terrorist threat, dated 1814, from a British captain offering to spare the town's saltworks in Rock Harbor for a paltry $1,000. The townspeople balked, a warship struck, and the home team triumphed in the Battle of Orleans. Though the displays are far from jazzy, a great many have interesting stories attached and could spark an urge to learn more. Head over to Rock Harbor to see a gold-medal, award-winning Coast Guard rescue boat. Shipwreck items from the wreck of the Pendleton tanker in 1952 were installed by the Historical Society as an additional exhibit.

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