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Wareham Gatemen
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This
Cape Cod Baseball team is based at Spillane
Field on Rte. 6 |
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Cranberry Bogs |
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Though declared
Massachusetts’ official “state berry,” in
1994, the cranberry’s place in the state’s
history goes back much further to the 1800s.
The fruit is Massachusetts’ top agricultural
product, with the Bay State harvesting 1.5
million barrels in 2005, number two in North
America only to Wisconsin’s 3.6 million
barrels, according to the Cape Cod Growers’
Association.
The state’s cranberry
activity is primarily in Buzzards Bay and
Cape Cod, with 14,400 acres across the
region devoted to the harvest. Wareham plays
a vital role, as home to four busy bogs and
the UMass Cranberry Station. Affiliated with
the University of Massachusetts at Amherst,
the station has been researching cranberry
growth on its 11-acre bog since 1910.
Though some of the town’s
bogs have year-round stores, fall is the
cranberry harvesting season and October is
usually the best time to visit. Most of the
town’s bogs offer tours, but calling ahead
is strongly advised. A.D. Makepeace is the
largest operation and the Cape Cod Growers’
Association hosts its annual Cranberry
Harvest Celebration at the company’s Tihonet
Road grounds each October. The public is
invited to tour the bogs, purchase
helicopter rides over the bogs and enjoy
goods baked with cranberries.
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Cranberry Destinations
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A.D. Makepeace Co.
158 Tihonet Road
508-295-1000
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Coyne Bog Blues
34 N. Carver Road
508-295-3254
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Decas Cranberry Products
219 Main St.
508-295-0147
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Willows Cranberries
2667 Cranberry Highway
508-295-9990
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UMass Cranberry Station
1 State Bog Road
508-295-2212
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Porter’s Thermometer Museum
49 Zarahemla Road, Onset
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A one-of-a-kind museum you’re
unlikely to forget. Richard Porter has 2,600
different thermometers – including some used by
astronauts and others that moonlight as
earrings. The largest sits outside his house and
can be seen a great distance away.
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Onset Bay Movie Co.
29 Locust St.
508-295-9026
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This is a good spot to watch
a movie on a rainy day or catch their free
summer movie series on Thursdays at 8 p.m.
in the band shell in Onset center.
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Fearing Tavern Museum
Elm Street
508-295-6839
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Built circa 1690, the museum
is one of Wareham’s oldest structures. The
Fearing family purchased the tavern from
Isaac Bump in 1747. Built in three phases,
the home is believed to have also served as
a post office and meeting place for town
officials. The Fearing family sold it in
1942 to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Blanchard, who
gifted it to the Wareham Historical Society.
Open Sat.
and Sun. in the summer, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
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Tremont Nail Company
Elm Street
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The Tremont Nail Company cut
nails at this site from 1819 to 2000, making
it one of the nation’s longest operating
industrial buildings. Isaac and Jared Pratt
originally began manufacturing nails in a
cotton mill here, but were forced to rebuild
after the British set their building ablaze
during the War of 1812. The new building was
completed in 1848.
In 2004, the town of Wareham
purchased the property, which sits within
the 140 acre-Tremont Nail Factory District
on the National Register of Historic Places.
The factory remains closed as a master plan
committee decides how to preserve it.
A privately-owned store
across the street occupies the company’s
former cooper shop and sells company
memorabilia. The Tremont Company Store
(508-291-7871) is open various hours every
day except Monday. The Wareham Free Library
(508-295-2343) at 59 Marion Road also has a
display featuring the factory.
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Nantucket Lightship WLV 613
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Sitting idle in the water off
Rte. 6, this lightship is making up for its
busy days protecting the waters off New York
and Massachusetts. The vessel was assigned
to Ambrose Channel in New York from 1952 to
1967 and had relief duty in Massachusetts
from 1967 to 1979. The lightship’s final job
before being decommissioned was guarding the
Nantucket shoals from 1979 to 1983,
alternating 21-day shifts with Lightship WLV
612. Today, Lightship WLV 613 is in Wareham
being restored by the Wareham Steamship Co.
A South Shore couple
purchased her sister vessel, Lightship WLV
612, for $126,000 in 2002, via the online
auctioneer eBay. After several years docked
undergoing repairs off Boston’s Long Wharf,
WLV 612 is back on the market for a whopping
$7.6 million asking price.
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Fonzie’s Diner, Museum & Memorabilia Shop
3074 Cranberry Highway
508-295-8100
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Get more than a meal at this
colorful 1950s diner, with menu offerings named
after classic autos and a showroom filled with
dozens of shiny antique cars. |
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Onset Bay Blues Café
2 West Central Ave., Onset
508-291-2471
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This nightspot brings blues
lovers and acts from all over to Buzzards
Bay.
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