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Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm Thursday 9am - 1pm Friday 9am - 1pm

Cohasset Historical Society

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Cohasset Historical Society

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The Cohasset Historical Society Headquartered at 106 S. Main St.

Incorporated originally as an outgrowth of the Committee On Town History, the Cohasset Historical Society has been collecting, safeguarding and exhibiting artifacts relating to Cohasset's historic past since 1928. in the town's original 1903 library, the Society operates two additional seasonal museums in the center of town. The ca. 1760 Bates Ship Chandlery houses our Maritime Museum and the 1810 Captain John Wilson House interprets life in Cohasset during the 1800s. Our society has a significant collection of clothing and textiles dating from the 1700’s throughout the mid 1900’s. The Society’s Helen Howes Vosoff collection of theatrical artifacts records the history of summer performing arts in Cohasset from its start in the 1800’s to its present day South Shore Music Circus.

10/07/2026

Next weekend is a pre-Halloween Spooky Weekend at the Cohasset Historical Society! 👻🎃

Join us for two special events exploring some of Cohasset’s history after dark and beneath the headstones.

Saturday, October 17 at 5:00 PM: Join local guide Pat Martin for a Ghost Walk, beginning at the Paul Pratt Memorial Library and ending at the Maritime Museum. As the evening chill falls, hear stories of local ghostly encounters and learn about some of Cohasset’s spookiest tales. Keep an eye out for the ghost said to haunt the Maritime Museum!

Sunday, October 18 at 1:00 PM: Meet us at Cohasset Central Cemetery for a walking tour led by Stephen O’Neil, Executive Director of the Hanover Historical Society. The tour will focus on the lives of the numerous Cohasset residents who directly participated in the American Revolution and who are buried in Central Cemetery.

Join us for a weekend of local history, stories, and maybe a little bit of the supernatural! 👻

09/23/2026

On Sunday, October 4, join Wompatuck State Park authorities Jim Rose and Steve Gammon for a military history walk through the park! Explore the story of the Cohasset Annex, from the taking of land by eminent domain through World War II and on into the post-war and Vietnam era. Discover the annex’s pivotal role in military history, and learn about the people and work that made it all possible.

🗓 Sunday, October 4, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
📍Wompatuck Visitor Center
🎟 Free!

For ages 15+, minors must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at 1:00 PM at the Wompatuck Visitor Center. We will walk approximately 2 miles on flat, paved roads and dirt trails.

This program is a collaboration between the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Cohasset Historical Society.

***Rescheduled from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4 due to weather!***

09/15/2026

The Colonel Thomas Lothrop – Old Colony Chapter of Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution invites the public to celebrate "Bells Across America" this Thursday, September 17th, on Cohasset Common.

This annual event marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, when bells rang out across Philadelphia to announce the birth of the new government.

Attendees should arrive by 3:45 PM for a live reading of the Constitution's Preamble, followed by a synchronized ringing of the carillon bells at St. Stephens Cohasset promptly at 4:00 PM. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair and a handbell if they have one.

Photo 1: The original 23 bells of the St. Stephen's carillon in 1924 at the foundry where they were struck, Gillett & Johnson in Croydon, England.
Photos 2-3: A crowd on the Common listening to a carillon concert, late 1920s.
Photos 4-5: Dozens of automobiles parked around the Common for a carillon concert, late 1920s.
Photo 6: Automobiles parked for a carillon concert, police officer Earl R. McArthur Sr. is directing traffic, 1930s.

09/09/2026

History is coming to life in Cohasset in a whole new way. ⚓

Cohasset High School National Honor Society student Luke Sebestyen created a “talking portrait” at the Cohasset Historical Society’s Maritime Museum, using AI to bring the story of nineteenth-century sea captain Philip Fox to life. 🤖

In 1824, Fox and his crew aboard the Emerald set a record by sailing from Liverpool to Boston in just 16 days. Now, visitors can experience his remarkable story through Luke’s creative approach to connecting technology with local history. 🌊

Stop by the Maritime Museum on weekends from 9 to 12 to see and hear history for yourself. 🧭

Check out the article in this month’s issue! 📖

09/05/2026

Thanks to all our volunteers and visitors who joined us last night!

08/31/2026

Celebrate the end of the summer with us at our 3rd Annual Sea Shanty Shindig street fair, this Friday, September 4! Enjoy live music and delicious food and drink from local food truck favorites. Our two village museums, the Maritime Museum and the Wilson House, will also be open to visitors. This free event is perfect for all ages, so bring the whole family for an evening of nautical fun!

📍Elm Street, right in front of the Maritime Museum
📆 Friday, September 4, starting at 5:00 PM

08/19/2026

Explore Wompatuck’s history on foot!

Join retired park supervisor Steve Gammon on Thursday, August 27, at 9:00 AM for a walking tour of the Doane Street area of Wompatuck State Park.

During this approximately 2-mile walk, Steve will share the history of the Doane Street area, including old house lots, stone walls, military structures, and natural features. Participants are also encouraged to share their own memories and experiences of the area.

🎟 Free
👫Ages 15 & up, minors must be accompanied by an adult.
📍 Meet at the Doane Street parking area.
🥾 Approximately 2 miles on flat, paved roads and dirt trails
🚻 No restrooms available

This program is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Cohasset Historical Society.

Images:
📸Map of Wompatuck State Park with designated hunting areas marked, published by the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources, 1971. In the Collection of the Cohasset Historical Society.
📸Special Rules and Regulations governing hunting and trapping, 1971. In the Collection of the Cohasset Historical Society.

08/04/2026

On April 16, 1851, a furious gale destroyed the 1st Minot's Ledge Lighthouse, killing the two on-duty assistant keepers, Joseph Wilson and Joseph Antoine. The structure was less than two years old, having been first lit on January 1, 1850. How could this have happened?

Find out this Thursday, August 6, at 5:00PM at Lightkeepers (15 Lighthouse Lane) for "The Demise of the First Minot's Light," a presentation by Minot's expert, Joe Lebherz.

This lecture is free and open to all!

📸: Print of the engraving "Destruction of Minot's Ledge Lighthouse," first published in Gleason's Pictorial Magazine, volume 1, issue 1, on May 3, 1851.

07/28/2026

Thank you to all who joined us last week for Jessie Manchester Lubitz's fantastic lecture on the history of rum running in Cohasset! As promised, here are the photos Jessie wanted to share with you all.

📸1) Bottles collected from the Breaden Cheese Club.
📸2) Foundation of the Breaden Cheese Club on Forest Avenue.
📸3) Photo from the interior of the Breaden Cheese Tree Motor Club showing the “Rumpus Room" decorated for Christmas.

07/21/2026

Join us this Thursday evening for an engaging presentation by attorney and novelist Jessie Manchester Lubitz as she shares her research on rumrunning along Cohasset's coast. Conducted while writing her debut novel, tentatively titled "The Bootlegger's Apprentice" (to be published April 6), her research uncovers the fascinating history of Prohibition-era smuggling on the South Shore. Discover Cohasset's favorite bootlegger drop sites and hear stories of the late-night exploits that unfolded along our coastline during the Prohibition era.

This lecture will take place at Cohasset Yacht Club (99 Howard Gleason Road) at 5 PM and is free and open to all!

Jessie Manchester Lubitz holds a degree in History from Brown University and a law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Although she grew up on a dirt road in Vermont, she now calls Cohasset home.

📸: Removal of illicit liquor from Cohasset Police Station at Independence Hall (now Seabird Coffee & Co.) seized during a Prohibition-era raid, circa 1920s.

Address

106 S Main Street
Cohasset, MA
02025

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 1pm
Friday	9am - 1pm

Telephone

+17813831434

Website

http://www.cohassethistoricalsociety.org/

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