Bourne On the 7th of July

From Dave Brigham:

Ah yes, I am Bourne again!

No, I haven't accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, folks, but rather I have discovered another corner of the westernmost town on Cape Cod. I vacationed in Bourne's Pocasset village for many years, and have written posts about that area, as well as other parts of the town (see bottom of this post for links). Although I now spend my Cape time in neighboring Sandwich, I still drive through Bourne, and recently shot some photos along Route 6A in the Sagamore section.

Years ago, I fell in love with the Shingle Style church along Sandwich Road (Route 6A), at the corner of Westdale Park. On July 7th, I finally made some photos.

Dedicated on June 6, 1926, St. Theresa of Child Jesus served a parish filled with Italian immigrants, many of whom worked at the Keith Freight Car Manufacturing Company, which was located in the area. "In the 1880s, the various departments and plants of the Keith Car Works spanned approximately one and one-quarter miles and employed 968 people, not including office or management personnel," per MACRIS. There was company housing nearby, as well.

The freight car outfit closed up just a few years after the church was built, putting hundreds out of work. In the 1930s, the U.S. Government bought the plant and tore it down to make room for widening the Cape Cod Canal to 540 feet, MACRIS continues.

The Fall River Diocese closed St. Theresa on November 23, 2008, citing "the expectation of fewer priests, declining vocations for the priesthood, rising diocesan expenses and limited financial resources," per the above-linked article. In recent years, it was home to a thrift shop. Currently, it sits empty. I hope a new community will find its beauty irresistible.

A short walk away is the Sagamore Cemetery.

"Although the Sagamore Cemetery wasn’t incorporated until 1889, its first recorded burial took place in 1803," according to this Vacation Cape Cod article. "The plot is the final resting place for numerous Civil War soldiers and at least 29 former sea captains, making it a historically significant facility, even without the ghost stories."

Ghost stories, you say?

"In 1909, when the Cape Cod Canal was still under construction, 17 bodies from the Collins Farm Cemetery and 45 bodies from the Ellis Cemetery were moved to Sagamore to make room for the project," the article continues. "Officials marked the caskets with chalk, but a storm washed the names away before a reburial could proceed. As a result, officials had to guess at some identities, and there’s a non-trivial chance that some caskets are under the wrong headstones. The thought is that the spirits that continue to roam the cemetery can’t rest until the proper names are attached to the gravesites. Their restlessness is driving the ghost sightings."

I was there for just a few minutes, in broad daylight, and didn't seen any spectral beings. Darn.

The word "Sagamore" means chief, or leader, in various Native American languages. In addition to this area of Bourne, the word is also used for the one of the two bridges that spans the Cape Cod Canal.

"The bridge and its sibling the Bourne Bridge were constructed beginning in 1933 by the Public Works Administration for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates both the bridges and the canal," per Wikipedia. "Both bridges carry four lanes of traffic over a 616 feet main span, with a 135 feet ship clearance. They opened to traffic on June 22, 1935.

On the opposite side of the road, I spied the top of the faux windmill that marks the location of an outlet of the Christmas Tree Shops.

Founded in the 1950s in Yarmouthport, on the Cape, as the Christmas Tree Gift Shop, the company grew to include several stores in Massachusetts and New England, per its web site. In 2003, Bed Bath & Beyond bought the local chain and grew it outside New England. "In 2020, a new chapter began, as CTS became an independent company owned by Handil Holdings. Under our new leaders, Pam and Marc Salkovitz, we operate 80 stores in 20 states with plans to introduce ourselves to new communities."

The few stores I've seen locally have these fake windmills, alongside buildings that look like Swiss chalets. I'm not sure if all the stores share that motif.

Now for a random photo.

I don't think I've ever seen a repurposed traffic sign, a ghost sign, if you will. The original message was SPEED LIMIT 20, but it's been covered with NO PARKING COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. Municipal finances must be tight in Bourne.

OK, another random one.

I wonder if this King Cab Chevy still runs. Looks pretty good.

Next is the Harlow Pope Inn, a classic Greek Revival Home dating to 1835 that was renovated in 2004 and turned into a charming vacation spot.

As bed and breakfasts go, the Harlow Pope is small, with just two bedrooms and a common room.

There is a "For Sale" sign outside the Quaker Process Printing Company building.

Established in 1950, the business produced letterheads, envelopes, business cards, announcements, wedding invitations, and attorney stationery for customers throughout New England, per its Facebook page, which hasn't been updated in more than two years.

I want to wrap this up with a place that is still in business, and whose sign I have had my eye on for years.

Dr. Gregory Bodrie works out of a large former home (or perhaps part of it is still a residence) right on Route 6A. According to this CapeCod.com article from 2015, he also regularly does rounds at several local hospital and nursing facilities.

For more about Bourne, see below:

August 11, 2020, "What You Find When You Go Down Depot Road"

July 19, 2020, "Kickin' It Old School-house"

July 20, 2017, "Circling Buzzards Bay"

October 3, 2016, "Bourne Identity"

August 5, 2010, "Dark Side of the Motel"

July 28, 2010, "Two Hearts Beat As One"