MUSEUM HOURS: Open Memorial Day through Christmas. Friday – Saturday– Sunday, 1PM – 5PM
Samuel Dottridge Homestead
The Dottridge Homestead reflects life in coastal Cotuit during the early 19th century. The furniture and collections chosen for the Dottridge Homestead are appropriate to the early years of the home (1808 – 1840). Samuel Dottridge and his wife Abigail raised seven children in this wood framed Cape Cod style house.
The Museum Building, located directly behind the Homestead, offers regional items from the permanent collection and features ship models, Cotuit souvenir China, photographs, quilts, advertising signs, whaling artifacts, tools, fans, and a replica of the office of Dr. Donald Higgins, a longtime Cotuit physician.
A 1916 Model T Ford Fire Engine is the centerpiece of the Fire Museum. It was the first mechanized fire truck on Cape Cod. The Fire museum also displays many other antiques fire fighting equipment.
The Rothwell Ice House was built circa 1898 and restored by HSSC through a CPC grant in 2011. Inside the building are exhibits describing the role ice houses played on Cape Cod between 1800-1900 as well as exhibits of ice harvesting tools and photographs.
Located on the south side of the property next to the Homestead is an authentic 19th Century garden, one which would have been tended by Mrs. Dottridge. The Kitchen Garden has heirloom plants grown in New England prior to 1850. The Cotuit Bird and Garden Club maintains the garden.
