Sandwich Throws a Party—1889 Style!

On September 3, 1889, Sandwich marked the 250th anniversary of its incorporation with one of the largest celebrations in the town’s history. This photograph from the Sandwich Historical Society collection shows the Spurr House at 127 Main Street, just a few houses up the street from today’s Sandwich Glass Museum, transformed for the occasion.

Patriotic bunting cascades from the roof, while flags, lanterns, greenery, and decorative shields cover the house and grounds. Members of the family and their friends pose outside amid the decorations— and we know something about who created them.

Warren Spurr, an artist and member of the family, decorated the house himself. In a note written on the back of the photograph, he proudly pointed out “one of my shields on door and bay window and my small shields over Library and parlor windows.” He also identified himself in the photograph and joked about having abandoned his formal “plug hat”—a top hat—for something more comfortable as the day wore on.

The Spurr House was far from alone. For the town’s “Quarter-Millennial Celebration,” homes, businesses, and public buildings throughout Sandwich were festooned with decorations. Church bells rang at sunrise, a grand parade traveled through town, and speeches, historical exercises, and music filled the day. That evening, illuminated boats glided across Shawme Pond in a Venetian Boat Carnival, followed by fireworks and a ball.

But the festivities took place at an important moment in Sandwich history. Only the year before, in 1888, the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company had closed after more than sixty years of operation. Generations of local residents had worked there, and the factory had transformed both the town and its economy. Sandwich was celebrating 250 years of history while also wondering about the future. One inscription displayed in Post Office Square that day seems especially appropriate, “Thankful for the Past, Hopeful for the Future.”

Today, as the nation continues to mark its own 250th anniversary, this photograph reminds us that anniversaries are not just about looking backward. In 1889, Sandwich celebrated its past and looked to its future during a moment of disruption and uncertainty. More than a century later, their celebration has become part of our history, just as the ways we commemorate America’s 250th will become part of the story we leave behind.