Coast Guard Heritage Museum

Coast Guard Heritage Museum Our 20th season is now in our wake! We look forward to getting underway again next May. See you then. Coast Guard history. Customs House in Barnstable.

The Coast Guard Heritage Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to tell the Coast Guard story from a regional Cape Cod perspective. We are one of only two free-standing museums in the country dedicated to celebrating U.S. It is very appropriate that we occupy the 1856 U.S. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the birth place of the Coast Guard and both Customs and Coast Guard

have 18th century origins under the Treasury Department. Both organizations have worked closely since that time. The service’s legacy on the Cape is very deep and rich. It has protected our shores and harbors, rescued thousands of distressed seamen, saved cargo worth millions of dollars, interdicted illegal drugs, promoted vessel safety, and enforced environmental, fisheries and maritime laws. In short, the Coast Guard has performed and continues to perform critical missions that protect our national interests, promote economic prosperity, and ensure public safety. With over 2700 square feet of display space, we have exhibits filled with historic artifacts, models and stories that celebrate that history. Your admission includes use of a handheld audio tour system, if desired.

CAPT Greg Ketchen, USCG (Ret), Senior Chief Heather Johnson (USCG Base Boston) and RADM Rudy Peschel, USCG (Ret) are sho...
11/15/2025

CAPT Greg Ketchen, USCG (Ret), Senior Chief Heather Johnson (USCG Base Boston) and RADM Rudy Peschel, USCG (Ret) are shown just after the completion of installing the Coast Guard State House Painting in Boston. The painting is now available for visitor viewing in the State House Great Hall. It was also displayed on the "Jumbotron" at half-time during the Secretaries Cup football game between the Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy this afternoon at Fenway Park. The painting depicts Massachusetts as the birthplace of the Coast Guard. The artist is Russ Kramer, a well-known maritime artist from Mystic, Connecticut. A formal unveiling will take place at a future yet to be determined date. For more information on the painting, and the effort to get the project completed, check out our Spring 2025 newsletter posted on our web site (https://coastguardheritagemuseum.org/newsletters).

We had a great visit with 14 ladies from the Nauset Newcomers Group. They had a tour of the Museum and the Old Jail the...
10/17/2025

We had a great visit with 14 ladies from the Nauset Newcomers Group. They had a tour of the Museum and the Old Jail then headed off to the Dolphin for lunch. Oh, yea, they also received a "Pet Scan" from Libby upon their arrival.

We just got word that Cape Media Center has completed and posted on their web site this excellent video of President Gre...
10/08/2025

We just got word that Cape Media Center has completed and posted on their web site this excellent video of President Greg Ketchen talking about the Museum. Excellent work! Thank you Kayla Jorgenson!

Located in the heart of Barnstable Village, the Coast Guard Heritage Museum celebrates the rich Coast Guard maritime history of Massachusetts and of course ...

Earlier this month the Museum was privileged to accept a gift into our collection of an original oil painting of the USC...
09/23/2025

Earlier this month the Museum was privileged to accept a gift into our collection of an original oil painting of the USCG Barque Eagle. This painting was done in the late 1960’s and depicts the Eagle before the racing stripe was added. The painting is about 32" x 38" and the artist is Mrs. Jeannie Becker, who did the painting for her husband, CAPT Wayne Becker, USCG, who was a 1965 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, but is recently deceased. At the time the painting was done, Mrs. Becker was an officer in the U.S. Navy. The gift was presented by Mr. Lloyd George, a classmate of CAPT Becker’s, on behalf of his family. One picture depicts Mr. George presenting the painting to CAPT Buck Baley of the CG Heritage Museum. The other shows the painting on display on the second deck of the Museum.

Our Summer 2025 Newsletter has just been published and added to our web site! Read about the history of Ocean Stations ...
08/28/2025

Our Summer 2025 Newsletter has just been published and added to our web site! Read about the history of Ocean Stations and Chatham Lights. Also read about our Members Only Night event where we had with a great guest speaker and bagpiper! - just go to the Newsletter page on our web site and click on the "Summer 2025" Download link.

https://coastguardheritagemuseum.org/newsletters

We had another great turnout for our Member's Only Night & Coast Guard Birthday celebration this past weekend! Lot's of...
08/04/2025

We had another great turnout for our Member's Only Night & Coast Guard Birthday celebration this past weekend! Lot's of refreshments, a great speaker (LCDR Kris Furtney on the CGC Tamaroa & The Perfect Storm), an advance viewing of the upcoming State House painting, evening colors performed by the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and even a bagpiper! If you missed it, mark your calendars with a reminder for next year; not sure of the exact date yet, but it will be right around August 4th!

Address

3353 Main Street (Route 6A)
Barnstable, MA
02630

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+15083628521

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Coast Guard Heritage Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category