KG around the cape summer 2021 - Flipbook - Page 72
A ROUND CA PE COD
History
Orleans has experienced remarkable historic events. In 1897 a Trans-Atlantic
cable linking the U.S. to France was installed in Town Cove. Artifacts are housed
in the French Cable Station Museum a historic telegraph station.
During the war of 1812, the town was attacked by a British Navy landing party and
over 100 years later, in 1918, a German U-Boat on a search and destroy mission
approached the coast of Orleans and fired toward shore. A passing tugboat was
sunk, luckily with no fatalities, and Orleans became the only U.S. site of attack by
the Germans in World War I.
Another famous vessel can be found each summer in Orleans. Coast Guard
Lifeboat CG-36500, which was used to rescue crewmen of the SS Pendleton,
which floundered off Chatham during a hazardous winter storm in 1952, is
seasonally docked at Rock Harbor where visitors are welcome to come take a
look.
Arts
Housed in a unique and historic arena theater in East Orleans, the nonprofit
Academy of Performing Arts stages year-round theatrical productions and offers
educational opportunities in the performing arts. There is a good selection of fine
art galleries throughout town too, including the renowned Addison Art Gallery,
which has been featuring emerging artists and established masters for more than
25 years. The seasonal Artist Cottages at the Orleans Market Square are home to
Cape Cod-inspired visual artists and artisans.
Culture
Orleans is one of just 32 Massachusetts communities to be officially designated
a cultural district by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Encompassing sections
of both Route 6A and Main Street, the Orleans Cultural District is filled with art
galleries, museums, antique shops, and historic sites, such as the circa-1720
Jonathan Young Windmill. The Orleans Firebirds are a team in the Eastern
Division of the celebrated Cape Cod Baseball League, and they play their home
games at Eldredge Park.
Education
Orleans is home to Orleans Elementary School, for town children from
kindergarten through fifth grade, and Nauset Regional Middle School, which
serves sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from Orleans, Brewster, Wellfleet, and
Eastham. High school students attend Nauset Regional High School in Eastham,
or Cape Cod Regional Technical School in Harwich. The Partnership School is a
private elementary school in Orleans for preschool through grade six.
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