Welcome to the Town of Bourne Massachusetts

Every year, tens of thousands of visitors enter Cape Cod by crossing over the Cape Cod Canal on the Bourne Bridge, the Sagamore Bridge, or the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge. For these visitors, their first glimpse of the Cape is always of the town of Bourne. For this reason, the town has a special place in the hearts of the many visitors who come to the Cape by car or train.

Bourne, Massachusetts was one of the first European settlements on the Cape due to its historic proximity to Plymouth Colony. In 1640, a teenage Ezra Perry settled in Bourne, which was then a part of the town of Sandwich. Perry, who had immigrated from England sometime after 1625, was one of the first European settlers on the Cape that historians can identify by name.

Today, visitors can learn about the early history of Bourne in the Aptucxet Trading Post. The trading post is a replica of the first store in Bourne, which was also the first store in America. Plymouth Colony used this trading post to exchange goods with, mostly, Wampanoag Indians. In the early twentieth century, the Cape Cod Canal drastically changed the landscape and the economy of Bourne. The canal cuts directly through the town, separating some of its villages from others.

The villages of Bournedale, Buzzards Bay, and Sagamore Beach all lie on the north side of the Cape Cod Canal, while the town’s other villages lie on the south side of the canal.

There are many popular beaches in Bourne, which borders both Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal. The popular Monument Beach lies on the shores of Phinney’s Harbor, a warm part of Buzzards Bay that is protected by Mashnee Island.

The beach includes recreational facilities and is adjacent to Monument Beach Marina, where beachgoers can launch boats or rent kayaks to explore the harbor.