VIEW the collectionS
The artifacts, documents, photographs and other items on display at the Highland House Museum fall into a number of major categories. These include the following: Farming and Industry, Fishing and Whaling, Shipwrecks, Tourism, Artists, and Native American. Examples from these collections are shown below.
Other major collection categories include photographs,
books on history, household furnishings, costumes, lifesaving equipment, education, and china and glassware.
Model of the Waterwitch, the only surviving vessel of the October Gale of 1841. The October Gale marked the decline of Truro's fishing industry.
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Consuela, Girl in the Green Dress (ca. 1940) by Jerry Farnsworth. Artists began flocking to Truro and Provincetown in the early 20th century. Other artists represented in our collection include, Courtney Allen, Arthur Diehl, Josephine Hopper, Helen Sawyer, William L'Engle, Edward A. Wilson, and Ross Moffett.
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A Native American small oval scraper made on quartz (ca. 2000 BP). An example of our catalogued collection.
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Highland Links flyer (1915). The Highland Links, established in 1892, soon became a fine example of a links golf course and played a significant role in the growth of Truro as a tourist destination. Its reputation still stands today.
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Grindstone (late 19th century). An agricultural implement that shaped Truro's early economic history.
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Breeches buoy (ca. 1910). Shipwrecks littered the Atlantic coastline of Cape Cod. Passengers and crew of floundering vessels could be rescued using the high flying breeches buoy attached to a shot line connected to the mast from the shore.
