Bourne

Town in Barnstable County, southeastern Massachusetts; population (1998 est) 18,000. The westernmost community on Cape Cod, it serves as a commercial gateway to the region. Agriculture, including cranberry growing, is important. Otis Air Force Base and Camp Edwards military reservations occupy much of the township.

Bourne was settled in about 1640 and incorporated in 1884, and was named after Johnathan Bourne, a whale oil entrepreneur and resident in the town. The Aptuxtet Trading Post was built in 1627 and was used for trade between native Americans and the Pilgrims. A replica serves as an historical museum.

The Cape Cod Canal crosses the town between Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay; Bourne consists of a number of villages situated on either side of the Cape Cod Canal. The canal (built 1909-14) is 28 km/17 mi long and, in connecting Cape Cod Bay to Buzzard's Bay, replaced a coastal journey of 134 km/83 mi. There are three bridges over the canal, including a lifting railway bridge. Bourne has three entries on the national register of historic places, a house and two lighthouses, one of which, the Wing's Neck Lighthouse, operated between 1849 and 1945. The Massachusetts Maritime Academy is in Buzzards Bay, north of the canal. The Bourne Scallop Festival is held each September.