1925 Map of Cape Cod Framed by Local Advertisements

This is a c. 1925 map of Cape Cod framed by local advertisements. The map depicts the region from New Bedford to the Atlantic Ocean and from Race Point to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Placed at the center of this broadside, towns throughout Cape Cod and further west into Massachusetts are labeled, including Plymouth, Falmouth, Hyannis, Chatham, Woods Hole, and Provincetown. Major roads are illustrated in red. The highlight of the broadside is the local advertising framing the central map. Promotions for pharmacies, real estate agents, hotels, inns, banks, the Sears dry goods store, gift shops, and antique dealers are all included, along with many more.

The Idle Hour Theatre

We were able to date this piece with some accuracy due to the inclusion of an advertisement for the Idle Hour Theatre in Hyannis and its mention of William L. Fitzgerald as the manager. The Idle Hour was opened in 1911 by Matthew Cushing and was Cape Cod's first theatre. With seats for 500, the Idle Hour soon became a mainstay of the community and contributed to the growth of Main Street Hyannis. The theatre even welcome Harry Houdini in 1918. Cushing eventually sold the theatre to Benjamin Baxter, who in turn hired William Fitzgerald as manager in the early 1920s. The Idle Hour also became one of the first places on Cape Cod to feature air conditioning when it was installed in 1926. The theatre remained a fixture of life in Hyannis throughout the 1930s, but, in 1937, however, the Idle Hour was purchased by Interstate Theatres Inc. and was renamed the Center Theatre after a contest held by local newspapers and Interstate Theatres.

Though undated, we believe this piece to date from c. 1925 for the reasons stated above. We have also been unable to locate any other known examples.