Cape Cod has always been in the path of deadly hurricanes and ferocious storms. Unwelcome summer visitors include the “Long Island Express” Hurricane of 1938, the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, the twin Hurricanes Carol and Edna in 1954 and Hurricane Bob in 1991. These storms destroyed countless homes and left coastal communities under several feet of water. Surging tides carried away houses with residents inside who didn’t survive, and high seas sank the Coast Guard lightship Vineyard in Buzzards Bay, killing all twelve crew members. Fall and winter brought the benchmark Blizzard of 1978, the nor’easter of January 1987 and the infamous “Perfect Storm” of October 1991, which delivered some of the highest tides ever seen on the Outer Cape. In his latest book, “Historic Storms of Cape Cod, local author Don Wilding revisits the Cape’s most severe weather events and their devastating impact.

Since the start of the millennium, Don Wilding has been telling stories of Cape Cod Outer Beach history through lectures, video, and the written word.

Don is the author of five books on Cape Cod history: “Historic Storms of Cape Cod,” ”Cape Cod and the Portland Gale of 1898," "Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: Stories of Triumph & Tragedy,” “A Brief History of Eastham,” and “Henry Beston’s Cape Cod: How ‘The Outermost House’ Inspired a National Seashore.” His next book, “Prohibition On Cape Cod: Running The Rum In,” is slated for a 2026 release.

“Whether people take the message (of severe weather warnings) seriously is up to people who do what I did, and, of course, the great books that Don has written — hopefully as many people as possible read them, and they learn a lot, and they become aware of the danger, and hopefully they’ll do the right things and the best things they can do, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise.”
— Harvey Leonard, Chief Meteorologist Emeritus, WCVB-TV, Boston,  on “The Point,” WCAI-FM (NPR), Woods Hole, Mass., May 23, 2024.

Part of our History on Tap series—join us for an evening of local history, conversation, and craft brews.

Admission: $10 per person / $5 for members

Must be 21+ to sample beer; IDs will be checked at the door.

Enjoy craft beer from our sponsor, Cape Cod Beer, along with cheese, crackers, water, and non-alcoholic beer options.

We highly recommend reserving your tickets on our website in advance. Popular events often sell out quickly, and we cannot always accommodate walk-ins. Don’t miss out—plan and secure your spot!