Ships' Bells and Wreck of the Jason

Ships’ Bells and a Cape Cod Shipwreck Maritime historian and antiquarian Ryan Cooper will deliver a talk on “Ships’ Bells and the Wreck of the Jason,” following the annual All Around the Common open houses in Yarmouth Port on Sept. 11. Cooper tell of one of the worst shipwrecks off Cape Cod and the importance of ships’ bells at the talk at 4 p.m. at Thacher Hall on the Yarmouth Port Common, Route 6A. Cooper will relate how he found the Jason’s watch bell at an auction in England last year, bought it and brought it back to the Cape. He will talk about the history and importance of ships’ bells and the significance in identifying shipwrecks. He will bring the bell and other artifacts to the lecture. The Jason wrecked off Truro during a fierce winter storm in December 1893, leaving only one surviving crewman of 25 aboard. Much of the account of the shipwreck came from the lone survivor, apprentice Samuel J. Evans. The program follows open houses at four historical buildings: Thacher Hall (formerly the New Church), the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, the Edward Gorey House and the Winslow Crocker House. All events are free.