Cape Cod Life Philanthropy Edition:
Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

"THERE IS A LOT MORE HISTORY HERE THAN WE EXPECTED," READS A TYPICAL GUESTBOOK COMMENT AT THE PILGRIM MONUMENT AND PROV- INCETOWN MUSEUM. Jim Bakker, the site's executive director, wants to spread the word that not only did the Pilgrims land first in Provincetown, but Provincetown has a rich and colorful history filled with fishermen, explorers, and artists who, along with the Pilgrims, had a significant influence on American culture.

The organization is the oldest nonprofit on Cape Cod, having been first established as the Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association in 1892 to educate people about the Pilgrims' landing in Provincetown. In the 1990s, its mission was expanded to include preservation and interpretation of Provincetown's history. The granite 252-foot Pilgrim Monu- ment looming from the top of High Pole Hill is a great advertisement on its own, Bakker says. His goal, though, is to get people to do more than climb the almost 100-year-old structure's 116 steps for a magnificent view of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic shore. "People should know that there's a museum here - it's    more than the tower,' Bakker says.

Bakker's love of Provincetown and the fact that he lives locally were key factors in his hiring three years ago and have contributed to his success as executive director. "We discovered in the process of searching for an executive director that no one wanted to take the risk of moving here, in terms of salary level," he says. Bakker had served Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum as a trustee and was ready to take his commitment to the next level.

The museum features an ever-expanding variety of at- tractions: book signings, films, walking tours, children's programs, and concerts featuring music played on the museum's Steinway grand piano. "We're trying to come up with inter- esting programs to have reasons for people to become members," Bakker says. Bakker says he has tried to "peel back the dirt and grime" at the museum, providing energy-efficient lighting and making the facility, built in 1961, more aesthetically appealing and less costly to operate.

To ensure the museum's viability in the future, Bakker says the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum has collaborated with other like-minded organizations. Since April, the museum has hosted an exhibit organized by Historic New England of Boston called Pilgrims, Patriots, and Products: Selling the Colonial Image. The exhibit, which runs through November 30, highlights serious and entertaining ways in which Puritan icons have been used by advertisers. Visitors can see artifacts ranging from a piece of Priscilla Alden's dress to Pilgrim cookie cutters.

The museum's collection contains more than 3,500 items, which are rotated on display. A new exhibit, Around the Town, is augmented with Provincetown artwork loaned by long-time residents Helen and Napi Van Dereck. "We're not an art museum per se, but these paintings tell a history," Bakker says. "It's a stepping stone for how you can relate to items in our collection." For example, an 11" x 16" oil painting, Net Mending by Ross Moffett (1888-1971) is displayed next to real fishermen's net-mending tools.

Bakker and the organization's staff are gearing up for a spectacular celebration: on August 5, 2010, the monument celebrates the 100th anniversary of its completion. Of his time with the museum so far, Bakker says he is proud of bringing programs "back down to the street level from high on the hill." He says, "We want to be here and to be more accessible to the Cape Cod community in general."