Zion Union Heritage Museum
Remarkable Journeys
People traveled over the seas and across the land to reach Cape Cod and, once here, they continued journeys of another kind. They came to be recognized for their bravery and skill on the high seas, and helped build the whaling and cranberry industries. They transformed suffering into unique means of expression in music and the arts. They served the country in every war in American history. They excelled in sports and entrepreneurship and, as barriers were removed, they entered other professions, from teaching to law enforcement. They kept faith and moved forward. Their journeys were journeys in the light.
Zion Union Heritage Museum recounts this history of struggle and achievement. And to it brings this history to life through the world’s largest collection of art, artifacts, photographs, and historical documents concerning People of Color on Cape Cod.
The series Icons of the Civil Rights Movement by artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy includes more than 30 portraits, each accompanied by historical notes by the artist’s husband David Purdy. Other portions of the history—from capture in slavery in Africa to the election of Barack Obama—are told in a series of paper collage and multimedia quilts by artist Robin Joyce Miller. Another distinguished artist, Carl Lopes—long-time director of the art department at Barnstable High School— creates striking contemporary works inspired by African motifs such as masks and shields.
Together with dozens of other artists, historians, docents, and other volunteers, they bring to life the untold story of Cape Cod’s People of Color, and contribute a vital missing piece to the great American story.
Zion Union Heritage Museum celebrates the proud history of African-Americans, Cape Verdeans, and Wampanoag people on Cape Cod, as well as groups that arrived here more recently from Brazil and the Caribbean. The museum is made possible by generous funding from the Lyndon Paul LoRusso Foundation. John L. Reed serves as the second Executive Director of the museum, following Harold Tobey, who collaborated with Mr. Reed in founding the museum in 2008/9.