Cooke House & Legacy Gardens

The Cooke House & Legacy Gardens

Preserving a piece of our Island’s treasured past.

EXPLORE EDGARTOWN

51 School Street, Edgartown MA

The MV Museum is proud to continue its presence in Edgartown with its stewardship of the Cooke House & Legacy Gardens. The Cooke House, built for attorney Thomas Cooke and his wife Abigail in 1766, came to be the flagship property of the Dukes County Historical Society — now the MV Museum — by bequest in 1932. The Legacy Gardens transformed the property into a beautiful park-like space following the Museum’s move to the Vineyard Haven Campus in 2019.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SEASONALLY

We invite you to visit the Legacy Gardens daily from dawn to dusk. Please take nothing but memories and leave nothing but footprints. Leashed pets are welcome.

VINEYARD PRESERVATION TRUST HISTORIC WALKING TOURS

We are excited to announce a new partnership between the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the Vineyard Preservation Trust. This collaboration introduces the Museum’s Edgartown property as a key stop on the Trust’s Historic Walking Tours. These popular tours offer an immersive journey through Edgartown’s storied landmarks, now including an exclusive visit to the Cooke House. The tours are available summer 2024 from June 4th through August 31st, Tuesday to Saturday at 10:30 AM.

SIGN UP FOR A TOUR

HISTORY

The Cooke House

One of the oldest houses on Martha’s Vineyard still in its original location, the Cooke House is a stunning example of unaltered vernacular Island architecture. It was constructed facing Edgartown Harbor — a view now obscured by houses and trees — in the classic New England style. The 18th- and 19th-century view from the upstairs bedchambers proved very useful when Thomas Cooke, Jr. inherited his father’s house in the 1790s and subsequently kept a customs office in one of those rooms with a view. The Harborview Garden outdoors features an artistic rendering of what the Cookes may have seen from their upstairs windows when they lived in the house.

Please note: The Cooke House is currently closed for preservation work. Occasional special events take place on the campus — please visit our events calendar for more information.

The Legacy Gardens

Step through the Gatehouse at the corner of School and Cooke Streets into the new Legacy Gardens. Created by the generosity of donors who wanted to preserve the lot for public use, the Legacy Gardens feature a walking loop, a contemplative fountain, and glimpses of Edgartown’s storied past.