General CMMC Overview:
History... Chatham Marconi Maritime Center (CMMC) is sited on the former Marconi-RCA Wireless Receiving Station, comprising a 10-building campus situated on over 11 acres, owned by the Town of Chatham. All campus buildings were built in 1914 and are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places for the Station’s long, distinguished role in the history of wireless commu
nication, particularly ship-to-shore. In 2002, a diverse group of local residents, engineers, educators and members of the international wireless community came together to form CMMC. CMMC has collaborated with the Town of Chatham to restore and renovate two of the campus buildings, the former Operations Building and the Hotel, for a museum and an education center. Through its exhibits and videos, the Museum traces the story of wireless communications from the formative days in Chatham with Marconi, through the mid-20th century when operators at the Station communicated with ships at seas around the world. Our Education Center on the campus has a state-of-art education room as well as a large room for exhibits and public events. Mission... The mission of CMMC is to engage, educate and inspire visitors of all ages and interests with a rich history of wireless communication on Cape Cod and the limitless potential of science and technology to transform our lives. Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum:
Step inside Marconi’s original 1914 Trans-Atlantic Wireless Receiving Station. ceilings and large windows frame vintage radio receivers, transmitter tubes, teletype machines, a working ship’s radio and more, chronicling almost a century of wireless communications here on Cape Cod. See dioramas of the station campus and antenna fields, enjoy the many exhibits’ informative touchscreen videos, and learn Morse code by creating your own messages using a telegraph key. Under RCA, Chatham Radio WCC became the “world’s greatest coastal station” for Ship-to-Shore Communications for over 50 years. And as the Navy’s top-secret “Station C” during WWII, it had the vital role of intercepting German U-Boats’ coded signals. A once highly-classified Enigma cypher machine, at the heart of the Station’s mission, anchors a new interactive exhibit on coding & encryption. Unique original videos include Chatham Radio WCC: The Untold Story narrated by the late Walter Cronkite, and Chatham Radio Goes to War, produced and narrated by Ed Fouhy. Education Programs:
CMMC’s Education Center has successfully launched an innovative program focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Housed in a newly renovated building on the Marconi site, the program has two major components. School Classrooms… Our STEM program brings engineering and science concepts alive in the classroom, generating enthusiasm among students. Curriculum sections have been written for grades K-12. Working with local schools, educators have created lesson plans and taught STEM related subjects to more than 1000 students. Progress in these subjects must begin in the classroom. STEM After Hours… Adding to our in-school program, CMMC introduced “STEM After Hours” to engage youngsters in vital out-of-classroom learning. This program has three parts: (1) The After School Program allows middle-school students explore STEM related projects in a workshop environment. (2) At Family STEM Nights, students and their families work together at the Education Center on math games and design competitions. (3) Summer Science Program activities include Legotm robotics, liquid nitrogen ice cream, glow stick chemistry, identifying the planets, and marine biology trips to local waters. Where Exploration & Discovery Inspire Learning!
