In 1957, the Old Colony Harvard Club was founded to serve the greater South Shore of Boston. Since that time it has taken on many forms, evolved with the years and now is reemerging after many years of dormancy. We are excited about the prospects of reviving the social aspects of the club and establishing a forum for interested local alumni and Harvard affiliates to gather several times a year to share ideas, socialize, learn and play.  We had a successful 2005 filled with social events, fundraising for the Scholarship Fund, and a congratulatory reception for the large incoming Freshman Class of 2009 from the South Shore. 

The Old Colony Harvard Club is committed to assisting prospective Harvard students through the Harvard Admission's Interviewing process.  Last year, 14 students from the South Shore were admitted to and accepted attending Harvard.

The Old Colony Harvard Club also assists with select Harvard students in the area via our Scholarship Program.

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Why the name Old Colony?

Before the first railroad tracks were laid, Cape Cod was a relatively isolated area, accessible only by packet boat or stagecoach. By 1848, the Old Colony Railroad Company laid tracks that connected Boston and Sandwich. Railroad track extensions continued and by 1873, Old Colony had linked Boston with Cape Cod’s outermost point of Provincetown, offering a miraculously short, five-hour journey. As the Cape’s popularity as a summer resort increased, the railroad was heavily used to transport visitors from New York and Connecticut, as well as other parts of Massachusetts. With the growing number of visitors came train-loads of food and other provisions needed to meet their needs. But the railroad’s importance was soon surpassed by the automobile. Bridges to carry cars over Cape Cod Canal were opened in 1935, and in 1937 passenger service to the towns east of Dennis ended. Trains continued to haul freight until the mid-1960’s, but then the tracks were torn up and the station-houses were razed.