While it may be thousands of miles from Cape Cod to France, Orleans celebrates a noted connection to the European country, from its name to its annual celebrations. While the town was named by area resident Isaac Snow he gained his inspiration from a French duke named Louis Philippe Joseph d’Orleans, respected for being a “friend of the common man”, breaking with tradition as the rest of the Cape used English locations when naming the remaining towns in the area.
It’s hardly the only connection between Orleans and France, though, as the town also gained acclaim for being the site of the end of the telegraph cable between France and the United Station, with the station on the American end later becoming known as the French Cable Museum. Originally