Wendy Northcross – Curating Camelot on the Cape

We spoke with Wendy K. Northcross, executive director of the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, about her longstanding leadership at the museum, its mission of sharing Cape Cod stories of President Kennedy and his family, and why JFK still inspires visitors.

Wendy, tell us about your background and career, and how you came to lead the JFK Hyannis Museum.

In 1988 I became the executive director for the Hyannis Area Chamber, which established the JFK Hyannis Museum. The museum was created after an enormous number of queries about the Kennedys and Hyannis Port were counted at the visitor center run by the chamber (over 50,000 questions in one year!)

I’ve been involved since the museum’s conception in 1989, it’s opening in 1992 and since 2021, after retiring from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, I have been onsite, leading the museum. Our mission is to share the Cape Cod stories of the President and his family.

Can you describe the JFK museum’s visitor profile, especially in summer?

We see guests from almost every country in the world. We love our motorcoach groups, business travelers on side trips and foreign independent vacationers, especially from Ireland, the UK and Europe. Locals love to come to our winter programs and talks.  And vacationers from northeast US are the largest segment of visitors.

When we were seeking Kennedy family permission to establish the museum, Jacqueline Kennedy requested it be in a building that existed when the President was alive. That led us to Main Street, Hyannis when the Old Town Hall building was being vacated, and we were able to leave portions of the 1926 building for the museum. The building will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, with special commemorations planned. 

The museum has some terrific exhibits that capture the Kennedy magic. Tell us about them.

One of our favorite exhibits is a family tree map that takes up a large wall. We are in the process of updating it for a new installation soon. Starting in February 2026 we are showing (on continuous loop) the Emmy-award winning film A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy, which originally aired on TV on Valentines Day, 1962.

Museum co-founder Rebecca Pierce-Merrick has created some amazing exhibits. Her most recent is Presidential Summers: The Kennedys on Cape Cod, with family photos, and times spent on the water, enjoying the Cape. We also have photos of election night 1960 awaiting returns at RFK’s house in Hyannis Port and meeting the world press the next day in Hyannis as President-elect. I love the copy of the president’s doodles of a sailboat on his notes from a Cuban missile crisis meeting that is part of that exhibit.

Our JFK, Jr. exhibit is especially poignant, as so many guests today have more first-person memories of the son than his father. This temporary exhibit has been so popular, we have extended it into this summer.

We’re always working on future exhibits and programs!

President Kennedy’s legacy seems more relevant today than ever.  Do you find that visitors are inspired by what JFK stood for and what he offers to future generations?

Personally, the most profound impact on me has come from witnessing the reverence of visitors from around the globe while in our exhibit galleries. They remember JFK’s intelligence, wit, aspirational ideas and policies and how he inspired people to serve our nation and the world. And we like to believe patrons leave with the resolve to do what they can to make the world a better place.

Thank you, Wendy.

jfkhyannismuseum.org