Video Archives
Falmouth Community TV (FCTV) has produced 20 videos of “Untold Tales of Falmouth”. Click the icon to watch.
Print Archives
Eyewitness at D-Day Ellsworth Nightingale (1925-2010)
Editor’s note: Falmouth native Ellsworth Nightingale left high school to join the navy in 1942, serving as a gunner’s mate third class. In 2001 he wrote a private memoir now in the archives of Museums on the Green. This handwritten document was transcribed by volunteer Maria Ward. The tale has been excerpted from the memoir.
Posted May 30, 2024
Rev. Charles Washburn didn’t believe in Christmas trees or telling stories about Santa Claus, but in the end his actions spoke louder than words.
Posted on December 23, 2022
Falmouth’s Main Street has been a bottleneck for horses and cars for over a hundred years. In 1951, an optimistic town planner thought he could solve the problem.
Posted on October 28, 2022
During the War of 1812, British privateers raided the shores around Falmouth, burning ships and stealing sheep. Captain Weston Jenkins vowed to stop them.
Posted on September 29, 2022
Frank Barrows was one of the first summer residents of Falmouth. He stayed in a tent on the hill near present-day Highfield Hall. His surroundings were rustic, but the place felt like heaven.
Posted on July 28, 2022
Not everyone who took refuge in the poorhouse was destitute. Some were elderly, ill, or disabled, like Charles Davis. The town acknowledged its duty to care for them all.
Posted on June 24, 2022
Union soldier Warren Chadwick suffered horrible deprivation in a Confederate POW camp. Twenty years later, he was still haunted by the memories. If he wrote a poem about his experience, would his countrymen finally understand?
Posted on May 27, 2022
If Boston mayor Honey Fitz wanted to become governor, he’d need the votes of Republican Cape Codders. Could his sweet voice win them over?
Posted on April 29, 2022
Save the Last Dance for Art D.
Kathryn Clapp danced four times with Art D. at their high school prom in 1930. Was there a future for this couple, or would the last dance of the evening spell goodbye for them?
Posted on March 25, 2022
Alexander Manchester had an unlucky start in life. Born out of wedlock, he was orphaned by the age of fourteen. At the poorhouse, Alexander ran afoul of a poor relief system which decreed that, legally, he belonged nowhere.
Posted on February 25, 2022
In 1693, over 100 pilot whales stranded themselves in the Sippewissett Marsh. Falmouth residents, both English and Native American, hurried to the shore carrying guns and axes for the kill. For William Gifford and “Indian Cappe,” what seemed to be a stroke of luck turned into a long and bitter lawsuit.
Posted on January 27, 2022
Once upon a time, everyone in Falmouth knew about the Honey Pot Swamp. If you didn’t know, people thought you were crazy–or from out of town, which maybe boiled down to the same thing. When Clarence Anderson was small, people warned him, “Keep out of the honey pot,” but he didn’t always do as he was told.
Posted on November 18, 2021
Fire In Beebe Woods
It was a clear and pleasant Indian summer Thursday afternoon in Falmouth, October 23, 1947. When an alarm sounded at 1:37 p.m. to report a brush fire on the west side of Beebe Woods, Chief Ray D. Wells was not overly concerned. Such events were not uncommon–there would be 78 brush fires in Falmouth that year. He would soon realize how wrong he was
Posted on October 28, 2021
Nightingale on Main Street
This “Untold Tale” is an excerpt from a memoir written by Lloyd T. Nightingale (1915-2010) around 1994. The author describes some of the more interesting aspects of Main Street during the 1920s.
Posted on September 30, 2021
Happy Campers
Miriam Thomas had a wicked sense of humor, and she got along with almost everyone she met at North Falmouth’s Camp Cowasset. Almost. The exception was Lois Wilbur. Unfortunately, the two girls couldn’t avoid each other. They were both assigned to cabin 7, living in close quarters with five other girls. They finally settled their difference like ladies, by signing a contract.
Posted on August 26, 2021
Grandfather Elijah
In this excerpt from a memoir, Oliver Franklin Swift (1840-1918) remembers his grandfather Elijah who “affected to be very brusque and never failed to say what he thought or felt” but was also “a great friend to the poor, very benevolent and generous, with a heart as tender as a woman’s.
Posted on July 28, 2021
Grandmother’s Garden
Fred Lewis always loved to visit his grandparents’ house. When he was a schoolboy, each year his parents would pack him onto a train and send him to Falmouth for his summer vacation. During those Falmouth summers, Fred found the course of his future life.
Posted on June 30, 2021
The First to Fall
The first Falmouth serviceman to die in World War II was William “Bill” McComiskey. He was born in North Falmouth in 1915, the oldest of seven children.
Posted on May 27, 2021
The Disappearing Road
Fans of the Beebe family may have heard of Tanglewood, Highfield’s sister mansion that sadly fell to the wrecking ball in 1977. But very few know about the road that once led to Tanglewood’s front door.
Posted on April 24, 2021
Revenge on the Half Shell
This story about Mr. Cook of West Menauhant and the local workmen is excerpted from an essay that Hollis Lovell submitted for inclusion in “The Book of Falmouth” circa 1985. It didn’t make the final cut.
Posted on March 25, 2021
Revenge on the Half Shell
This story about Mr. Cook of West Menauhant and the local workmen is excerpted from an essay that Hollis Lovell submitted for inclusion in “The Book of Falmouth” circa 1985. It didn’t make the final cut.
Posted on March 25, 2021
Falmouth’s Abolitionists
Around 1840, 73 Falmouth women signed an anti-slavery petition. One of them was the free black woman Annes Ray. Annes raised a son who became a hero of the Underground Railroad. She lived to see the ratification of the 13th amendment–and inspired a local legend.
Posted on February 28, 2019, Reposted on February 25, 2021
Divorce, Colonial Style
Josiah Marshall had a problem. He and his wife Hannah couldn’t stand each other. But he lived in Massachusetts in 1730, when you couldn’t get out of a marriage lightly—if at all. Especially not if you were the minister of the principal church in town.
Posted on January 28, 2021
The Stationmaster
In the early decades of the twentieth century, visitors descending from the train at Falmouth’s depot were greeted by the friendly, mustachioed face of William Conant. Will served as the railway express agent in Falmouth from 1902 to 1935.
Posted on December 21, 2020
High Spirits
Are angels and departed human souls watching over us? Many religions throughout history have assured us that they are. In the United States, during the decades around the turn of the 20th century, Spiritualism took that belief a step further: not only could the spirits see us, but they could also speak with us, by using mediums.
Posted on October 29, 2020
Thanksgiving with the Swift Family
In 1850, turkeys were not as bold as they are today, and Falmouth residents like Oliver F. Swift knew how to make a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch.
Re-posted from 2015, November 27, 2020
Cocktails with a Mermaid
Editor’s note: These reminiscences are excerpted from a memoir written by Mr. DeWitt C. Jones, Jr. in 1967. Most of what he wrote was eventually published in the Book of Falmouth, pp. 366-373. A few parts that didn’t survive the editor’s cut are printed here.
Posted on October 1, 2020
Honk if You Love Nobska
The locals have known for a while. The Nobska foghorn sounds different. Now mariners use a VHF-FM radio signal to turn on a foghorn when they need it. The sound that results is lighter and fainter than what we’re used to hearing, and it stops automatically after forty-five minutes. Before you get upset about the death of a timeless Cape Cod tradition, let’s reflect on the history of Nobska’s foghorn. It wasn’t always there. It hasn’t always been loved. And sometimes, it even packed a dangerous punch.
Posted on August 28, 2020
These Precedented Times
We hear it a lot lately, but are we really living in “unprecedented times?” For three centuries, Falmouth residents have contended with deadly plagues that brought sickness, fear, and controversy. Looking back at these disasters from a historical perspective, we see much that is dark, but also brighter themes of opportunity and optimism.
Posted on August 6, 2020
From Armenia with Love
Moses Hadji Gulesian left home with dreams of America and only a few Turkish coins in his pocket. He reached our shores in May 1883. Surely, he never expected that one day, he would be hailed as the savior of a beloved American icon—the USS Constitution.
Posted on June 24, 2020
Cash, Credit or Eels
In the 1820s, “shoppping local” was a given. While some cash was in circulation, many transactions involved bartering and IOUs. Thanks to a remarkable discovery made about a decade ago, we have a window into how this system worked,
Posted on May 28, 2020
Women who Said “Why Not?”
Like many women, Katharine Lee Bates, Falmouth native and author of “America the Beautiful,” fought for the right to vote.
Posted on May 5, 2020
Alexander’s Forgotten War
Alexander and his grandfather fought for American ideals from Waquoit to Korea.
Posted on March 31, 2020
Sneeze, But Don’t Scatter
How Falmouth coped with the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918
Posted on February 27, 2020
Sarah Bodfish, Forty Niner
Sara Bodfish had a rock solid confidence in her principles–and in her husband’s ability to strike gold.
Posted on January 30, 2020
Papa’s Christmas Goose
Eleanor Conant decrives how her father faced a dilemma when the family’s future Christmas dinner became his friend.
Posted on December 19, 2019
Hauser the Explorer
Finding a brand new island was all in day’s work for an experienced sea captain like Albert Hauser. The hard part was convincing the federal government to recognize his discovery.
Posted on November 19, 2019
Church Bells and Death Knells
“To the grave I summon all.” A long time ago, bells announced the death of every resident of Falmouth. On one occasion, a local bell paid its own eerie tribute to a beloved pastor.
Posted on October 31, 2019
Remind Me About the Alamo
What does a Cape Cod historian need to know about Texas? More than you might think. Recently, we discovered some unexpected ties between Falmouth and the Alamo.
Posted on September 26, 2019
The Fun-loving Fennos of Falmouth
Where WHOI scientists now work in Quissett, the Fenno family once played. Whether playing tennis, swimming in a shark tank, or gracing the walls of the MFA, they tackled life with a zest for enjoyment.
Posted on August 29, 2019
Scenes from a Lost Hotel
The Cape Codder was long renowned as a peaceful haven for vacationers. Police reports and news articles tell a different story.
Posted on July 25, 2019
Saluting the Queen
At the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, Falmouth’s militia was called upon to give royalty its due. Were these independent Americans up to the task?
Posted on June 28, 2019
Moonlight, Seaweed, and Ukuleles
Every year throughout the 1920s, Rene Dillingham’s family found new ways to have fun in their summer cottage at Davisville.
Published on May 23, 2019
The Case of the Missing Unitarians
In many New England towns, the white church on the village green is Unitarian, but not here. Why didn’t Falmouth get a Unitarian church until the 1950s? A Quissett housewife with formidable powers of persuasion is partly responsible.
Posted on April 25, 2019
Staying in Touch with V-Mail
During World War II, troops kept in touch with their loved ones at home through the technological breakthrough of V-Mail. Find out how the system worked, and meet Falmouth couple Luana and Chester Weeks, who were typical users of V-Mail.
Posted on March 28, 2019
Falmouth’s Abolitionists
Around 1840, 73 Falmouth women signed an anti-slavery petition. One of them was the free black woman Annes Ray. Annes raised a son who became a hero of the Underground Railroad. She lived to see the ratification of the 13th amendment–and inspired a local legend.
Posted on February 28, 2019
Sixteen and Free as a Bird
Rene Dillingham Washburn recalls how she and her friends Conny and Sylvia went on their first biplane ride. The year was 1931. The girls were sixteen. They had no idea what to expect, but they had the time of their lives.
Posted on September 17, 2018
CLOC Reminders
Do your old theater tickets mean something to you? A reflection on how ephemeral souvenirs can touch our deepest memories.
Posted on July 9, 2018
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Sarah Herrick’s Slop Book
Elijah Swift sent his whaleship, the Sarah Herrick, forth from Falmouth with very specific instructions to the captain. Read what he had to say, and find out why the ship’s slop book is so interesting to historians.
Posted on June 1, 2018
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Old Fashioned Winter Fun
Skating and sledding have always been popular winter pastimes in Falmouth. These two reminiscences, recalling events from 1850 and 1915, prove that local children’s idea of fun hasn’t changed very much over the centuries.
Posted on February 26, 2018
Peace Warriors, 1917
One hundred years ago, Falmouth was living through a wartime Christmas. Find out how residents kept the spirit of peace alive.
Posted on December 8, 2017
From Heaven to Hell via Hoboken (and Falmouth)
Experience World War I through the eyes of Falmouth draftee J. Robert Kershaw:
PDFs | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (conclusion)
Videos | Part 1 | Part 2 |
Posted in Summer and Fall of 2017
Knight of the Dinosaurs
Even if you’ve never heard of him, Charles Knight probably owns a corner of your imagination. Meet the artist who created the way we all see dinosaurs.
Posted on October 30, 2017
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Rumrunners of Davisville
Teenager Rene Dillingham and her family were caught between smugglers and Coast Guard in the waters off Davisville. Read her eyewitness account of what happened.
Posted on September 29, 2017
From Falmouth to Munich in the Great War
Falmouth summer resident Helena (Nordhoff) Gargan went on a mission of mercy to Munich in 1916. She didn’t know that her native and adopted countries would be at war before she could come home.
Posted on August 28, 2017
The Man who Owned Daytona Beach
Eugene and Mary Swift were among the first Falmouth residents to spend their winters in Florida. They were also early fans of NASCAR. Read about their surprising connections to Daytona.
Posted on May 30, 2017
Who Needs Sewers?
Since 1904, Falmouth has always enjoyed a good fight over sewers. Follow the winding ways of local politics, and see why it took a century for the Heights to get its sewer system.
Posted on February 20, 2017
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Conant House Christmas 1915
Eleanor Conant describes a bygone Christmas in Falmouth, when oysters were on the menu, the scent of bayberry was in the air, and the tree was decorated with a newfangled thing called tinsel.
Posted on December 22, 2016
Christmas Music from the Archives
Christmas in Falmouth was originally a very quiet affair, but music slowly found its place in the celebration. Find out which of your favorite Christmas carols isn’t really about Christmas at all!
Posted on December 15, 2016
Abbie Moore’s Poetic Life
A woman in this photo inspired some of the earliest poems written by Katharine Lee Bates. Find out more about her, and about the poetry of everyday life in Falmouth in the late 1800s.
Posted on September 27, 2016
Indispensable Sources Part 3
The latest entry on our “indispensable source” list is a chronicle of the hotels and homes where wealthy summer visitors once stayed. In its pages we found a connection between Falmouth and the Kennedy dynasty, at its very beginning.
Posted on August 22, 2016
Remembering Falmouth Playhouse
For 45 years, the Falmouth Playhouse brought to our town a touch of Hollywood glamour and Broadway sophistication. As this acclaimed theater fades into history, playbills and pictures from our archives keep alive its memory.
Posted on July 28, 2016
Top Three Swimming Spots in 1850
Where did the locals go to swim in 1850? Oliver Franklin Swift offers a guide to the best swimming holes in Falmouth, way back before the time when summer people began to visit.
Posted on July 11, 2016
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The Laughter of Baalis Shiverick
A long time ago, the Fourth of July sparked a cat-and-mouse game between some high spirited boys bent on making a big noise, and a wily church sexton who was determined to outwit them. Who would have the last laugh?
Posted on June 24, 2016
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Culture Camp By-the-Sea
At Falmouth Heights in 1893, Rev. Charles Washburn started a camp for workers who couldn’t otherwise afford to have a vacation. He combined fun with education at his culture camp by the sea.
Posted on June 10, 2016
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Indispensable Sources Part 2
These people (and their horses) are posing in front of the oldest house in Falmouth. Find out where it is, and which two sources you can consult from home to learn about all of Falmouth’s historic buildings.
Posted on May 27, 2016
Rescue at Shiverick’s Pond
Oliver Franklin Swift’s brother, Elijah, was a zealous hockey player. One day he found himself in a dire situation. Would help arrive?
Posted on April 7, 2016
The Uncharted Isle
Silas Jones was 3rd mate on the Awashonks in 1835, when the Falmouth whaleship encountered an island that didn’t appear on any of the sailors’ navigational charts. Where was this mystery island?
Posted on February 19, 2016
Indispensable Sources Part One
This happy pair of newlyweds can rightly be called the First Couple of Falmouth. Who are they, and what did they do to earn that title?
Posted on January 29, 2016
Christmas Memories
Artist Henry Hauser painted this watercolor for his son Albert, a career Coast Guardsman. What other memorable presents have Falmouth families exchanged?
Posted on December 22, 2015
Archives on the Move!
Grace Lane taught English and history at Lawrence High School in 1900. In her spare time, she was a volunteer for the brand new Falmouth Historical Society. Find out how Grace helped to preserve a slice of Falmouth history.
Posted on December 18, 2015
Thanksgiving with the Swifts
In 1850, turkeys were not as bold as they are today, and Falmouth residents like Oliver F. Swift knew how to make a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch.
Posted on November 25, 2015
The Pilgrims’ Favorite Bible
The oldest item in the archives predates the Mayflower. How did a Bible published in Scotland in 1576 end up in our town? Why did the Pilgrims prefer this translation? And what does a typewriter tycoon have to do with it?
Posted on November 19, 2015
Weird Women of 1850
Oliver Franklin Swift remembered two “weird” women who stood out among the residents of Falmouth in the 1850s. Were they witches, or were they just misunderstood?
Posted on October 30, 2015
The Cranberry Farmer’s Proposal
Allen Crocker, a lonely widower, hoped to win the hand of Lydia Brown. Would she agree to exchange her Nantucket home for his East Falmouth cranberry farm?
Posted on October 23, 2015
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A Town Called Nobska
In 1906, some residents attempted to secede and form their own town called “Nobska.” They would have taken 3/4 of Falmouth’s coastline and much of its wealth. Les Garrick describes the people and politics behind the conflict.
Posted on October 2, 2015
When Herbie Met Mr. Lincoln
This prized Lincoln autograph ended up in the Museums’ archives thanks to a nervous boy named Herbie.
Posted on September 25, 2015
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Hurricanes in Words and Pictures
Hurricanes hit the Cape long before Bob in 1991. What was it like to ride out a hurricane in 1944, or even earlier? When the storm surge receded in 1815, where did Theophilus Gifford find his pumpkins?
Posted on September 18, 2015
Back to School with Oliver Swift
Oliver Franklin Swift tells you what it was like to be a schoolboy in Falmouth in 1850. You may be surprised to discover how they made their own footballs.
Posted on September 11, 2015
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Karl Oberteuffer’s Hopeful Dawn
During World War II, a painter used American history to inspire his fellow citizens. You’ve all seen his painting; now, meet the artist.
Posted on September 4, 2015
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Norman Rutherford, Mystery Man
The Sargent Estate in Waquoit is now the home of WBNERR. In the 1920s, Norman Rutherford lived here in grand style–until the day he simply disappeared. What happened to him?
Posted on August 28, 2015
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John and Emily, Freed from Indenture
John Wing and Emily Gifford were indentured servants, bound out while they were just children. What happened to them after their contracts expired?
Posted on August 21, 2015
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Augusta Crocker, Rebellious Servant
Capt. Nathaniel Eldred complained in 1831 about the bad conduct of his indentured servant, Augusta Crocker. How did this 15-year-old dare to defy her master?
Posted on August 14, 2015
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Dr. Wicks and the Poorhouse
Dr. Wicks kept a full array of medical instruments ready for any emergency. It paid off when he encountered a pauper in need of amputation. Was the operation successful?
Posted on August 7, 2015
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The Tale of Dr. Bessie Davis
Believe it or not, one of the young women in this very odd picture went on to a trailblazing career in medicine.
Posted on July 31, 2015
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