2. Suckanesset was Falmouth’s original name.

3. Falmouth was settled by a band of a dozen men in 1660, who started a plantation near Mill Road on land bought from the Indians.

4. Residents of Falmouth Heights were attacked by the British warship Nimrod in 1812.

5. The Falmouth Historical Society was founded on March 19, 1900.

6. Highfield Hall, built by Pierpoint Beebe in 1878, is said to be haunted.

7. Paul Revere cast the 1796 bell that hangs in the belfry of the First Congregational Church on the village green.

8. The opening of the Falmouth Playhouse in 1949 was launched by Tallulah Bankhead who christened the theater with a bottle of champagne.

9. Movie star Henry Fonda once rode a bicycle down Main Street.

10. Founder of the Falmouth Road Race, Tommy Leonard, made the race 7.1 miles because that was the distance from the Captain Kidd in Woods Hole to Tommy’s workplace – the Brothers Four in Falmouth Heights. The first race in 1973 featured 100 runners.

11. The first child born in Falmouth in 1663, Moses Hatch, is buried off Locust Road.

12. The Katherine Lee Bates house is situated on the Falmouth Village Green. The poet and author of “America the Beautiful” was born there in 1859.

(Source: Cape Cod Times archives)

In his forward, Chamberlain wrote: “There is nothing quite like Cape Cod in these broad United States. This audacious hook of sandy soil, projecting far into the Atlantic, leaves an unforgettable impression upon all who pay it a visit. Its charm is subtle and hard to define.” In another section, he continued: “It has remained its own leisurely self, an example of calm, simple, dignified living. Up on it the haste and vulgarity of the outside world have barely left an imprint. It hasn’t got a skyscraper or a street car or a bread line.” His photos take us across Cape Cod starting with a spectacular photo of the Cape Cod Canal and touching on each Cape town in turn. Most of his pictures are of landscapes, whether they look out across barren seascapes with a single lonely tree or historic homes where shadows stretch across wide lawns. There are also pictures of windmills, harbors, churches, ice houses, and fields with old stone walls.

In the center of the book is a centerfold of Cape doorways from Falmouth to Yarmouthport to Wellfleet. Some are welcoming while others seem shuttered and shadowed. One of my favorite photographs shows a dead tree with long branches reaching into a dark sky. Beyond the tree is a barn with a rutted path winding through short grasses. The composition is striking and lonely. There are also photos of beaches, dunes, inlets, boats and pine forests. In another photo, a North Truro lighthouse dominates the foreground. Figures of people line the lookout post but seem part of the architecture itself. In the caption, Chamberlain wrote: “From this trim white tower flashes one of the most powerful lights in the world.” The photos remind me of another famous Cape photographer, John Gregory, with their emphasis on light and shadow.

Fast forward to the summer of 2008. The Cahoon Museum in Cotuit presented a retrospective of Samuel Chamberlain’s works and I was fortunate to attend this exhibit “The Past and Present: Vintage Photographs of Samuel Chamberlain.” The photos in the exhibit were from Chamberlain’s original negatives, housed at the Boston Public Library and Phillips Library at Peabody-Essex Museum, which also holds all of Chamberlain’s papers. He came to Cape Cod in 1936 and later returned in 1953 when he created “Cape Cod: A Photographic Sketchbook.” During the afternoon of my visit, I was captivated by the stark beauty of the photos that lined the walls of several rooms in the downstairs portion of the museum. There were also sketchbooks and letters from Chamberlain to his wife and publisher. As the caption on the Capeweek cover read: “Photography exhibit frames Cape’s place in history.” The cover photo featured Chamberlain’s photo: “The Village Street, Yarmouthport.” The photo is framed by a goose-lined archway with a pump beneath. In the distance an antique car (well, at least to us) is parked by a white black-shuttered building. A dirt road (now Route 6A) meanders off into the distance. It captures some of the Cape’s mystery and quiet solitude.

Samuel Chamberlain died on January 11, 1975 in Marblehead, Mass. He was distinguished not only for his photographs but for his work as a printmaker, artist and writer. Note to George Bryant: I still have your copy of “Cape Cod in the Sun” and will gladly relinquish the copy back to you. For now, it has a safe berth in the Cape Cod Times library.

On Nov. 20, 1970, P’town children took part in “Reenactment Day”. Sixth graders presented their interpretation of the first Pilgrim wash day. This was supposedly the first activity Pilgrims engaged in when they came ashore. After their presentation, the students traveled by bus to Truro where a group of fifth grade students presented a pageant in memory of Corn Hill. The group then traveled to Wellfleet to view a program about the cutting of a blackfish by the Indians and then the day ended in Eastham where students and staff reenacted the first skirmish between the Pilgrims and the Indians at First Encounter Beach.

Another way the town celebrated the Pilgrim Landing was the lighting of Pilgrim Monument in early October. The lights were then lit each night throughout the rest of the year. Also, this was the year that President Richard Nixon sent congratulations to the town. His message read in part: “Three hundred and fifty years ago, Massachusetts cradled the intrepid spirit of liberty and justice that has become the life-giving symbol of our national experience. Throughout those years, our citizens have drawn strength, encouragement and hope from the celebrated achievement of our Pilgrim fathers … I join with you in recalling an event that continues to be a revitalizing force in the lives of all of us.” He also sent a letter to Gov. Sargent to thank him for sending along commemorative medals to mark the anniversary.

The lord mayor of Plymouth, England paid a brief visit in October 1970 and placed a wreath at the foot of the Pilgrim Monument. A small contingent went to Plymouth on the Swedish-American liner Kungsholm. Unfortunately, the Provincetown town crier, 85-year-old Fred Baldwin, fell ill on the boat ride and had to be taken to Jordan Hospital. When the party returned to P’town, there was a symbolic firing of a 340-year-old bronze cannon. As always, the weathered clips make interesting reading. Perhaps a 400 Committee is gearing up for the 400’th anniversary of the Pilgrim landing in 2020.

Back in the early 1700s, local farmers had troubles from crows as well. Crows and blackbirds destroyed corn crops. According to a 1931 clipping, in Truro, it was voted in 1711 “that whereas crows and blackbirds do much damage by pulling up and destroying young corn, every housekeeper shall bring, or cause to be brought between the middle of March and the last day of June, to the selectmen, 8 blackbirds’ heads, 2 crows’ heads, or forfeit (money) to the use of the poor, and that for additional heads a bounty be paid.”

Eastham was even harder on its adult population. It passed an order that “every single man in the township shall kill 6 blackbirds or three crows, and shall not be married till they comply with this requisition.” Imagine a marriage not taking place because the groom didn’t present his gathering of dead birds!

Other animals that posed a nuisance were foxes, wolves and deer. In 1713, Eastham passed a law that three pounds bounty would be paid for every head of a grown wolf. There was even talk at this time of putting up a high fence somewhere in the vicinity of the Cape Cod Canal to keep the critters out.

Presently, another predator posing as a threat to piping plovers are coyotes. At time, they have been shot or poisoned to keep their numbers down as well. Fortunately, there are no longer wolves that reside on Cape Cod, although we still have fox and deer. Actually, the gray wolf was hunted to extinction by the mid 1800s. Then, in October of 2007, a wolf was shot in a rural area of northern Massachusetts. There was also a confirmed wolf sighting in Maine in 1993. Some scientists speculate that the recovering Eastern Canadian population of gray wolves is moving south.

So crows, nuisance or feathered friend? Some letter writers attest that nature should be left to take its course and that we shouldn’t play God in the choice of crow over plover. Time will tell.

(Sources: Cape Cod Times archives, http://endangered-species.suite101.com)

According to an article on the history of the U.S. post offices, envelopes weren’t used in the early part of the 19th century. A letter was simply folded and the address placed on the outside of the letter. The customer had to mail and pick up letters at the post office. There was no home delivery except in some large cities. Stamps became available in 1847 but weren’t always used. Until 1855, mailers could send their letters with recipients paying the cost of mailing. If the letters were refused, the post office lost out on delivery costs. Street boxes for mail collection began to appear by 1858.

Several Cape post offices have colorful histories. The Bourne Post Office was part of the Blackington house near the wooden bridge of the Monument River. It was moved to its present location around 1913 when the canal was being built and its postmaster was Ordello Swift. The tiny Hyannisport Post Office gained prominence when John F. Kennedy became president in 1961. It was well-known for its distinctive red color. The Provincetown post office gained notoriety when the entire staff was arrested in 1978 and charged with embezzlement and fraud. This was the first time in U.S. history that an entire staff of a post office was arrested.

Nowadays, many Cape post offices have been renovated, expanded or moved due to the need for more space. For the most part, many still have the charm of their old-fashioned predecessors. It is also interesting to note that during the 1930’s and 1940’s, works of art were funded for post offices by the New Deal. One lovely example is “The Recapture of Corn Schooner from British” by Karl Oberteuffer (1943) on display at the Falmouth Post Office.
(Sources: Cape Cod Times archives, inventors.about.com, capecodtoday.com)

In 1993, the quiet village of Cotuit had secession on its mind. The civic association wrote up a report showing what secession might mean for the village. The 1993 report said, in part: “From the dangerous traffic situations … to the unkempt appearances of our beaches, mooring and recreational areas … (various conditions) have left a large group of residents calling for secession from the town.” Many town residents had complained that Cotuit didn’t receive enough police, public works or other town services. A year ago, in Feb. 2009, some Cotuit townspeople again mentioned sucession in light of the Barnstable School Committee’s decision to close Marstons Mills-Cotuit Elementary School.

Ideas about secession are not new to this area. In fact, the concept is mentioned in the “The Seven Villages of Barnstable.” In one section, the book states “There were many attempts to divide the towns … In the period 1837 to 1852, twelve such attempts were made.” In more recent times, members of the Barnstable County Selectman’s Association called for a study to create an “independent state of Cape Cod.” Imagine living in the state of Cape Cod. Many other places around the country have had secession attempts including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland to name a few. Maine successfully seceded from Massachusetts to become a new state in 1820.

So, perhaps with talk about bridges to the islands and a (fantasy) subway system linking various parts of the Cape, the idea of secession may once again come to the forefront.

As the Cape’s population has grown, development has changed the Cape’s landscape. Gone are the fields I remember from my childhood. In fact, houses were built in the field of my Rock Harbor memories. The face of that lovely spot has been forever altered. I guess fields belong to an earlier time when people owned large tracts of land and farmers needed a place for their cattle to graze. In the Webster’s dictionary, a field is described as “a wide stretch of open land or a piece of cleared land.” Fields had a purpose for the early Cape settlers. Nowadays, a field is usually a place where baseball is played. There are very few rural fields left.

Recently I discovered a beautiful field in Cotuit near Mosswood Cemetery. On a cold winter’s morning, it is often outlined with fog. A wooden fence marks its boundary and crows fly over its hillside dip toward a dark woods. Sometimes a hawk soars overhead on its daily hunt for rodents or small rabbits. The place reminds me of my childhood home. It calls to me. One day soon I will answer.

I don’t know if this carol was ever set to music, but its message holds true all these years later. Here’s wishing you a happy New Year from Cape Rewind!

It was a family affair.

My father, an English teacher, was usually busy grading papers at this time of year. However, one Christmas he announced that he had tried out for and got the part of King Kaspar in the Arena Theater’s (now the Academy of Performing Arts) production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” This one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti was the first opera written specifically for television. It is about a crippled shepherd boy who, with the help of the Magi, gives baby Jesus a special gift.

We were excited about our dad’s role in the upcoming Christmas play, but as this was a busy time of year, I didn’t pay too much attention to Dad’s nightly trips to the theater. Then, one morning, I woke up to the sound of my father singing.

He was practicing for his role as the bumbling, slightly deaf Kaspar, one of the three kings in the nativity story. Over and over, I heard him sing: “This is my box. I never travel without my box.” During the next few weeks, the sound of this refrain echoed through our house. My dad would shut himself in his bedroom and sing with determination, but we could tell he was struggling with the song.

On opening night, our family took up one whole row at the small theater.

I was nervous for my dad. His solo didn’t seem any more polished despite his dawn-to-dusk rehearsing. The play opened on a bare stage, a small boy leaning on crutches. As the story unfolded, I was drawn into its pathos and beauty. The boy, having seen a bright star in the sky, tells his mother the good news, but she doesn’t believe him. Later, they are visited by three kings traveling to find the star. One by one, the three kings on stage showed Amahl the treasures they brought. Finally, my dad beckoned Amahl to draw near and see his treasure, his mysterious box. We all held our breath. It was a magical moment as my dad sang the song perfectly.

There is a scene at the end of the play when Amahl gives his crutches to the Christ child and, through his generosity, can walk without them. I was so proud of my father. He had found his voice and helped to bring meaning to a sacred story. Like Amahl, he had shed his own fears for a greater good. That Christmas, I received a gift from my own wise man.