Postcards from Falmouth: Falmouth Heights

Before it hosted iconic hotels and streams of summer visitors, Falmouth Heights was the remote edge of town. Join Valerie Harding to learn about its deliberate transformation into a summer resort at the hands of the Falmouth Heights Land and Wharf Company – and of her own memories of off season life in the Heights, which might not have been picture-perfect, but provided its own kind of fun.


“In the winter when those hotels were closed up, as kids you’d run across the veranda and it looked very ghostly inside,” she said in conversation with interviewer Troy Clarkson. “With the table still set up, you know, with salt and pepper still on the table […] there was not a light on in any house down there.”

Watch the oral history recording here.

Explore the postcard collection here.

Postcards from Falmouth is a local history project of Falmouth Public Library, funded by a LSTA grant and administered by the MBLC.

YT link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2pv64p5EnA

Postcards from Falmouth

The traditions, stories, and hard work of Cape Verdean immigrants are deeply embedded in Falmouth’s history. Join Barbara Burgo, co-founder and Board member of the Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center, as she discusses ongoing efforts to preserve that history, and to foster the connections between Cape Verde and Cape Cod.

She emphasizes that those connections stretch simultaneously across the Atlantic, and across time.  The Museum and Cultural Center, which occupies the historic Emerald farmhouse in East Falmouth, was created to embody that fact. “If you went there to see so many of the valuable resources and gifts our folks have been giving to America for over 200 years […],” she says, “you would realize that we are so much more than cranberry pickers.”

Watch the oral history recording here.

Explore the postcard collection here.

Wish You Were Here: Postcards from the Past Digital Exhibit

In 2023 Calliope Poetry for Community extended an invitation to the public to immerse themselves in the images and messages carefully preserved within the Falmouth Public Library’s collection of postcards. These postcards, dating back to the early 1900s, offer us glimpses into the town’s history, portraying the various villages of Falmouth in bygone eras.

They serve as our very own time machines, transporting us to the past and allowing us to reconnect with the individuals who penned those messages long ago. With each card comes a unique story, a reflection of a moment frozen in time, complete with the personalities, quirks, and humor of the people who once called Falmouth home.

The heart of this project, Wish You Were Here: Postcards from the Past, lies in the ability of our literary and visual artists to draw inspiration from these postcards, breathing new life into their stories. They have taken on the incredible task of not only reflecting on but also reimagining the images and messages contained within these postcards. In doing so, they have created a bridge between the past and present, enabling us to witness the fascinating contrast between the Falmouth of yesteryears and the Falmouth we know today. Explore our digital version of this exhibit today, or make sure to make an appointment to see it at the Cultural Center at Museums on the Green through May 10, 2024.

August Art: Inspired by Shakespeare

We called, and you answered! Community responses to the 2023 Falmouth Reads Art Challenge are now available for viewing in the Adult Room at the library on the Art Walk.

Members of the public (and some library staff!) chose a famous phrase by Shakespeare to interpret in two-dimensional artwork; media include fabric, pen and ink, collage, and paint!

If you’re belatedly inspired by gazing on these works of art, create your own and drop it off in the Administrative Office! The art will remain on display through August.

July Art Exhibit: Cape Cod Beach Scenes

During the month of July, the Falmouth Public Library will feature photographers from the Upper Cape Camera Club in a special juried print exhibition of 32 photographs of scenes from many of Cape Cod’s beaches.

Earlier this year the club had a print competition which focused on photographs of Cape Cod beaches. This show includes photographs from that competition and other beach scenes from around the cape.  Club members whose photographs are included in this summer’s exhibition are Greg Anderson, Phillip Beach, William Brydon, George Dalin, Frank Fernino, Barbara Hecker, Molly Johnston, Jen Kano, Michael Klehm, Carol Knox, Jeannine Lavoie, Kevin Ledwell, Charles Mazzone, Peter Partridge, Jay Phyfer, Laura Puopolo, Claudine Reilly, Phil Richardson, and Milt Williamson.

The Juror for this exhibit is Laura M. Reckford.  Laura is the executive director of the Falmouth Art Center. She was a longtime reporter and editor at the Enterprise newspapers, in addition to working as a writer and editor in magazines and radio. Laura says about the show: “These Cape Cod beach images, by Upper Cape Camera Club members, are a reflection of the skill of the members in capturing creative and compelling images. Since they also show our beaches in various seasons and times of day, with crowds of people or just a lone beachgoer, they are a wonderful reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place.”

Ms. Reckford selected one Best in Show, awarded to Jen Kano for her photograph “Corridor to the Beach”.  She also selected four honorable mentions which were awarded to Phillip Beach for “Digging the Last Rays of Sunshine at Old Silver”, to Charles Mazzone for “Rock Harbor Breakwater – Cape Cod”, to Claudine Reilly for “Chappy in Black and White” and to Milt Williamson for “Beach Fence”.

Additionally, as they have done in previous years, the library staff and the library trustees chose their favorite photograph for an award; this year the award went to Frank Fernino for “Chapoquoit Beach – Feb. 2015”. 

The show will be on view during library hours for the month of July in the library’s “Art Walk”, located on the main floor beyond the stacks.

March Art: Paths of Discovery

It’s March and the Falmouth Public Library has a new abstract art exhibit!  Stop by the Adult Collection room between Wednesday, March 1st and Friday, March 31st to view Paths of Discovery: A Show of Paintings by Ron Zweig.
 
“As someone who has spent most of his life traveling the earth, I have found that the same sense of discovery can be found in the practice of art as well. When initiating any form of visual abstraction, the inspiration for what follows often flows from the first image and then moves on to the next, intertwining at times, in a dance of self-generating ideas.” 

February Art Show: Zaria The Artistt

Zaria Cain-Williams, also know as Zaria The Artistt, will be showcasing her very first art show here at the Falmouth Public Library!
 
Stop by the Adult Collections room between Wednesday, February 1st and Saturday, February 28th to check out her 30+ pieces of art during Black History Month!  Please bring your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, students and anyone else you might know to come with you to enjoy this event together.
 
 
Zaria The Artistt is a 21 year old Multi-Media Artist from Cape Cod.  She began creating art in the form of poems/raps, comic books, filmmaking and more at a young age.  Her artwork in all of its forms manages to be timeless in its ability to bridge the gap between faith, culture, and authenticity.
 

Mimi Schlichter Author Talk & Art Exhibit

Stop on by the library to see Mimi’s art and then come hear her speak about her 54-day project!

Author Talk, Demonstration and Book Signing

The Falmouth Public Library is delighted to host local artist and writer Mimi Schlichter for an author talk and book signing on Saturday, September 17th from 4pm-5pm in the library’s Hermann meeting room.  Mimi will be discussing her most recent book The 54 and Then Some: The 54 Falmouth Beach Paintings in 54 Days Project Expanded Edition with The Other 46, as well as offering a demonstration of her alla prima oil technique used during the project.  This author talk, demonstration and book signing event is free to the public and registration is required.  To register, click here or call the library at 508-457-2555 extension 7.  (Photo Credit: Milt Williamson)

Mimi explains the genesis of the project on the back cover of the book, “On April 1, 2020 the Town of Falmouth closed its beach parking lots as a proactive measure to reduce Covid 19 viral spread.  It meant I lost the option of painting beach scenes from the front seat of my car.  They remained closed until May 24th.  A total of 54 days.  One year later, March, 2021, I found myself sitting in my car in a beach parking lost, painting and wondering “why didn’t I do this more often last year?”  Then I remembered.  I couldn’t get there.  The idea came to me to celebrate how life is different this year.  So on April 1, 2021, I began a series of 54 paintings of the Falmouth beaches.  My personal commitment was to complete the paintings in 54 days, one a day, every day, by May 24.  You hold in your hands the result of that commitment.  In this new expanded version, I include The Other 46, the paintings completed in the 46 days following the completion of the 54 project.  They take the alla prima “a painting a day” run to a full 100 days.”

“The Beaches and Beyond Art Exhibit”

Concurrently, “The Beaches and Beyond Art Exhibit” by Mimi Schlichter will be on display in the Adult Collections Room of the Falmouth Public Library for the entire month of September.  Mimi describes the show as a gradual exhibit.  Her intention is to begin with a representative group of paintings form the original 54-day project, while each week adding newly created, sometime still wet, oil paintings she plans to complete during the month of September.  The art exhibit will be on display from September 2nd through September 30th.  This art exhibit is free to view and no registration is required.  Just stop on by the Adult Collections Room during the library hours.

Mimi Schlichter moved from Pennsylvania to Cape Cod in 1997 to pursue painting in an environment of light and beauty, with nature as her inspiration.  She paints mostly in oils, while also enjoying the flexibility and spontaneity of watercolor pencils paired with ink.  It is her goal to bring to life scenes and visions that inspire, soothe, and bring joy, be they tiny minis at 2’x2′ or massive multi panel installations.

Worker’s Struggles: An International Poster Exhibit

“Workers everywhere struggle regularly to the value of what their work has created, to receive adequate benefits and to have good and safe working conditions.  This is not easy.  Many workers around the world face repression when they try to improve their work lives.  This poster exhibit reflects some of the history of those struggles.”

Visit the Falmouth Public Library from March 30th through April 28th to view Workers’ Struggles: An International Poster Exhibit. “The posters are from a collection of more than 9200 of Stephen Lewis.  He is a long-time activist in the labor movement, and the former Treasurer of his union.”

 

Falmouth at Home … at the Beach!

Falmouth at Home is a collection of photographs taken by the Falmouth community that documents how we spend our days while we are staying close to home. Every few weeks we add a new category of photographs. Today we are expanding our footprint a bit by asking for photographs taken at a Falmouth beach. We are so excited about this, we even made a video at the beach!

We welcome Falmouth residents to submit photos via email to fpldigital@falmouthpubliclibrary.org and make your subject “FALMOUTH AT HOME AT THE BEACH”.

Please provide a title and let us know if we may use your name.  Be sure to provide a description about your photo, too! We would love to know which Falmouth beach you were at when you took the photo.

Looking for some historic images of Falmouth beaches? We’ve got two incredible collections of Falmouth postcards, that include LOTS of beach views! You’ll also get to see plenty of classic cars!

Head to our digital archive of the Falmouth ENTERPRISE, and find out all kinds of historic news about our beaches. For example:

“The members of Camp Tautog were entertained last Saturday by Dr. Chas. Miller and family at Old Silver Beach. After a two hours display of fireworks, refreshments of ice cream were served by the ladies. A voting contest was then held to decide on the most popular man in the camp, and Mr. J. Edmunds won.” July 21, 1906, ENTERPRISE

And for some other beach resources, keep an eye on the Falmouth Beach Department updates, and the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce beach page.

So send us your Falmouth beach photograph, and your story about your time on the beach! Be part of Falmouth history.