Category: History

The Pendleton Rescue

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Wednesday, February 18th at 6:30 PM 

THE COAST GUARD’S GREATEST SMALL BOAT RESCUE

Join Coast Guard Auxiliary member and Cape Cod resident Reid Oslin as he recounts the legendary 1952 rescue of the SS Pendleton—a daring mission through towering waves and freezing winds that saved 32 sailors and inspired the book and film, The Finest Hours.  This event celebrates the 74th anniversary of the Pendleton Rescue.  

On February 18, 1952, four courageous crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Station Chatham, launched a 36-foot wooden motor lifeboat into the teeth of a raging Nor’east storm to rescue sailors stranded on a stricken tanker, SS PENDLETON, that had broken in half and was drifting off Monomoy Island.

Battling 40-foot waves, freezing temperatures and dangerous shoals, the Coast Guardsmen were able to save 32 of the 33 crew members aboard PENDLETON and safely return them to Chatham – a feat that is still considered to be the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history.

The PENDLETON rescue mission was highlighted in the best-selling book, The Finest Hours, written by famed Cape Cod author Casey Sherman, and later was made into a Disney-produced feature-length move of the same name.

The four crew members, led by Massachusetts native Bernie Webber, each received the Gold Lifesaving Award – the Coast Guard’s highest individual honor – for their heroic efforts on that fateful Cape Cod night. 

Coast Guard Auxiliary member Reid Oslin, a Cape Cod resident, has done extensive research on the PENDLETON rescue and has shared the fascinating story with numerous groups throughout the area.

REGISTER HERE

***This painting of the rescue of the “Pendleton” is by noted marine artist Tony Falcone. He collaborated with Bernie Webber to make sure the painting realistically captured the rescue scene. The original painting is on display at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT.

How Maps Lie with Andrew Middleton of the Map Center

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Join Andrew Middleton of The Map Center in Pawtucket, RI for a fun and informative talk on how maps tell all sorts of stories. Learn how historical and contemporary maps are designed to convey information, and how they have been designed to present particular narratives. Andrew will also tell the story of how he became the owner of the oldest map store in New England.

The Map Center is the oldest map store on the east coast and one of the very few owned by an actual cartographer. Andrew Middleton is a geographic information systems specialist, consultant, and published cartographer who has been steering the 72 year old Pawtucket staple back into the limelight with beautiful maps from around the world that challenge us to see the places we love in new ways.

This program is free and open to the public!
Tuesday, January 13th at 6:30 PM in the Hermann Room 
Register here.  

House of Diggs with Dr. Marion Orr

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Public Library is excited to welcome for the very first time, Dr. Marion Orr, political scientist and the inaugural Fredrick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy at Brown University for a reading, author talk and book signing for his newest Book, House of Diggs, on Tuesday, November 4th at 6:30pm in the library’s Hermann room.

House of Diggs is the first biography of Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr., one of the most consequential Black federal legislators in US history whose unfortunate downfall punctuated his distinguished career and pushed him and his historic accomplishments out of sight. Come hear award-winning author Dr. Orr speak about how his biography, House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr., restores Congressman Diggs to his much-deserved place in the history of American politics.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event by Eight Cousins Books. All are welcome! To register to attend this free public event, CLICK HERE or visit/call the Adult Services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

NASA’s Cosmic Dawn Documentary Screening

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Cosmic Dawn is the incredible true story of the James Webb Space Telescope – humanity’s largest and most powerful space telescope – on a mission to unveil the early universe, against all odds.

On Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:30pm in the library’s Hermann Room, come join us as we watch this NASA+ documentary that brings viewers on an unprecedented journey through Webb’s delicate assembly, rigorous testing, and triumphant launch, showcasing the sheer complexity and breathtaking risks involved in creating a telescope capable of peering billions of years into the past. Follow the telescope from an idea developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center all the way to the launchpad in French Guiana, with never-before-seen footage captured by the Webb film crew offering intimate access to the challenges and triumphs along the way. 

This documentary screening is free to the public and all are welcome!

Cosmic Dawn is Not Rated and has a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes.  To register to attend, CLICK HERE or visit/call the Adult Service Desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

PBS America250 Reading List

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Stories That Shaped A Nation

PBS Books has curated a literary journey that celebrates the path to American freedom and commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  This special reading list brings together compelling titles across three distinct genres—nonfiction, historical fiction, and children’s literature—to illuminate the courage, complexity, and conviction behind America’s founding.

Nonfiction

“Dive into meticulously researched works that provide powerful insights into the Revolution and the broader context of American independence that are written in a novelist style. These books reveal untold stories and broaden our understanding of the era—from George Washington’s leadership and the complexities of Indigenous and African American experiences, to the moral struggles that defined the fight for liberty.”

You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
Poor Richard’s Women by Nancy Rubin Stuart
Liberty Is Sweet by Woody Holton
Independence by John Ferling
Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts
Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution by Claire Bellerjeau, Tiffany Yecke Brooks, and Vanessa Williams
American Inheritance by Edward J. Larson
1776 by David McCullough
Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty by Cokie Roberts
African Founders by David Hackett Fischer
The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick
The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson
The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk
Independence Lost by Kathleen DuVal

Historical Fiction

“Experience the era of revolution through the eyes of unforgettable characters brought to life by gifted storytellers. These novels blend fact with fiction, immersing readers in personal dramas set against the backdrop of historical transformation. Whether following the bold disguise of a woman soldier or the trials of Eliza Hamilton, these stories add human depth to our nation’s founding.”

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon
My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs

Children’s Books

“Inspire the next generation with accessible, engaging, and age-appropriate books that bring the American Revolution to life. These titles are packed with colorful illustrations, fascinating facts, and heroic figures—from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to the everyday kids and families who shaped history.”

Seeds of America Trilogy by Laurie Halse
History Smashers: The American Revolution by Kate Messner
Guts & Glory: The American Revolution by Ben Thompson
Washington, Adams, and Jefferson by C.A. Worman
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
The History of the American Revolution by Emma Carlson Berne

Cue The Sun!

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Consider this your invitation to read and discuss narrative nonfiction with us! In the Narrative Nonfiction Book Club we will be reading across the genres of nonfiction, from history to adventure, memoir/biography, and beyond with books that read like a novel.

Join us on Saturday, August 2nd at 11am in the Hermann room as we discuss our latest book pick, 2025 Andrew Carnegie Finalist, Cue The Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum. 

This book club is free to the public and copies of the book are available at the adult service desk one month prior to our book club meeting.  To register to attend, CLICK HERE.

Cue the Sun! Synopsis:

“The rollicking saga of reality television – an ambitious cultural history of America’s most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prize – winning New Yorker writer.

Who invented reality television, the world’s most dangerous pop-culture genre?  Any why can’t we look away?  In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of “dirty documentary” – from its contentions roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump – Emily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it.  At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue the Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.

A shrewd observer who adores television, Nussbaum is the ideal voice for the first substantive history of the genre that, for better or worse, made America what it is today.”

About the Author:

“Emily Nussbaum is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she’s worked since 2011, originally as the magazine’s television critic.  In 2016, she won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism.  Previously, she was the culture editor for New York, where she created the Approval Matrix.  She is also the author of I Like to Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution, which was a finalist for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Clive Thompson, and their two children.”

 

American Civil War Exhibit & Events

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Fire and Thunder: A Massachusetts Black Soldiers in the Civil War Exhibit
Tuesday, April 1st – Wednesday, April 30th
Adult Collections Room

For the month of April, the “Fire and Thunder” 16 panel exhibit will be on display in the Adult Collections Room for the public to view during library hours.

“The institution of slavery was a disease deeply embedded in the tissue of the new American republic.  Though abolished in Massachusetts in the 1780’s, on the national stage it survived, to be destroyed only after a long and bloody civil war.  “Fire and Thunder” tells the story of how black soldiers in Massachusetts fought – in the press, on the streets, from the pulpit, the lecture podium, and the battlefield – in defense of human dignity and freedom.”

This exhibit is free to the public and is on loan from the Commonwealth Museum.

 

Ken Burns ‘The Civil War’ Documentary Screening
Monday, April 14th – Friday, April 18th, 1pm
Hermann Meeting Room

‘The Civil War is an epic nine-episode series by the award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.  Heralded as an unforgettable introduction to a four-year conflict fought in 10,000 places, the film vividly embraces the entire sweep of the war: the complex causes and lasting effects of America’s greatest and most moving calamity, the battles and the homefronts, the generals and the private soldiers, the anguish of death in battle and the grief of families at home.

The library will be screening this entire Civil War documentary series over the course of a week from Monday, April 14th to Friday, April 18th.  It is free to the public and is supported by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.  If you can’t make it to our Ken Burns Civil War screening but still would like to watch it, you can watch the entire Civil War series from the convenience of your own home using Kanopy, a free streaming service with your Falmouth Public Library card.

Monday, April 14th: 1pm-2:45pm . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1861: Episode 1 ‘The Cause’

Tuesday, April 15th: 1pm-3:25pm . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1862: Episode 2 ‘A Very Bloody Affair’ & Episode 3 ‘Forever Free’

Wednesday, April 16th: 1pm-3:35pm . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1863: Episode 4 ‘Simply Murder’ & Episode 5 ‘The Universe of Battle’

Thursday, April 17th: 1pm-3:20pm . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1864: Episode 6 ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ & Episode 7 ‘Most Hallowed Ground’

Friday, April 18th: 1pm-3:20pm . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
1865: Episode 8 ‘War is Hell’ & Episode 9 ‘The Better Angels of our Nature’

 

Bravery & Honor: Falmouth Soldiers & Sailors ~ A Walking Tour at Oak Grove Cemetery
Saturday, April 26th, 1pm
Oak Grove Cemetery (46 Jones Road) . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

“When Abraham Lincoln sent out a call to arms Falmouth men bravely responded, reporting in large numbers to the Union army and navy.  Many of these Veterans are buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.  Come hear compelling stories of a select few as this tour stops by personal grave and the renovated Grand Army of the Republic plot – one of the few examples in Massachusetts of this early type of memorial.”

This approximately 75-minutes long tour will be on Saturday, April 26th at 1pm.  It is free and open to the public and will be held rain or shine at the Oak Grove Cemetery located at 46 Jones Road in Falmouth.  We will meet inside the chapel at the cemetery, which is handicap accessible.  If the weather is inclement, we will stay inside the chapel; otherwise, plan on an easy stroll in the park-like setting.

 

Narrative Nonfiction Book Club
Saturday, May 1st, 11am
Hermann Meeting Room . . . . . . CLICK HERE TO REGISTER


The narrative nonfiction book club is back from hiatus and returns with our first book pick of the year The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson.  Come pick up a copy of the book at the adult services desk, register to attend, and then join us at our book club meeting on Saturday, May 1st at 11am in the Hermann room to share your thoughts!

“On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president.  The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one State after another seceding and Lincoln, powerless to stop them.  Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.  Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter, a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals.”

Zoom talk, Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement

Posted on by Sue

Come listen to this Zoom presentation on Tuesday, March 4th at 6 pm.  Please note that this is virtual only and does not take place in the library.  Register by clicking here, and you will receive the Zoom link!

This program is a combined lecture and music performance entitled Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement. It begins with a flute prelude performed by Galen Abdur-Razzaq followed by a 60 minute PowerPoint presentation chronicling the music from the turn of the century to present day and highlights various artists, their music, their influence on the evolution of jazz, and their struggles. In addition, it illustrates how jazz became an advocacy for the Civil Rights Movement, with proceeds from jazz concerts used to finance major events such as the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington in 1963. Lecture is infused with music demonstrations.

This is a joint collaboration with the Centerville and Vineyard Haven libraries, and we thank the Board of Library Trustees for funding our share.

The Christmas Tree Shops with Anthony Sammarco

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Christmas Tree Shop was not just an icon of New England, it was a destination with stores that boasted a diverse assortment of merchandise from seasonal decorations, home decor, housewares, food, giftware and just about everything else that the public just had to have. These were items you never thought you needed before stepping through the door, but who could resist a bargain?

Interested in learning more about the history and local charm of the Christmas Tree Shop? Come join us on Saturday, January 25th at 1pm in the Hermann room as local author Anthony Sammarco presents an illustrated lecture on his newest book, The Christmas Tree Shops: Don’t You Just Love A Bargain? After the lecture, there will be a book signing with books available for purchase by Eight Cousins.

Referred to as the “Balzac of Boston History” by the Boston Globe, Anthony Mitchell Sammarco is a noted historian and author of many books on the history and development of Boston, and he lectures widely on the history and development of his native city. He commenced writing in 1995, and his 89th book, published in 2024, was The History of the Christmas Tree Shops. He received the Bulfinch Award from the Doric Dames of the Massachusetts State House, the Washington Medal from Freedom Foundation, a lifetime achievement from both the Victorian Society and the Gibson House Museum. He is president of the Osterville Village Library; past president of the Bay State Historical League and he served as a corporator of the New England Baptist Hospital for a decade. He lives in Boston and in Osterville on Cape Cod.

This event is free to the public and is sponsored by the Board of Library Trustees. Register to attend by CLICKING HERE or by visiting/calling the adult service desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Falmouth Public Library, Saturday, December 14th at 2:00 PM

The Original Radio performance revamped by the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company

We cannot wait to welcome the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company back for a live radio performance of Charles’ Dickens A Christmas Carol. The event will be held on Saturday, December 14th 2024 at 2:00 PM in the Hermann Room at the Falmouth Public Library.

The event is appropriate for all ages and will last 75 – 90 minutes. Please register on our main Falmouth Public Library Events page or call 508-457-2555 x 7. If you run into any trouble, please reach out and we’ll fix it right up!

Dickens’ iconic story of greed, compassion, magic, and redemption will come to life through acting, music, and live sound effects in this original radio play adaptation. Miserly Ebenezer Scrooge makes life miserable for everyone around him, especially his long suffering clerk, Bob Cratchit. One fateful Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business associate, Jacob Marley. A man who was as greedy and cold as Scrooge. Marley’s spirit warns Scrooge that if he continues to live so selfishly, he will spend eternity wearing the chains that his greed has built. Three more spirits visit Scrooge that night: The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come, who show Scrooge his error in valuing money over people. Scrooge, frightened by the bleak picture of his life, awakes on Christmas morning a new man, promising to change his ways.

Get into the holiday spirit with a performance by professional working actors from the WatermelonAlligator Theatre Company!

There will be a discussion regarding Christianity and how the tale of Scrooge is truly a story of redemption. A light of hope in the darkness of the winter.