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Welcome
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![]() Welcome to The Falmouth Historical Society. Preservation has been our mission since we were founded in 1966. And it still is. Our members volunteer their time to promote interest in the history of Falmouth, Mane, through our collections and outreach to the community. We provide educational programs, assist with research into local families and history, and conduct tours of the Falmouth Heritage Museum. The Society is a non-profit organization.
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Annual Meeting |
Newsletters | ||||||||||
This year's Annual Meeting was held Saturday, October 18th, at 1:30 p.m., in the Russell Room of Falmouth Memorial Library at 5 Lunt Road. Remembering the 1775 Burning of Falmouth On a Wednesday morning in October 1775, a flotilla of Royal Navy vessels under the command of Lt. Henry Mowatt opened fire on Falmouth's town center (today Portland's Old Port). Over the course of nine hours, the town was raked by cannon fire—3,000 rounds were expended using incendiary cannonballs to set the town ablaze. When that failed to do the job, marines went ashore and set fire to any buildings that had survived the cannonade. Some of the marines were wounded and one was killed. Most of the town's residents fled before the attack began; only one was injured during the attack. By evening, "the body of the town was in one flame." Falmouth's town center was devastated with more than 400 buildings damaged or destroyed. The presentation told the story of events leading up to the destruction, what happened during the attack, and the aftermath. The presentation was sponsored jointly by Falmouth Memorial Library and the Falmouth Historical Society. It is part of our town's engagement in America's Semiquincentennial celebration. The presentation was followed by a short business meeting as required by our Bylaws. Revised Bylaws were unanimously approved by the membership. The membership also unanimously elected the slate of officers and directors for 2025-27 recommended by the Nominating Committee. |
Here are links to the slides for the presentation and business portion of the annual meeting:
Speakers notes for the presentation, minutes for the business meeting, and a recording of the presentation will be posted when ready. Other documents related to the annual meeting may be found here. |
Presentations
• The Burning of Falmouth (Slides) New!
• Local History Research (Slides and Speaker's Notes) New!
• Aucocisco (Slides and Speaker's Notes) New!
• The Humphrey Merrill House (Slides and Speaker's Notes
• The Opening Volley (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
• Falmouth's Western Frontier (Slides and Speaker's Notes) • The Story Begins with a Sword (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
• First Summer Colony (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
• Maps of Falmouth (Slides and Speaker's Notes)• Historic Sites on the Foreside (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
• Proprietors Map of 1732 (Slides)• Bucknam Tavern (Slides)
• A Marriage Made in Boston (Slides)
• Tidewater Farm (Slides)• Town History (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
• Annual Membership Fall Meeting 2025 (Slides) New!
• Annual Membership Winter Meeting 2025 (Slides and Minutes)
• Annual Membership Meeting 2024 (Slides and Minutes)
• Annual Membership Meeting 2023 (Slides and Minutes)
• Annual Membership Meeting 2022 (Slides and Minutes)
Retrospectives
• The History of Falmouth School's Campus New!
• Remembering One Who Fell During the Revolution on Memorial Day New!
• Remembering One Who Fell in the "Forgotten War"
• Remembering One Who “Gave the Last Full Measure of Devotion”
• Maine’s First Newspaper Tells Us About Life in Falmouth Two Centuries Ago
• Two Pictures Recall the Life of a Falmouth Schoolmaster
• Falmouth Hunkers Down in Response to Pandemic, Again
Find Us
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Museum Hours
Winter (October-May)
The Museum is closed due to the high cost of utilities and maintenance for a 19th-century house during a Maine winter. Safety of our visitors and volunteers is a concern—despite our best efforts to clear snow and ice, the area around the steps is often treacherous.
Summer (June-October)
The Museum and Barn at 60 Woods Road in Falmouth is open 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on most Tuesdays, or by appointment.
Falmouth Heritage Bookstore
Give the gift of Falmouth History!
Shop at our online bookstore which is always open. Orders can be delivered or picked up locally in Falmouth. We ship to US locations
Consider a gift membership!