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275518a6faacc8bd77aa66ce1082a54f
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Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
Postcards from Falmouth Oral History Transcript
Recorded: August 19, 2021
Oral Historian: Charles McCaffrey
Interviewer: Troy Clarkson
Topic: West Falmouth Library
Note: The right column references postcards by identifiers searchable in the Digital
Commonwealth online collection.
00:00
[Music]
00:45
so on the theme of libraries Charlie
00:47
welcome you are part of the West
#westfalmouthlibrary
Hunt_West_Bldg_479 through
482
Gunning_West_Bldg_1558
through 1563
00:49
Falmouth Library which is
00:51
not only a beautiful and historic
00:54
building in the West Falmouth Village
00:56
but also an important part of the
00:58
community's culture and cultural history
01:01
so just please give us
01:03
a brief introduction of both the
01:04
building and the organization okay well
01:09
you said my name is Charlie McCaffrey
01:10
I’m
01:11
a lifelong
01:13
summer resident of Falmouth
01:15
of North Falmouth actually not West
01:18
Falmouth
#westfalmouth
#northfalmouth
1
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
01:19
and
01:20
I moved to Falmouth full time in
01:24
2005.
01:26
at that time I was aware of the
01:29
West Falmouth Library as a wonderful
01:31
building but I had never been in it and
01:34
a friend urged me
01:35
to go visit the West Falmouth Library
01:38
shortly after I moved full time
01:40
I quickly became involved with its
01:43
activities and learned a great deal
01:45
about its history
01:47
I was struck by the library because it
01:49
reminded me
01:51
physically of the small
01:53
branch library in Boston that I had went
01:56
to as a child it looked very similar
01:58
and that was the center of my childhood
02:01
in uh growing up in Boston
02:03
so I felt very comfortable
02:05
at the library and began to volunteer
02:08
for events
02:10
the library was started
02:13
in the late
02:16
19th century by the 1870s by a group of
02:19
women in West Falmouth who wanted to get
02:22
together and share books
2
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
02:24
they
02:25
had a small building
02:27
which they quickly outgrew
02:29
and sought to develop a real library
02:32
and
02:32
got through the
02:34
generous donation of people in the
02:36
community they were able to acquire the
02:38
land that it's on
02:40
and to build
02:42
the main building
02:43
in
02:44
1895
02:47
and it's continued as a library since
02:49
1895.
02:51
initially staffed primarily by
02:54
volunteers
02:55
but increasingly over the last 20 years
02:58
by professional staff
03:03
the library building
03:04
uh
03:06
was added on to
03:08
in the 1970s
03:10
and then
03:11
we became aware
03:13
while I was on the Board of the library
03:16
that we needed to modernize and bring it
#1895
3
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
03:19
up to the
03:21
21st century needs of a public library
03:25
I say public library we are a public
03:27
library
03:28
though we are not a municipal library we
03:30
receive a small amount of support from
03:33
the town but we need to raise
03:36
our budget
03:37
annually
03:39
to keep the library operating and thanks
03:42
to the generosity of people in West
03:44
Falmouth and in Falmouth as a whole and
03:46
be
03:47
beyond we're able to sustain a very
03:50
efficient library operation
03:52
but as I started to say we need
03:55
to recognize that the physical plan was
03:57
not adequate for a 21st century library
04:01
so we needed to add
04:03
such things as better accessibility
04:07
handicapped-accessible bathrooms
04:09
modern heating and ventilation uh
04:13
archive space that's temperature
04:15
controlled for the significant papers of
04:18
the history of West Falmouth that we
04:21
hold some going back to the
04:23
mid uh 17th century
4
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
04:28
so in
04:30
2013 we began to raise funds
04:33
to renovate
04:35
the existing library to restore it to
04:37
its original
04:39
appearance
04:40
it had been well maintained
04:43
and not altered in any great detail
04:47
since 1895 but it certainly showed the
04:50
effects of 120 years of wear and tear
04:55
and to put in the modern features that
04:57
we needed without compromising the
05:01
original space we put on a small
05:03
addition
05:04
that has
05:06
the archive room
05:07
for handicap-accessible bathrooms a new
05:11
quiet reading room
05:12
uh stairs and in that great entrance
05:17
the general the project cost us
05:19
approximately
05:21
three million dollars
05:22
and through the generosity of the
05:25
community in a town and state grant
05:28
we were able to complete the project in
05:31
2017.
05:34
today we are
#2013
#2017
5
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
05:37
open 30 hours a week
05:39
we have a professional staff
05:42
and we undertake many programs such as
05:45
lectures
05:46
music programs
05:48
children's programs that are open to the
05:51
whole town and are well attended by
05:53
people from throughout the town
05:56
thank you
05:57
for that wonderful history of the
06:00
organization and the building I always
06:02
say a library is the heart of a
06:04
community and that certainly is true for
06:06
the West Falmouth Library and I’m glad
06:08
you do the distinction
06:11
between the West Falmouth Library and
06:14
the Falmouth public slash municipal
06:16
library because
06:17
the West Falmouth Library is
06:21
open and accessible to the public and I
06:23
know that's an important part of your
06:24
mission
06:25
it is and it's interesting that
06:29
as a community center and that's very
06:32
much what it is as a library and has
06:33
always been that
06:35
but that also
6
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
06:37
correlates well with what is happening
06:40
to libraries today
06:42
libraries are very much community
06:44
centers and a provision for the place
06:46
for the community to gather and
06:48
individuals to use for many purposes
06:51
they are not just
06:53
about lending books
06:56
particularly as
06:58
reading materials are available from
07:00
many sources they continue to provide
07:03
that
07:03
and need to expand what they provide
07:06
the key thing with the library is it
07:08
provides
07:10
materials for learning for free
07:14
but it complements that
07:17
with a variety of programs
07:19
that the community can enjoy in a place
07:22
where the community can gather
07:25
I remember
07:26
this is going back
07:28
some years but when I was running for
07:30
public office for the what was then
07:32
called the Board of Selectmen is today
07:34
called the Select Board uh local
07:36
candidate debates would be held at the
7
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
07:39
West Falmouth Library and I know you
07:41
still have many of those civic events
07:42
there now and so that really reinforces
07:46
the role of a village community library
07:49
as as you say not just an institution
07:52
where you can experience information in
07:55
multimedia fashion but where you can
07:58
gather and be part of the community one
08:00
of the great events that I’ve enjoyed
08:03
participating in is one of the annual
08:05
fundraisers where people gather at the
08:07
library then fan out to different
08:09
people's homes to eat and then come back
08:11
for dessert tell us about that
08:13
that's called the Movable Feast it has
08:15
been a major fundraiser for the library
08:17
for the last 12 years
08:19
excepting
08:21
the last year of course because of the
08:23
pandemic
08:25
actually was an event that I started and
08:28
copied it from
08:30
an event of the same name and character
08:32
that was held by the Historic Albany
08:35
Foundation where I used to live before I
08:37
moved to
08:38
Falmouth um
#movablefeast
#pandemic
#historicalbanyfoundation
8
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
08:40
it
08:41
well received it because it does
08:43
build
08:44
on and strengthen community interaction
08:48
the idea is that people come to the
08:50
library and they're randomly for
08:52
cocktails and then they're randomly
08:55
assigned
08:56
to one of a dozen homes in the
08:58
neighborhood
09:00
for dinner and conversation so they meet
09:03
new people
09:04
and then come back to the library and
09:06
where did you have dinner who did you
09:08
meet what
09:10
new people
09:11
uh have you found you know so it's it's
09:15
a very popular event uh
09:18
I would add on the community center role
09:21
of the library and how
09:23
that's not just a new concept in
09:25
libraries
09:26
but
09:27
when the library was built in 1895
09:30
the main building had two rooms of
09:32
approximate equal size one had the books
09:37
and the other was a community room which
9
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
09:39
still exists
09:41
and did not have any books in it it had
09:43
a bench all the way around the perimeter
09:46
and it was for community gatherings so
09:49
it was built as much as a community as
09:52
much as a community center and gathering
09:54
place as a place for borrowing books
09:58
and because the the library has been
10:01
part of the community for
10:03
as you said more than 120 years now but
10:06
is also
10:07
the keeper of archives dating back even
10:09
before the building was built you
10:11
mentioned that your archives include uh
10:14
documents that date back to the 17th
10:16
century tell us about uh some of the
10:18
more interesting documents you have in
10:20
your collection uh one of the documents
10:22
is a deed
10:23
from a Wampanoag Indian
10:26
granting 30 acres of land
10:29
to I forget first name but a Gifford and
10:31
we know that his
10:33
name has a long history in town
10:36
uh so it's the actual deed from
10:39
1673 I believe of 30 acres of land in
10:42
West Falmouth to the
#wampanoag
#gifford
#1673
10
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
10:44
Giffords um
10:47
I have a friend actually who's who
10:50
bought
10:51
the Giffords built a house
10:54
and today it's the oldest extant Cape Cod
10:57
style house
10:58
in
10:59
1678
11:01
and it remained in the Gifford family
11:04
until the early 90s
11:07
when actually a friend of mine acquired
11:10
it
11:11
and occasionally opens it to the public
11:15
so isn't that amazing so uh although the
11:17
building has been around for a little
11:20
more than a century it captures nearly
11:22
four centuries of local history yes
11:24
another document that's interesting is a
11:27
passport
11:29
for a ship
11:31
signed by
11:32
Secretary of State James Madison and
#jamesmadison
11:35
President Thomas Jefferson
#thomasjefferson
11:40
and it's an it's rather an elaborate
11:42
printed document with their signatures
11:45
for a ship that had been built in West
11:48
Falmouth Harbor and sailed around the
11
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
11:50
world
11:51
isn't that amazing now in fast
11:53
forwarding all these years still today
11:56
the West Falmouth Library is an active
11:58
participant in
12:00
capturing today's history and and being
12:04
part of the living history like what
12:06
we're doing today
12:08
but also continuing to be a focal point
12:10
a gathering point as you called it for
12:12
the community yes and I do recall a
12:14
while ago
12:15
we did have an oral history project and
12:18
recorded some older residents of West
12:20
Falmouth
12:22
isn't that then that's so important like
12:24
what we're doing here today so that
12:25
future generations can understand uh
12:28
what life was like in in Falmouth uh in
12:31
2021 yeah
12:33
um
12:35
and I I would add
12:37
um I myself
12:39
uh I’m President of the Board
12:42
for another few days
12:44
but will continue in my involvement with
12:46
the library I’m giving a presentation
12
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
12:50
at the library on
12:52
sea level rise
12:54
which will be
12:56
the probably the most important event
12:58
that will affect West Falmouth and all
13:00
of the town over the next 50 100 years
13:04
so I’m reporting on what the town
13:07
is doing
13:08
to make us resilient to sea level rise
13:11
which will require a huge effort on the
13:13
part of everyone
13:15
for sure and so
13:17
a generation or two from now people will
13:19
look back on what we did
13:21
uh
13:22
to to understand uh
13:25
and to deal with sea level rise and and
13:28
that will be
13:29
that is an important part of what
13:31
Falmouth will look like a generation in
13:34
the library
13:35
not only West Falmouth but the others
13:38
are a key place where
13:40
what we are facing can be communicated
13:42
to the public effectively
13:45
you know that that's a really good point
13:46
because
#sealevelrise
13
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
13:48
today
13:50
it seems is sometimes
13:53
scientific fact
13:54
is even debated but libraries continue
13:57
to be a place where there is
14:00
some ability to to have discussion about
14:04
public policy and facts and to share
14:06
those in a in a neutral uh educational
14:10
environment right
14:12
and where
14:13
people actually interact rather than
14:16
individually looking at the information
14:18
and making decisions
14:20
without the context of discussion right
14:24
and that's so that goes back to your
14:25
original point about the value of a
14:27
library as a gathering place because uh
14:30
rather than it's a place where people
14:31
can come and rather than speaking at
14:33
each other can speak with each other yes
14:37
yeah the idea of libraries as a
14:40
quiet place is somewhat passé right and
14:43
importantly so right yeah
14:46
uh so
14:47
are there any other either historical or
14:50
interesting facts about the West
14:51
Falmouth Library you'd like to share
14
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
14:53
with our viewers
14:57
I think its role as with discussion
15:00
implies is central
15:02
to the community
15:04
a community to be in a
15:06
a thriving community needs a sense of
15:09
place
15:10
which is created by its history and
15:13
interactions but also by key physical
15:16
places
15:17
and
15:18
the West Falmouth Library is central
15:21
to that place called West Falmouth it's
15:24
an interestingly enough
15:28
in this series we also had someone from
15:29
the Woods Hole Library
15:32
which has a similar rich history as a
15:35
partially privately funded but publicly
15:38
accessible library makes me I think of
15:41
the point
15:42
Falmouth more than many communities
15:45
has distinct villages each with their
15:47
own identity and each with their own
15:49
history and and so
15:52
it's important that the West Falmouth
15:55
library not only catalogued the history
15:57
of the Falmouth community
#woodsholepubliclibrary
15
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
15:59
but what's unique uh and special about
16:01
West Falmouth itself yes
16:04
uh
16:05
it it is very much West Falmouth but as
16:07
I said earlier too it also serves and
16:10
draws people from throughout the town
16:12
I myself
16:14
have always lived in North Falmouth
16:16
but found the library a very important
16:19
cultural
16:21
center so became involved
16:24
and as by doing that became much more
16:27
familiar with West Falmouth
16:29
as well as
16:31
other parts of Falmouth
16:33
and that's so important because we are
16:36
at the end of the day we are one
16:37
Falmouth in one one community absolutely
16:40
well Charlie thank you so very much for
16:42
sharing some time with us and a little
16:44
bit of the history of both that
16:46
beautiful historic building that's been
16:48
lovingly restored and modernized but
16:51
also of the history of the library
16:53
organization itself and we wish you many
16:55
many more decades of success
16:57
thank you Troy
16
�
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Transcript of Charles McCaffrey's Oral History on West Falmouth Library
1673
1895
2013
2017
charles mccaffrey
COVID-19
Gifford
Historic Albany Foundation
james madison
movable feast
North Falmouth
oral history
pandemic
Postcards from Falmouth
sea level rise
thomas jefferson
transcript
troy clarkson
Wampanoag
West Falmouth
west falmouth library
woods hole public library
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7b2502ea18b5171716e3c601162040e9
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Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
Postcards from Falmouth Oral History Transcript
Recorded: July 30, 2021
Oral Historian: Robert Blomberg
Interviewer: Troy Clarkson
Topic: Woods Hole Public Library, Woods Hole Historical Museum
Note: The right column references postcards by identifiers searchable in the Digital
Commonwealth online collection.
00:00
[Music]
00:45
so Rob welcome thank you for
00:47
participating in
00:48
this important project and
00:50
today we will be discussing a postcard
00:53
that's been given to you and this one is
00:56
of the Woods Hole Library which has a
#woodshole
#woodsholepubliclibrary
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0587
through 0590
00:57
rich history here in Falmouth so thank
01:00
you for being willing to chat about it
01:01
and just tell us about the postcard and
01:04
your connection to it so uh the Woods
01:06
Hole Library is a
01:08
very important connection to me I think
01:10
probably the first time I was ever there
01:11
I was maybe two or two and a half years
01:13
old
01:14
I didn't grow up in Woods Hole I grew up
1
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
01:17
in Connecticut but my parents
01:18
grandparents both grew up here and
01:21
certainly the time you know every time I
01:23
would come down when the library would
01:24
be open it was a wonderful place to go
01:26
to grab books a very very comfortable
01:28
area and then in the years to come I
01:30
wouldn't didn't realize how involved I
01:32
would be in the library right now I’m
01:34
currently the the Vice President of the
01:36
uh of the Board of the library itself
01:39
and heavily involved with many of the
01:40
activities
01:42
today what I’d like to do if I could is
01:45
go through some of the history of the
01:46
library itself uh it's certainly one of
01:48
the key meeting places anywhere in Woods
01:50
Hole and certainly it's considered to be
01:52
one of the friendliest places in Woods
01:54
Hole in fact a writer from the Reader's
01:56
Digest in 1961 on the way to the
01:57
Vineyard found that he had missed the
01:59
book the boat with his family and family
02:01
he had himself his wife and three three
02:03
children and wandered around and ended
02:06
up going the library and spent over two
02:08
hours there and he
2
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
02:09
had the comment afterwards this is by
02:11
far and away the friendliest place in
02:12
this little town I think it's still like
02:14
that today
02:17
so what a great story indicative of the
02:19
the value I always say that the public
02:22
library or any library
02:25
is
02:26
the heart and soul of a community and so
02:29
the Woods Hole Library is part of the
02:30
heart and soul of that village which is
02:32
critical to the character of our our
02:35
community you mentioned before we went
02:36
on camera that it's been actually um
02:39
since it was founded in February of 1873
02:42
been in four different locations so talk
02:44
to us about the journey of the library
02:46
and how it it wound up where it is today
02:49
great I so yes the library started in
02:51
February of 1873 initially was called
02:54
the Woods Hole Social Library not the
02:56
Woods Hole Public Library but rather the
02:58
Woods Hole Social Library and it started up
03:01
really a gathering of the Woods Hole
03:02
residents
03:03
one of the real key founders was this of
03:06
this was a man named Asa Shiverick and he
3
#1873
#asashiverick #shiverick
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
03:08
was the superintendent of the Pacific
#pacificguanocompany
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0564
03:10
Guano Factory a lot of people I don't
03:12
think are aware that there's a large
03:14
guano factory in Penzance Point and he
03:16
was the founder and initially was
03:19
involved with
03:21
involving the community they ended up
03:23
issuing 89 shares for the original
03:26
Woods Hole Social Library at two dollars
apiece
03:28
and what did they do with that oh
03:31
they end up buying books with their
03:32
funds they donated a lot of their own
03:34
books as well and the first library
03:36
actually met in the base of Asa
03:38
Shiverick’s house which is right in the
03:40
corner of Water Street and School Street
#penzancepoint
#waterstreet
#schoolstreet
Gunning_WoodsHole_Sts_0801
through 811 &
Hunt_WoodsHole_Sts_598
through 603
03:43
and back then was called Main Street
03:44
hadn't been changed to Water Street at
03:46
that point uh he was Mr. Shiverick was
03:49
was very nice about it he donated some
03:51
of the oil lamps there and the heat that
03:54
lasted there and members were expected
4
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
03:56
to pay a dollar per year to check out
03:59
books and non-members five cents so a
04:01
little bit different than there is today
04:03
so that was the first location um they
04:05
were there for about five years and they
04:07
moved down to what was then called
04:09
Liberty Hall which is now known as
04:10
Community Hall right beyond the
04:12
drawbridge itself it was built because
04:15
things were really getting you know the
04:16
library was starting to grow
04:18
and they were there for about 17 years
04:20
they shared the basement with other
04:22
things such as a barber shop and a
04:23
tailor
04:24
they weren't open every every day though
04:26
primarily they were open Wednesdays and
04:28
Saturdays and became so popular that
04:31
people would wait in line outside just
04:32
to come in they're open for really two
04:34
to three hours every day at that point
04:36
um
04:37
third location actually moved again
04:40
right across the drawbridge uh this
04:42
would have been diagonally across from
04:44
where the bridge tenders are right now
04:46
it was a
#woodsholecommunityhall
5
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
04:47
house called the Swift House and what
#swifthouse
#swift
04:49
they did there they were there sort of a
04:51
short period of time
04:52
because the rent was a hundred dollars a
04:54
year which they felt was too expensive
04:56
for those you're not familiar this would
04:58
be right next to where the Redfield
04:59
Building is now and
05:00
later on this building became a
05:02
drugstore called Daley’s Drugstore which
05:04
I remember as a young boy the old soda
05:06
fountain that was there was absolutely
05:08
great you could have a milkshake or an
05:10
ice cream and you could watch the boats
05:11
go right through the open channel
05:14
so after a very short time there they
05:16
then moved up to what's now Little
05:18
Harbor Road but back then was called
05:20
Government Street
Hunt_WoodsHole_Har_583 &
Gunning_WoodsHole_Har_0866
through 872
05:22
it was Fish's Grocery Store and they
#fishsgrocerystore
05:24
lived they were there rent-free had
05:26
about 2000 books at that point and they
05:29
stayed there until 1910. by the time
05:31
1910 came around the Fish building was
05:34
sold and the decision was made that you
#daleysdrugstore
#littleharborroad
#1910
6
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
05:36
know there's enough people in Woods Hole
05:38
between the year-round residents and the
05:40
summer residents
05:42
let's buy a lot and the lot where the
05:44
library is currently located was bought
05:46
at that point but the problem was all
05:48
the money they supplied for the lot they
05:50
really couldn't put anything other than
05:52
buying the land itself so they waited
05:55
about three years
05:56
they were able to raise money
05:58
they ended up having the books and a
06:00
room that was vacant in what was then
06:02
the Woods Hole School on School Street
#woodsholeschool
06:04
and by 1913 they'd raised enough money
#1913
06:07
pop year-round population was about 500
06:11
summer population’s about 1500 and enough
06:13
people agreed to donate money and funds
06:17
to build the library itself so by then
06:20
five thousand dollars was raised they
06:22
built the building uh opened in 1913
06:26
and the fieldstone that's on the outer
06:28
part of the library itself is fieldstone
06:30
that came from Woods Hole and Quisset
06:32
so the library itself as we know it
06:34
today really goes back to 1913 but we
06:37
had the land as of 1910.
7
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
06:40
and and so over a hundred years
06:42
the Woods Hole Library in that current
06:44
location has been
06:46
as people enter the village one of the
06:49
uh architectural features and uh
06:52
really one of the highlights of the
06:54
entry into the village but it's so much
06:56
more than that more than an
06:58
architectural feature of the village as
07:00
I mentioned a few minutes ago it's
07:01
really part of the heart and soul of the
07:03
village and to this day welcomes
07:06
residents and visitors
07:07
community groups
07:09
and despite how technology has changed
07:12
our lives
07:13
libraries are still a very important
07:15
part of the community so talk to us a
07:17
little bit about what
07:19
the Woods Hole Library means to the
07:20
village and the town today
07:22
so you know I think as you look at the
07:24
village it's a very good point I think
07:26
as you look at the library itself
07:29
we have a wonderful staff there who
07:30
obviously is coordinating the you know
07:33
the magazines the books the circular but
8
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
07:36
it's a lot of the events that take place
07:38
as well
07:39
we have many annual events that occur
07:41
the the plant sale is very popular we
07:44
have the accessories sale which is
07:45
actually is coming up in early August
07:49
one of the interesting things is Super
07:51
Bowl Sunday for a lot of people means
07:52
football and recently the Patriots well
07:55
if you're in Woods Hole
07:57
it means the fabric sale the fabric sale
07:59
is a very popular event that's occurred
08:02
so those are things that are sort of
08:03
recurring events but in addition
08:05
we have lectures
08:07
we have a lot of musical performances
08:09
that take place there there are book
08:11
groups that have met there
08:13
many children's groups come in there's
08:16
currently a camp the Children's School
08:18
of Science is in they they tend to stop
08:20
by
08:22
MBL has a camp that comes in
#childrensschoolofscience
Marine Biological Laboratories
#mbl
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0644
through 0695&
Hunt_WoodsHole_Bldg_550
through 555
9
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
08:24
children have been a huge part of of the
08:26
Woods Hole Library as I mentioned you
08:28
know my first time was probably when I
08:30
was two two and a half
08:32
and one of the later additions that they
08:35
made back in the 1950s uh had a whole
08:38
children's wing put in there as well and
08:41
I think it's because of the welcoming
08:42
nature of the staff
08:44
the great volunteers
08:46
last year was was a very difficult year
08:48
with a pandemic and yet the library
08:51
itself was only closed for about two
08:53
months the decision was made to have
08:55
people place orders
08:56
they opened up the courtyard itself so
08:59
anyone that wanted a book or magazine or
09:01
periodical could go in and they could
09:03
check things out at that point
09:06
gradually as things improved a little
09:08
bit we allowed limited access in
09:10
and people needed books they needed the
09:13
magazines and the staff worked extremely
09:16
hard last year Margaret McCormick was
09:17
the director and her staff were
09:19
wonderful very creative in allowing this
09:22
and I think
#pandemic
10
#margaretmccormick
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
09:23
with so many things being closed in the
09:24
town of Falmouth in the village Woods
09:26
Hole last year
09:27
other than about a two-month period the
09:29
library remained open and was a very
09:31
very important part of the community and
09:34
provided a lot of necessary things that
09:36
needed to take place
09:38
excellent so
09:40
it continued as it has
09:43
since 1873 to be an important part of of
09:46
the community right what else would you
09:48
like to share about either the history
09:50
or the
09:51
the uh the ongoing presence of the Woods
09:54
Hole Library in the community so I
09:55
what's what's interesting of course too
09:57
is you know we have the library and the
09:59
next door neighbor is the Woods Hole
10:01
historic collection which goes back to
10:02
1974.
#1974
10:04
in the Bradley House itself and there is
#bradleyhouse
10:07
a very strong partnership the Woods
10:08
Hole Library is actually the in
10:11
effect the parent corporation of the
10:13
Woods Hole historic collection of the
10:14
Woods Hole Museum and I think that the
11
#woodsholehistoricalmuseum
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
10:16
two groups together work very well um
10:20
Franklin Gifford one of the great
10:22
painters one of the great artists of
10:23
Woods Hole
10:24
tremendous collection that he has in the
10:26
Ratcliffe Room which is the most recent
10:28
edition in the downstairs portion of the
10:30
library itself and many of the original
10:32
paintings are also in the Woods Hole
10:35
museum the Woods Hole Historic Museum
10:37
you know right next door
10:39
these the historic Swift boat barn Dr.
10:42
Yale's workshop is there
10:44
and for those people that really haven't
10:46
gotten Woods Hole too much uh every
10:48
year we we change the second exhibit we
10:51
have one primary exhibit which talks
10:53
about the history of Woods Hole
10:55
I’ve been very fortunate I’ve been doing
10:56
the historic walking tours of Woods Hole
10:58
for four years and we get 100 150 or
11:01
more people every year coming to Woods
11:02
Hole
11:03
they see the library they enjoy the
11:05
library aspect they go in they're very
11:06
comfortable there
11:08
they participate in the book sale which
#franklingifford
#leroymiltonyale
12
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
11:09
is both an outdoor and indoor book sale
11:11
but they also enjoy the museum itself
11:13
and you know gallery 2 this year we just
11:16
have a new exhibit for the indigenous
11:17
people of Woods Hole and and Cape Cod
11:20
for that matter a lot in the Wampanoag
11:22
but a lot of the glacial formations etc
11:25
and similar to what the library does
11:28
the Woods Hole museum produces the Woods
#woodsholeweeklydispatch
11:31
Hole Weekly Dispatch Debbie Scanlon
#deborahscanlon
11:33
Colleen Hurter do a wonderful job with
#colleenhurter
11:35
that mainsheet is distributed as well so
11:38
between both organizations are their
11:40
next door neighbors to each other they
11:42
share the same land
11:44
it's it's a great opportunity for people
11:46
to come to Woods Hole they get their
11:47
books their periodicals from the library
11:50
they get to participate in a lot of the
11:51
events there and then they go next door
11:53
to the museum the museum you know has a
11:55
semi-annual auction that takes place
11:57
there and they also have a lot of events
12:00
as well including the Woods Hole
12:02
Conversations and lectures that take
12:03
place and much of the
12:06
many of the lectures and other meetings
13
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
12:08
that take place there's a few larger
12:10
facilities within the library itself and
12:11
the lower level so they're able to do
12:13
that so um you know Woods Hole again
12:15
village of less than 800 people there's
12:16
a lot of things going on there and we
12:18
draw so many people not just from the
12:20
town of Falmouth but from the Cape as
12:22
well as you know domestically and
12:24
internationally as well
12:26
so you raise a good point about uh
12:29
Woods Hole's identity as a village like
12:31
many of the villages in Falmouth
12:33
although it's part of the larger
12:35
Falmouth community it has
12:37
a very strong identity and its own
12:40
history and so you said you you lead
12:42
walking tours uh so take us from the
12:44
library uh briefly on just some of the
12:47
highlights of some of those other
12:49
historic sites in the village so it is
12:52
interesting is I start the tours inside
12:54
in Gallery One and there's a timeline
12:56
there and we have photos of the historic
12:59
you know the famous people of Woods Hole
13:00
but then as you work your way around I
13:02
mean Little Harbor had the original
#littleharbor
14
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
13:03
settlements going back to 1679 there
#1679
13:06
were
13:06
12 families half from Sandwich half from
13:09
Falmouth several of them were Quakers
13:11
that started so Little Harbor was the
13:13
initial part of Woods Hole so we start
13:16
there we make our way down Water Street
13:18
you know I’ll talk about uh you know not
13:20
so much what's now the Steamship area
#ferry
13:22
but rather what was the railroad area it
#railroad
Gunning_WoodsHole_Har_0855
through 0903 &
Hunt_WoodsHole_Har_582
through 590
Hunt_WoodsHole_Tran_607
13:24
was a very important part my grandfather
13:26
was the general agent uh for New Haven
13:28
Railroad back then and at one point
13:30
there were nine railroad tracks that
13:32
came into Woods Hole the two tracks that
13:33
came in and nine that that uh were there
13:36
you know obviously the the boats not
13:38
just to the Martha’s Vineyard as we
13:39
currently have but also to Nantucket New
13:42
Bedford and Fall River it's a very very
13:44
popular line and that brought a lot of
13:46
the people in so as we go down as we
13:48
make our way down Water Street out if I
13:50
don't lose anyone at Pie In the Sky
15
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
13:51
which does happen occasionally though
13:53
sneak in to get something to eat you
13:54
know I’ll talk about the post office
13:57
uh what is now Under the Sun was the
13:58
former Congregational church
14:00
what's what's now the Woods Hole Inn has
14:02
always been a hotel back 150 years or so
14:05
Hotel Avery Hotel Nobska was there
14:07
continue down past Dyer's Dock
14:10
stopping at the Eel Pond Bridge
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0584
through 586
#eelpond
#eelpondbridge
Gunning_WoodsHole_Pnd_0904
14:12
we've had a bridge there for about 200
14:14
years at this point which sort of ends
14:17
you know the early the upper part of the
14:19
business district itself but then making
14:22
our way down to Smith and Bigelow and
14:24
the WHOI
Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute
#whoi
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0735
through 744
14:25
buildings that are there that go back to
14:26
1930 across the street from that you
14:29
know a lot of those buildings 150 160
14:31
years old uh back to when uh Woods Hole
14:34
was a whaling port four whaling ships
16
#whaling
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
14:36
were built in Woods Hole 14 other ships
14:38
uh we refurbished to the point that
14:40
Woods Hole was deforested at one point
14:42
as there was so much work that was done
14:44
so everything from the Woods Hole wharf
14:46
down past Captain Kidd and Woods Hole
14:47
Market those were buildings that had to
14:50
do with cooper with barrel making with
14:52
sail making provisions um continuing the
14:55
walk down to what really is MBL the old
14:58
Candle House which was uh uh served as a
#candlehouse
Hunt_WoodsHole_Bldg_535
15:00
place for spermaceti uh candles being
15:03
made there down to waterfront park the
15:06
beautiful view of of the Woods Hole
15:08
passage at that point I mean people ask
15:10
you know how did Woods Hole get its name
15:12
well the reality was we don't know who
15:13
Woods was but hole of course is a
15:15
nautical term smaller body of water
15:17
between two larger bodies of water and
15:19
in this case we've got Vineyard Sound on
15:20
one side and Buzzards Bay on the other
15:22
so the Woods Hole passage is that hole
15:24
but as you make your way down through
15:26
the Elizabeth Islands you've got
15:27
Quick’s Hole and Robinson’s Hole going out
#elizabethislands
17
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
15:29
all the way to Cuttyhunk so we usually
15:31
make a turn there you know I talked I I
15:34
walk behind Lillie and Crane
15:37
beautiful view of Eel Pond you know
15:38
looking
15:40
east at that point toward you know the
15:42
Woods Hole School make our way up by the
15:44
Marine Resource Center and then cut up
15:47
the other side of Water Street
15:49
going uh really across you know into the
15:51
WHOI area as well the WHOI campus uh the
15:54
past the old Methodist church it's now
15:56
the WHOI exhibit center uh the choirs
15:58
across the Michael Walsh Garden uh with
16:01
all the rambler roses and all the other
16:02
garden and you know beautiful pollinated
16:04
garden that WHOI has done for that then
16:06
past Challenger House which Mrs. Swift
16:09
was attacked in 1777 by the British she
16:12
drove them off with a broom after they
16:13
stole most of her livestock and we wrap
16:15
up back at the museum itself so it's a
16:17
it's a fun walking tour and what's nice
16:20
is for the people that come we have some
16:21
people that are Falmouth residents that
16:23
know a lot about Woods Hole but a lot
16:25
come in they're either there they're
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0679
through 0686
18
#michaelwalsh
Gunning_WoodsHole_Bldg_0625
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
16:27
visitors heading to the Vineyard they're
16:28
there because the scientific community
16:30
whether it's WHOI MBL NOAA
16:34
you know
16:35
Woodwell Climate Institute whatever it
16:36
might be um others are artisans you know
16:39
I talk a lot about the artistic
16:41
community we have the currently the
16:43
Community Hall which has been in
16:44
existence
16:45
for well over 100 years at this point
16:47
has an art show there
16:49
we've got parts of the Woods Hole Film
16:51
Festival the box office will be using
16:53
the old fire station so Woods Hole has a
16:55
lot of things to a lot of different
16:57
people and
16:58
it's a very fascinating place to come
17:00
and certainly the library and the museum
17:02
are major parts of it wonderful so one
17:05
of the highlights on the tour and and I
17:07
just learned
17:09
several things
17:11
during your virtual tour just now of the
17:14
village starting at the library but one
17:15
of the sites you mentioned was the Woods
17:17
Hole School when I was a kid
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
19
#woodsholefilmfestival
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
17:20
it was still
17:21
a public elementary school
17:23
and so people my age went
17:26
some went to elementary school there so
17:29
and the linkage between
17:31
learning
17:32
at the library and
17:34
learning in general is is significant so
17:37
yeah
17:38
is there any sort of history between the
17:41
Woods Hole School and the Woods Hole
17:42
Library that you’re aware of absolutely so you
17:44
mentioned that yeah both my parents were
17:46
proud graduates of the Woods Hole School
17:48
um it is interesting also that the Woods
17:50
Hole School is the only building in Woods
17:52
Hole that's on the National Register of
17:53
Historic Places even the Candle House
17:55
part of MBL is not
17:57
there's been this very strong connection
17:59
between the Children's School of Science
18:02
and the library itself and when the
18:04
Woods Hole Library did have students
18:06
before they they went to Mullen-Hall
18:08
there were extensive programs that took
18:10
place many of the teachers brought their
18:12
classes over to the library itself again
20
#nationalregisterofhistoricplaces
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
18:13
you had a perfect set up with you know
18:15
tremendous like you know there were
18:17
books obviously a smaller library at the
18:19
Woods Hole School but they they brought
18:21
their classes over during class after
18:23
class and you know many students would
18:25
come over and do their homework
18:27
at the library itself with with some of
18:28
the desks and areas that were set up
18:30
it's it's always been very very children
18:32
friendly uh place
18:34
wonderful
18:35
so
18:37
anything else you want to share with us
18:39
well no thank you very much Troy I
18:40
appreciate uh given the opportunity to
18:43
tell the Falmouth community about
18:46
all the wonderful things about the Woods
18:47
Hole Library and the Woods Hole Historic
18:48
Museum and please come down and visit
18:51
they would be happy to have you and a
18:53
lot to see in Woods Hole and happen to
18:55
stop by the museum we do have some of
18:56
the brochures from the tours themselves
18:58
who you can do your own walking tour if
19:00
it's a day that that I’m not giving
19:02
tours wonderful well Rob Blomberg thank
21
�Falmouth Public Library – Postcards from Falmouth
19:05
you so much I always say it takes a name
19:07
to make a town but people to make a
19:09
community so thank you for being one of
19:11
the people that keeps the spirit in the
19:13
history of Woods Hole and the Woods Hole
19:15
Library alive thank you very much Troy
19:16
appreciate it
22
�
Text
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Title
A name given to the resource
Transcript of Robert Blomberg's Oral History on Woods Hole Public Library and the Woods Hole Historical Museum
1679
1873
1910
1913
1974
Asa Shiverick
Bradley House
Candle House
Children's School of Science
Colleen Hurter
COVID-19
Daley's Drugstore
Deborah Scanlon
Eel Pond
Eel Pond Bridge
Elizabeth Islands
ferry
Fish's Grocery Store
Franklin Gifford
leroy milton yale
little harbor
little harbor road
margaret mccormick
mbl
michael walsh
national register of historic places
oral history
pacific guano company
pandemic
penzance point
Postcards from Falmouth
railroad
robert blomberg
school street
shiverick
Swift
swift house
transcript
troy clarkson
water street
whaling
WHOI
Woods Hole
woods hole community hall
woods hole film festival
woods hole historical museum
woods hole public library
woods hole school
woods hole weekly dispatch