Preserving Falmouth's Heritage The Falmouth Historical Society 





Museum in WinterWelcome 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, Maine, 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.

Please Renew or Join Today

Closed for Winter SgnThe Museum and Barn are closed until June 2025.  Only the buildings are closed.  Our volunteers remain busy throughout the year caring for our collections, conducting research, and working on educational programs.  If you want to see something in our collections during our winter recess, we can make that happen!

Upcoming Events

03 May 2025 1:00 PM • First Congregational Church of South Portland
17 May 2025 9:00 AM • Falmouth Heritage Museum
03 Jun 2025 10:00 AM • Falmouth Heritage Museum

  News



  Semiquicentennial

 Newsletters
 

Two Lights for Tomorrow

Two Lights for Tomorrow is a nation-wide commemoration of Paul Revere’s famous ride.  It uses the image of those two shining lights as a call to action to celebrate our nation’s founding.  It calls for two lanterns (or other lights) to be displayed across the nation on April 18-19, 2025.  The lights will be lit at the State House in Augusta, Falmouth Town Hall, and other town institutions in our town.  All residents are encouraged to place two lights in a window of their home on the evenings of April 18-19.

April 21 is when Maine and Massachusetts celebrate Patriot’s Day, our holiday commemorating the “Shot Heard Round the World” at the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy.

     
  Our winter newsletter is out!  New!
 

If you missed our autumn newsletter, here it is!


Other recent newsletters can be found here.


  Annual Meeting

 This year's Annual Meeting was held Tuesday, January 21st, at Falmouth Town Hall.

Agenda

  • A brief business meeting with a look back at last year’s accomplishments. 
  • Short presentations sharing recent research into local history.  These topics were selected from about fifty research projects conducted in response to requests from the community during the past year. 

Full Meeting Bundle (Slides and Minutes/Speaker's Notes) New!

2025 Annual Meeting

The Town of Falmouth recorded the meeting; click on the image at right to open the video.

  Video Icon 
Item 1 starts at the beginning of the business meeting.
Item 2 picks up at the beginning of the presentations. 

New!


 Town of Falmouth Video

Humphrey Merrill HouseThe Humphrey Merrill House.  Kyle Lucas, owner of 220 Middle Road, wanted the answer to a simple question: Who built my home and when was it built?” He overcame every imaginable challenge while reconstructing the narrative for his home in a journey that took him back to 1731. He will tell us how he solved this historical jigsaw puzzle and found the answer: Humphrey Merrill, 1831.
 
Attack on Homestead During King Philip's WarThe Opening Volley.  History tells us the uprising by Native People that spread across New England in 1675 followed decades of mistreatment by English settlers.  “King Philips War” came to Falmouth in September 1675 with raids from the Presumpscot to Spurwink.  This marked the beginning of a violent half-century during which Falmouth was on the frontier and the front line.  An attack on an isolated homestead overlooking the Presumpscot River terrified the forty families of European settlers then living in Falmouth.  Many fled south to Salem and Boston for safety.  We were asked a simple question: Where was the Wakely homestead?  Period accounts were vague about the location.  This was a job for our history detectives!

  Recent Activity


Presentations

   •  Aucocisco (Slides and Speaker's Notes) New!

   •  The Humphrey Merrill House (Slides and Speaker's Notes) New!

   •  The Opening Volley (Slides and Speaker's Notes New!

     Falmouth's Western Frontier (Slides and Speaker's Notes 

   •  The Story Begins with a Sword (Slides and Speaker's Notes

   •  An Early Falmouth Family (Slides and Speaker's Notes)

   •  First Summer Colony (Slides and Speaker's Notes)

   •  Maps of Falmouth  (Slides and Speaker's Notes)
     Highlights from Acquisitions 2021  (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 Meeting 2025 (Slides and Minutes) New!

   •  Annual Membership Meeting 2024 (Slides and Minutes)

   •  Annual Membership Meeting 2023 (Slides and Minutes)

     Annual Membership Meeting 2022 (Slides and Minutes)


Retrospectives

   •  Remembering One Who Fell in the "Forgotten War"

   •  Remembering One Who “Gave the Last Full Measure of Devotion” 

   •  Remembering the Greatest Generation on Memorial Day

   •  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

   •  Falmouth in 1820


  Falmouth Heritage Museum

Find Us

 

The Falmouth Heritage Museum is at 60 Woods Road in Falmouth (just beyond the town transfer station). Click on map to enlarge.

Follow us on Facebook: TheFHS.

You can also reach us at info@thefhs.org.

 Map showing location of Falmouth Heritage Museum

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

Falmouth Heritage BookstoreGive 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 farther away.


Consider a gift membership! 


  Please Support Our Generous Sponsors!


 

Sponsor logo: Majco Roofing

 

Sponsor logo: Falmouth Lions Club

 Platinum Sponsor  Gold Sponsor
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Sponsor Logo: Hannaford
Sponsor Logo: Shaws
 Silver Sponsor  Bronze Sponsor
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Sponsor logo: Bath Savings  Sponsor Logo: Leeward Fine Gardening
Bronze Sponsor
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 Sponsor Logo: Berman & Simmons Trial Attorneys
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Falmouth Heritage Museum
60 Woods Road, Falmouth, Maine 04105
Telephone: (207) 781-4727
Email:
info@thefhs.org

Mailing Address
The Falmouth Historical Society
190 US Route One PMB 367
Falmouth, ME 04105

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Falmouth, Maine

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