Falmouth

History

Falmouth was first settled by English colonists in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1686. Bartholomew Gosnold named the settlement after Falmouth, Cornwall, England, his home port. Early principal activities were farming, salt works, shipping, whaling, and sheep husbandry, which was very popular due to the introduction of Merino sheep and the beginnings of water-powered mills that could process the wool. In 1837, Falmouth averaged about 50 sheep per square mile. Falmouth saw brief action in the War of 1812, when the area around Falmouth Heights, on its southern coast, was bombarded by several British frigates and ships of the line, and Massachusetts militia hastily entrenched themselves on the beaches to repulse a possible British landing which never came. By 1872, the train had come to Falmouth and Woods Hole, and some of the first summer homes were established. By the late 19th century, cranberries were being cultivated and strawberries were being raised for the Boston market. Large-scale dairying was tried in the early 20th century in interior regions. After the improvement in highways, and due in part to the heavy use of neighboring Camp Edwards (now part of Joint Base Cape Cod) during World War II, population growth increased significantly. Large homebuilding booms occurred in the 1970s, followed by others in the 1980s and 1990s. In the late 1800s, after railroad service was established between Boston and Cape Cod, James Madison Beebe bought over and built Highfield Hall, which is now a museum, and much of the land is preserved as Beebe Woods. In 1965, Robert Manry sailed from Falmouth aboard his sailboat and reached Falmouth, Great Britain, 78 days later. The town of Falmouth has seven historic districts, including four on the National Register of…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 19.04%, is water. Most of Falmouth, like the rest of Cape Cod, sits on glacial sands composed of glacial outwash deposits. However, the soil in the southwestern part of the town, consisting of moraine deposits, is more rocky and dense, like the rest of New England, and many glacial erratics are scattered about, having been dropped by the retreating glaciers. The climate is temperate marine. There is no exposed bedrock. Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year and averages per month. Falmouth lies on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod. It is bordered by Bourne and Sandwich to the north, Mashpee to the east, Vineyard Sound to the south, and Buzzards Bay to the west. At its closest point, Falmouth is approximately from Nonamesset Island, the easternmost island of the town of Gosnold and the Elizabeth Islands. It is approximately north-northwest of Martha's Vineyard, the closest land to the island. Falmouth is approximately south of the Bourne Bridge, west of Barnstable, and south-southeast of Boston. Falmouth's topography is similar to the rest of Cape Cod's, with many small ponds, creeks, and inlets surrounded by the pines and oaks of the Cape and often rocky beachfront. Falmouth's southern shore is notable for a series of ponds and rivers spaced very closely together, all of which travel some distance into the town. These include, from west to east, Falmouth Inner Harbor, Little Pond, Great Pond (which leads to the Dexter and Coonamesset rivers), Green Pond, Bourne's Pond, Eel Pond (which leads to the Childs River), and Waquoit Bay, which lies along the Mashpee town line. The Buzzards Bay side of the town is primarily bays divided by necks, peninsulas…

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  24,758
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  22,537
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  22,499
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,691
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,315
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  18,936
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  18,193
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,138

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2020-11-08
  10 km S of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts