Falmouth (MA) (Images of America)

For hundreds of years, people have been drawn to Falmouth, the town of the "shining sea," immortalized by Falmouth native Katherine Lee Bates in her poem America, the Beautiful. Quakers, farmers, whaling captains, marine scientists, Coast Guardsmen, summer residents, Portuguese immigrants from the Azores and Cape Verde Islands, vacationers, and retiring World War II veterans have all found a special place in Falmouth. The photographs in Falmouth celebrate these people and the town they have built. Through the eyes of nearly fifty photographers, these views capture the glorious natural and architectural heritage that has defined the three-hundred-and-forty-year history of this Cape Cod community. From the spare lines of the Quaker meetinghouse and the poorhouse to the spires of churches and the elaborate summer "cottages" of Falmouth's golden age in the 1880s, these vintage photographs offer a rich visual tour through the town's history. Unforgettable images of people-whalers posing for the camera on rare trips home, fishermen returning to port, cranberry pickers, and wealthy summer residents playing croquet in summer whites-combine to show the unique community that is Falmouth.