2023 Life Logs, Day 85: From Suckanesset to Falmouth History Lesson
Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 73, Low 43 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
This was a gloriously sunny and warm day. I slept in, took Shadow for a walk, prepared seed trays for planting, and then took my time driving to Woods Hole, staying along the water to soak in the beauty around me.
I arrived just in time for a 3 pm program at the Woods Hole Church of the Messiah, Parish and Community Center. The presenter was Eric Turkington, and the title of the program was From Suckanesset to Falmouth: How our town’s land went from Wampanoag territory to English ownership in 25 years.
Eric Turkington is a local lawyer and politician and the former Democratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing this area. Before that he was on the Falmouth Town Select Board, and it was then that he started delving into the history of the area. When Bartholomew Gosnold arrived in this part of the world in 1602, it was inhabited by the people of the Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light. They had inhabited present day Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. But once the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth and others from Europe arrived, it took only 25 years for the area known as Suckanesset to the Wampanoag people to become settled and known as Falmouth. The Wampanoag people did maintain part of the Mashpee area and the Aquinnah area of Martha’s Vineyard, but here in Falmouth only the names endured . . . Menauhant, Megansett, Chapaquoit, Coonemessett, Sippewissett, Quissett, Teaticket, to name a few.
It was an excellent presentation by someone who obviously cares about making sure we get history right.
