Tales of Cape Cod

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Louis Cataldo
  • The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection consists      of interviews of life long residents of all the towns in  Barnstable County conducted between ca. 1972-1978. Louis Cataldo, then president of the Tales of Cape Cod board, oversaw the project, staff included Franklin S. Klausner, Roland Barabe, David J. Boudreau, Charles H. Hodgson and Renee Magriel, and interviewers included Betty W. Richards, Lee Anne Sullivan and William Pride. Interviewers asked older Cape Residents about changes    in transportation, the arrival of electricity and telephones, their memories of school, holiday celebrations, foodways, family histories and more. Residents shared stories and anecdotes about summer people, the fishing and   cranberry industries, agriculture, local businesses, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, Prohibition, race relations, economic change, major storms and much    more.  For more information, contact the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College: http://www.nickersonarchives.org/ 

Interviewee Collection Sort ascending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Horace & Malcolm Crosby Tales of Cape Cod

Malcolm “Max” Crosby age 85 (born 1893) and Horace M. Crosby Jr.

Betty Richards Osterville, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Mary Mandell Tales of Cape Cod

Born in 1905, Mary recalls how she and her family traveled from Baltimore, Maryland to summer on Cape Cod each year.   She describes her experiences as a child living in Barnstable Village during the summers, rowing to Sandy Neck to buy lobsters, walking down Millway to Main Street and visiting the stationary store, garage and blacksmith shop, Phinney’s General Store and the hardware store.  She also describes the Cummaquid Golf Course, and the houses on Scudder Lane, where her family lived.  Mary tells a story her father told her about Leander Lewis who lived on Scudder

Susan Greene Barnstable, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Alvah M. Bearse Tales of Cape Cod

Alvah M. Bearse was a prominent figure in the history of Hyannis, Massachusetts, with his life story intricately linked to the development of this Cape Cod town. Born into a family with deep local roots, Bearse witnessed the transformation of Hyannis from a quaint village to a bustling center of commerce and tourism. His grandparents were well-known in the community, engaging in various trades that contributed to the town's economy and culture. Bearse's upbringing was characterized by a blend of traditional education and practical skills, which later influenced his career choices.

Unknown Hyannis, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Helen Pulcifer Doland Tales of Cape Cod

Born in 1894 at 382 Main Street, Yarmouth Port, Mrs.

William Steere Yarmouth Port, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Emma Marshall Tales of Cape Cod

February 28, 1978 interview with Emma Marshall of Provincetown, born July 1893.

Betty Richards Provincetown, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Mabelle Howes Eagar Tales of Cape Cod

Born in 1898, Mrs.

William Steere Dennis, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Judge Henry L. Murphy Tales of Cape Cod

Judge Murphy was born in Hyannis in 1907.  His father and brothers owned Murphy Brothers Bakery for over 40 years.  Judge Murphy as a child started at 5:00 am in the bakery, then school and then back to the bakery in the late afternoon.  The bakery delivered fresh baked goods each morning via horse and wagon.  He remembers graduating from law school during the depression and finding it difficult to find work in Boston.

Frank Rudd Centerville, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Dorothy Fawcett Tales of Cape Cod

Ms.

Frank Rudd West Hyannisport, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Joshua Atkins Nickerson, Part 1 Tales of Cape Cod

Tales of Cape Cod interview with Joshua Atkins Nickerson of East Harwich, October 19, 1977.

Notes: The Tales of Cape Cod Oral History Collection is housed at the William Brewster Nickerson Archives in the Wilkens Library at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. For more information about the collection, please contact the Nickerson Archives, http://www.nickersonarchives.org/.

Betty Richards East Harwich, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Eugenia Fortes Tales of Cape Cod

Tales of Cape Cod Interview with prominent Civil Rights activist Eugenia Fortes (1911-2006),  who founded  the Cape Cod chapter of the NAACP in 1961. Mrs. Fortes describes the Cape Verdean community on Cape Cod, school segregation, and her participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

Frank Rudd Hyannis, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives