Tales of Cape Cod

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  • 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 Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Mary Carreiro Tales of Cape Cod

Mary Carreiro interview with Tales of Cape Cod, May 15, 1978 in Provincetown, MA.  Born in 1903, Mary recalls how her father came to Provincetown as a stowaway on a fishing vessel from the Azore Islands and working off the cost of passage after he was brought to the customs office.She describes Provincetown before World War I.  Tells of trains and boats coming to Provincetown in the summer and the large boat the Dorothy Bradford carried 1200-1300 people.  She tells of her first jobs at 13 where she was paid $1.50 per week washing silverware and glasses at the Atlant

Betty Richards Provincetown, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Mary E. Madeiros Tales of Cape Cod

Madeiros describes her experiences living on Cape Cod in Cotuit in the 1920's, including bootleggers, silent movies, the Barnstable Fair, travelling medicine shows, the one room schoolhouse in Santuit, MA, travelling peddlers and local businesses, doctors and medical care, and Christmas celebrations.

Frank Rudd Cotuit, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Mary Hinckley Crane Tales of Cape Cod

Born in 1914, Mrs. Crane talks about her ancestors coming to Situate and moving down to Barnstable in 1639.

William Steere Barnstable, 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
Mildred B. Paine Tales of Cape Cod

Part 1: Born in 1893, Mrs.

Renée Magriel Harwich, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Orrin Fuller Tales of Cape Cod

Orrin Fuller, born on January 6, 1911, in Centerville, Massachusetts, was a Cape Cod native with deep roots tracing back to the Mayflower. Growing up on a farm in Martinsville, Orrin experienced a childhood filled with chores, farm animals, and the challenges of New England winters. His family, including his grandfather, who worked in the same house Orrin would later run, played essential roles in the local community. Orrin's early education took place in a small schoolhouse with strict discipline. He remembered his first teacher, Miss Murdock, and the wooden toys of his childhood.

Unknown Centerville, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Otto E. Nickerson Tales of Cape Cod

Mr. Nickerson was born in Eastham in 1896.  His father was a selectman of Eastham and he has 10-11 generations of Cape relatives.  His grandmother was a Mayflower descendent.  He recalls working in cranberry bogs as a teenager and describes the use of cedar swamps to create and develop cranberries.  He describes the development and care of a cranberry bog.  He remembers riding on school barges (horse drawn wagons) to get to elementary school.  There would be straw on the wagon floor to keep your feet warm in the winter.  Mr.

Betty Richards Eastham, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Raymond Dyer Tales of Cape Cod

Raymond Ellsworth Dyer's life has been deeply intertwined with the manual and agricultural labor traditions of his community. His first job, as he recounts, was driving cows, a task that he began at a young age, showcasing his early introduction to the responsibilities and rhythms of rural work. This experience would have provided him with a foundational understanding of animal husbandry and the daily demands of farm life. Raymond's work history is diverse, including time spent working for Mr.

Unknown Wellfleet, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Robert A. Welsh Tales of Cape Cod

Track 1:  Born in 1903, Mr. Welsh, a retired judge, describes his experiences growing up in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  He talks about how is father became a lawyer and judge in Provincetown.  He describes his youth and life in Provincetown in the early 1900’s, his experiences with the artist Charles W.

Betty Richards Dennisport, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives
Sarah May Taylor Tales of Cape Cod

Sarah Mae Taylor was born in the year 1890 in the quaint town of Easton. Her life was a tapestry of familial anecdotes and personal endeavors that painted a vivid picture of the era she lived in. Her lineage was rooted in humble beginnings, with her grandparents engaging in various occupations that were emblematic of the times. Sarah's father held the esteemed position of a lighthouse keeper, a role that was both crucial and respected within the coastal community.

Unknown Orleans, MA The William Brewster Nickerson Cape Cod History Archives