On Wednesday, 06/21/17 The 18th Annual Falmouth Historical Society Heritage Award Dinner honored the Old Stone Dock Association and the Falmouth Garden Club at the Coonamessett Inn.  Introductions were made by Marc Schmidt, Executive Director of the Falmouth Historical Society.  The awards were accepted by Kevin Doyle, President of the Old Stone Dock Association and Andrea Anderson President of the Falmouth Garden Club.  Pictures of Presentations and Awards / Citations follow.

E-mail to Members
From: “Kevin Doyle” <kmdkmd9@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2017 1:05:29 PM
Subject: OSDA Heritage Award Winner 2017

Hi Neighbor!

Just a quick note to tell you what an honor it was to represent you all in receiving the Historical Society’s Heritage Award this year.  This is obviously a special year for us as we celebrate 200 years of the Old Stone Dock’s service to the community.

There were about 125 folks at the dinner that honored us and the Garden Club for our contributions to the preservation, beautification, and betterment of the town.  We displayed some of the art and poetry of the high school students’ recognition of the Bicentennial that will be displayed at the Art Center in the months ahead.

We received many kind words and several citations to mark the occasion:

the Award itself presented by Troy Clarkson on behalf of Historical Society’s President Tamsen George
a citation delivered by Town Manager Suso on behalf of the Selectmen
a proclamation from the US House of Representatives from Congressman Keating
a certificate from the Massachusetts House of Representatives from Mr. Vieira
a citation from the Massachusetts Senate delivered by Senator Vinny deMacedo
and a picture on the front page of the Enterprise of Senator deMacedo’s presentation!

It was a delightful evening and I thank all those who were able to attend that night and the many of you who sent along your congratulations for our achievements.

It was also an appropriate time to recognize that our own Constable Jim Crossen is the only member who was present at the founding of the Association 55 years ago, and has NEVER missed a meeting!!    Happy 92nd Birthday, Jim, and thanks for your untiring leadership!

kmd

The OSDA Annual Beach Clean-Up and Presentation of 2017 Flower Boxes took place on Surf Drive Beach on Saturday, June 10th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  This year’s flowers were donated by the McCormick Family in memory of Past President and Dock Master, Bob McCormick.

Co-chairs were Polly Thayer, Jay Thayer and Terry Saunders. We had a membership promotion table and registration in front of the Ellen T Mitchell Bathhouse. Refreshments were provided to volunteers and all those that passed by. OSD logo wear was also available for sale.

We cleaned from Mill Road down to Elm Road both street side and beach side.  The following members participated: Anna dos Santos, Kevin Doyle, Madeleine Marken, Greg Mills, Jim O’Shaughnessy, Andrea O’Shaughnessy, Terry Saunders, Steve Saunders, Van Smick Jay Thayer and Polly Thayer.

Featured picture includes Terry Saunders, Jay Thayer, Polly Thayer, Kevin Doyle and Acting Beach Superintendent Bruce Mogardo.

Special thanks to members Jay and Polly Thayer who prepared a delicious luncheon at their home following the clean-up.

Pictured below: Anna dos Santos, Kevin Doyle, Madeleine Marken, Carol Mills, Greg Mills, Jim O’Shaughnessy, Andrea O’Shaughnessy, Terry Saunders, Steve Saunders, Van Smick Jay Thayer and Polly Thayer (Van Smick missing from photo).

From: “Kevin Doyle”     Sent: Thursday, June 1, 2017 3:21:11 PM    Subject: OSDA – June Events

Hi Neighbor!

It’s summertime!   If you’re in Falmouth, the Association has plenty going on this Bicentennial Year of the Old Stone Dock (1817-2017)!   You’re invited to participate in any way that works for you.  Here are some activities you might enjoy.

Dues Renewal Notices were mailed to 300+ current and past members on 05/18/17.  Please support the OSDA by remitting your dues of $25.00 per family now to P. O. Box 835, Falmouth, MA  02541 for the current year of 06/01/17 to 05/31/18.  A copy of the membership renewal can be found on the web site. Your membership adds greatly to the very genial relationship we enjoy with so many town leaders.

The OSDA Annual Beach Clean-Up and Presentation of 2017 Flower Boxes on Surf Drive Beach will be held on Saturday, June 10th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  Rain date is Sunday, 06/11/17.   This year’s flowers were donated by the McCormick Family in memory of Past President and Dock Master, Bob McCormick.  Protect yourself by wearing long pants, shirts with sleeves, sunblock and using garden gloves.  We’ll have a membership promotion table and registration by the Ellen T Mitchell Bathhouse where refreshments will be provided and OSDA logo wear will be available for sale.  If you are able to lend a hand, please RSVP to info@oldstonedock.com so we know who to expect.  We will also be providing lunch afterwards and we will need a headcount.  Co-chairs are Polly and Jay Thayer and Board Liaison Terry Saunders.

The 18th Annual Falmouth Historical Society Heritage Award Dinner will be held on Wednesday, June 21, at 5:30pm for gathering and 6:30 for dinner.  The Old Stone Dock Association was selected this year in recognition of our legacy of contributions to Surf Drive Beach and the Bicentennial celebration of the Old Stone Dock (1817-2017).   The Falmouth Garden Club will also be recognized.   We are hoping for a large turnout from our membership. Tickets are $75/person, and we hope you will find this to be an enjoyable summer highlight, and a time for us all to celebrate our 50 years of service to the community.  See details and invitation below.  If you plan to attend, please let me know.

OSDA Annual Meeting / Summer Outing – Sunday, September 10, 2017 Yes, that’s a change!  After the last few years of crossing our fingers and hoping that our meeting would come together, the Board voted to push the date out and keep the ambiance and hospitality offered by Don and Joyce Filiault at the Beach Breeze Inn.  The August date put great stress on every aspect of the party logistics, from chairs to dessert.  We hope this proves to be an acceptable – even a preferred change – for all of you to make an enjoyable end to the pressures of the “tourist season” and settle into Falmouth in the Fall.  We will also be able to hold our prices as we have for the last two years. We hope to see you there!

OSDA Bicentennial House Tour – Saturday, September 9th To keep that weekend active for OSDA members, Committee Chair Lisa Asendorf has been talking with OSDA homeowners about opening their homes for a community-wide invitation to a “Falmouth Then and Now” tour of homes and gardens in the Stone Dock neighborhood.   This will be a nice opportunity to bring town folks in to appreciate the history and waterfront that we have here at the Old Stone Dock.   If you have any ideas or want to help, please contact either Lisa or Anne Prior.

Falmouth Public Schools Art and Poetry Exhibition The public schools have been very excited to help us celebrate the Bicentennial year.  We held an assembly for high schoolers, and […]

FHS Launches Bicentennial of the Old Stone Dock

The following story appeared in the Falmouth Enterprise on Friday, 04/14/17

Fifty Falmouth High School students gathered in the school’s auditorium last Monday, 04/10/17 to start a town-wide commemoration of the 200-year history of the Old Stone Dock on Surf Drive Beach. They were encouraged by an equal number of town leaders and members of the Old Stone Dock Association as they begin their research for their spring workshops.

The Old Stone Dock, built in 1817, has continued to serve the town for 200 years, according to Mr. Kevin M. Doyle, the President of the Old Stone Dock Association. First, as a center for commercial activity and then as a recreational asset serving day sailors and finally beach goers.  It is currently used as the “Kiddie Pool” at Surf Drive Beach.

In his talk, “History, Heroes, and Hurricanes,” Mr. Doyle explained how the founders of Falmouth came from Barnstable in 1660 and settled in Wampanoag fishing grounds along Mill Road. As the town grew towards the Village Green, the merchants continued to rely on packet ships, sailing to ports from New York to Boston, to conduct commerce.   It is likely, though not readily verifiable, that wooden docks and piers served the settlers until the Great Gale of September 1815 destroyed the strongest dock, built from palm tree trunks.  That was when the town decided to build a dock with a massive granite base that would quell the waves around the pilings.

The courage and pride of Falmouth citizens was exhibited on the shoreline during both the American Revolution and the War of 1812 when Falmouth resisted landings and endured a cannonade from HMS Nimrod rather than succumb to British rule. The role of the militia in the Revolutionary War was commemorated by a Bicentennial reenactment on Surf Drive Beach in 1979.  The Town Hall mural by J. Downs depicts the actual attack, and a painting in the Selectmen’s chambers by Karen Rinaldo celebrates the reenactment.

The lecture was heavily illustrated with vintage postcards from the Robert C. Hunt collection, donated to the Falmouth Public Library. Also used, were photographs from Mr. Donald Fish’s unique collection.   A sequence of images showed the evolution of Falmouth Harbor after Deacons Pond was dredged and Clinton Avenue was cut off to create the opening to the harbor in 1908.

After the lecture, senior Annie Marshall said that she “learned some history of the town that I never knew before.” Classmate Rita Sherwood agreed saying, “It was fascinating to learn about the unseen history of our town.”   Student Jack Doyle (no relation to the speaker) was interested to learn more about the British attacks on Falmouth and the pride of the citizens in defending their town.  Perhaps most representative of students’ reactions was Lizzie Bressoud who simply stated, “All my life I never knew that the rocks were once a town dock!”

Students from art teacher Mrs. Jane Baker and English teacher Mrs. Lauren Kenny’s classes will collaborate to create an artwork known as Haibun, which pairs prose and haiku poetry with a graphic depiction of an object or sentiment.   The students will be given free choice about how to celebrate the Dock’s history, from the establishment of landings along the shore, to the abandonment of the dock as rail roads and steam boats moved commerce to Woods Hole around 1900.   When completed, their artwork is planned to be displayed at Falmouth High School, Highfield Hall, Falmouth Art Center, and the Museums on the Green.

Among those attending to encourage the students were Town Manager Julian Suso, Historic Society Director Mark Schmidt, Preservation Alliance President […]

The following article was printed in the Falmouth Enterprise on Friday, 12-09-16.

Mr. James Crossen, Town Constable and Senior Past President of the Old Stone Dock Association was honored at the Association’s Annual Christmas Party at ShoreWay Acres last Sunday.

Past President Jack Driscoll told the 100 members and guests that the Association that was established in 1962 needed rejuvenation about a decade later. At that point, Mr. Crossen stepped in with a dynamic campaign of neighborhood involvement in beautification and advocacy for the Surf Drive Beach and Ellen T. Mitchell Bathhouse.

Mr. Crossen initiated contact with town leaders and the Beach Committee to align the Association with their objectives for traffic management, road maintenance, and the general welfare of all residents. Together with former Dock Master Bob McCormick, he would organize “Executive Forums” for town officials to meet with the public and discuss on-going projects and plans.

For more than four decades, Jim has provided guidance and helpful direction to numerous Boards of Directors with tireless energy. His initiative for a scholarship for members’ children and grandchildren spurred the Directors to name the scholarship fund after his late wife Mae Crossen.

Town Manager Julian Suso thanked Jim for his long record of selfless leadership on behalf of the entire town. Mr. Suso cited his 20 years as a Town Meeting Member, a previous Sealer of Weights and Measures, and the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2008 as examples of his commitment to his fellow townsmen. Mr. Suso noted his time as a Key Club Advisor encouraging youngsters in community spirit, sitting on the Board of the Upper Cape Vocational School, and coaching baseball and soccer for youth at the Recreation Center. The Town Manager also praised Jim for his service to the country during World War II in the Navy in the Pacific theater, and noted that he went on to 32-year career with NOAA in Woods Hole as a pioneer in underwater television photography.

Police Chief Edward Dunne presented Constable Crossen with his “Chief’s Coin” for his exemplary contribution to the public welfare of the town. Chief Dunne informed the audience of the unique role of the constable in today’s community as a complement to the patrolman’s duties. The general duties of a Constable are to be vigilant to preserve the peace, to prevent the commission of crime, and to arrest offenders. The position derived from Roman times when the constable was the “keeper of the stable” responsible for the welfare of the king’s horses. This gave him broad powers to prevent crime. The same “maintain the peace” principle lasts to this day.

Director Paul Smith presented the honoree with a “Crossen Creek” sign that will designate the DPW-made drainage canal between Mill Road and Salt Pond that runs behind the corner parking lot. It will be a symbol of his enduring contribution to the neighborhood and the town.

Prior to the party, Mr. Crossen was chauffeured along the parade route in a car donated by White Tie Limousine in his honor. Although it was inadvertent, no one was upset that he was placed among the very first in the line of march. His daughter Jamie rode with him and said that he just about wore off his arm waving to the children sitting on the curb, constantly telling her, “It’s all about the children.” Such is the philosophy of Jim Crossen.

Mr. Crossen’s vehicle was preceded by the Old Stone Dock Association’s new banner that celebrates the Bicentennial of the Old Stone Dock itself. Painted by artist Kathy Hall it depicts the dock as it was 200 years ago when it was the […]