JUNE 18, 2026

"The Cape Cod Bridges - Their History and Future"

Luisa Paiwonsky - Executive Director, MassDOT Megaprojects Delivery Office will provide an overview of the history of the bridges and the project to deliver the new bridges.

JULY 16, 2026

“Cotuit Fire Houses: Our History and Future”

The Cotuit Fire house had once been the hardware section of Ben Sears’ store…located on rented land from which the Fire Department could be evicted on 30 days’ notice.

Seeing the need, the Prudential Committee asked that a permanent site for the fire house be bought, and in 1929 $600 was authorized to buy the lot on High Street.

From that humble start, the Cotuit Fire Department has grown, and again we’re building a new fire station. After looking back over the history of our fire houses,

Chief Brown will update us on the design and construction of our new fire station.

AUGUST 20, 2026

“Mad Jack Percival and the Mutiny on the Globe”

Greg Williams, retired District Court Justice, and popular speaker on history, art and music will regale us with tales of mutiny on the high seas.

When the Nantucket whaleship “Globe” left Martha’s Vineyard for the Pacific, one of the crew dreamed of ruling his own South Pacific island. That fantasy led to the bloodiest whaleship mutiny in American history. Barnstable’s “Mad Jack” Percival—years before he sailed the USS Constitution around the world—was sent to learn what had happened, and to follow through accordingly. . .

September 17, 2026

“Finding Moody Crocker: Researching and Restoring an Historic Cape Home”

Speaker, and Historic Preservationist Jeanne Pelletier tells the story of researching and restoring her house, barn, and farm at 46 Cedar Street in West Barnstable, originally attributed to Moody Crocker and his wife, Mercy Nye, who married around 1795.

Dating an historic house, however, is more of an art than a science, and sorting out conflicting stories requires some creative sleuthing. Enjoy an armchair tour of the restoration process, and learn how historic deeds, wills, and other records can bring a two-hundred-year-old family back to life.

Jeanne Pelletier is a lawyer and preservationist with more than 35 years of experience in research and restoration. Her professional background includes overseeing a grant program for historic religious properties for Historic Boston, Inc., and a 22-year stint guiding the restoration of one of the last surviving residences designed entirely by Louis Comfort Tiffany. 46 Cedar Street, which Jeanne and her husband Steven purchased in 2013, is the third family home they have restored.

October 15, 2025

“Whaling Captain’s Logs: An Historical Treasure Chest”

Victoria Smith, Asst. Director, Development, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Caroline Ummenhofer, Sr. Scientist, Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Timothy D. Walker, Department of History, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

In the days when whaling ships dominated the seas – bringing home the “flames that lit the world” -

captains and crew members knew that keeping track of winds, currents and weather could make

the difference between a profitable journey or empty barrels.

And these century-old weather reports can be a treasure chest for scientists seeking to understand how the climate has changed in some of the most remote parts of the world.

Over 4,200 logbooks from New England whaling vessels are now being used by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in partnership with UMass Dartmouth, and reaping insights from the past that will help us manage the weather in our future.