Cape Cod & The Islands Whaling Symposium

Cape Cod & The Islands Whaling Symposium Saturday, March 28th, 1-5pm Join us for an afternoon exploring the history of whaling on Cape Cod and the Islands. Through expert lectures, a guided tour of the Dr. Francis Wicks House, and a closing reception, guests will experience how maritime history shaped our community. Proceeds benefit the Fix the Wicks Campaign. $50 for Museums on the Green members / $65 non-member Sponsored by Judy Frank, great-great granddaughter of Captain Zenas Hamblin of Waquoit. Register Here Program: -1pm Opening Remarks by Falmouth Historical Society Vice-President John Bissonnette, Descendant of the Falmouth Lawrence Whaling Family -1:15 pm  Falmouth’s Whaling Heritage with Joseph Mattingly and Falmouth’s Whaling Wives with Carolyn Partan -2:45 Break -3pm Fair Winds and Following Seas: Uncovering History & Climate Clues from our Whaling Past with Dr. Timothy D. Walker and Dr. Caroline C. Ummenhofer -4pm Bubbly Reception in the Portrait Gallery of the Wicks House and themed tours of the Wicks House focusing on Whaling Captain Warren Nye Bourne who lived in the house 1844 to 1882.   Falmouth Whaling Wives: Back by popular demand, whaling scholar Carolyn Partan will  share stories about the adventurous lives of Falmouth’s whaling wives and children. Carolyn Partan Bio: Carolyn retired in 1999 from working as a real estate attorney in Boston and has been an active volunteer for the Falmouth Historical Society ever since. Like many others, she has taken on multiple roles. She revived and expanded the third grade program plus participated in other school collaborations. She has worked on fundraising, including as co-chair of the 2016 renovations of Conant House. Other positions she has held include Interim Executive Director (2000-2001), Secretary of the Board (2000-2006) and most recently as President (June 2022 – January 2023). She has done extensive research on Falmouth’s whaling history, among other topics. For the new Falmouth Art Center, Carolyn was a key person in its building and fundraising. Prior to moving year-around to Falmouth, she served on the Massport Board by gubernatorial appointment. Carolyn has degrees from Wellesley College (BA) and NYU School of Law (JD). Falmouth’s Whaling Heritage In the early 19th century, Falmouth remained a remote farming and fishing community. But then the growing New England whaling industry began to capture the imagination of Falmouth youth who dreamed of adventure as Cape Horn sailors searching the Pacific Ocean for whales and whale oil. Falmouth was no competition for New Bedford, the “city that lit the world,” but whaling and whaling-related trades became Falmouth’s principal business. Falmouth was the home port of 13 whaling ships that made 52 whaling voyages, mainly to the Pacific, between 1820 and 1860. Six whalers were built in Falmouth, most of them at Bar Neck Wharf in Woods Hole, under the oversight of the patriarch of Falmouth whaling, Elijah Swift. With ...