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Heritage Museum
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The Falmouth Heritage Museum
Due to the pandemic, the Museum and Barn are closed to the public. The safety of our volunteers and visitors comes first. We will open the Museum only when we are confident it can be done safely. This means waiting until the experts tell us the risk is low, our volunteers and buildings are ready under the new rules, and then visits will be “by appointment” to ensure compliance with the guidelines. For more information, see: Reopening the Museum.
The Museum at 60 Woods Road in Falmouth is usually open during summer (May-October) on Mondays (11:00-3:00) and Tuesdays (9:00-3:00). The schedule is posted on our home page. Please call ahead (207-781-4727) to set up an appointment so we can arrange for a volunteer knowledgeable about your area of interest (such as family history research) to be here. You can also reach us at info@thefhs.org.
According to tax records, the farmhouse and a barn were built by Humphrey Merrill Jr. near the western end of present-day Woods Road about 1812. Over the next 150 years, it served the Leighton and Axelsen families before Dr. & Mrs. David Andrews took ownership and lived in the home until 2004 when they donated the building to the Society. The house was moved to its present location in 2005. After connecting to utilities, repointing the chimneys, landscaping, and repairing and repainting the interior, the home became The Falmouth Heritage Museum. It was first opened to the public on June 14, 2008.
Since its opening, many projects have been completed to enhance the Museum, namely: a handicapped accessible ramp, a rest room, herb garden, tree plantings, and a new roof. In late 2011, we built a new barn to house many of our larger artifacts, particularly the 1924 REO fire truck, and a Falmouth-built milk wagon from the late 1800's. The barn was dedicated on June 23, 2012. Our thanks to the Davis Family Foundation for their grant making the barn possible.
In the Spring of 2015, board members, society members and town representatives met with then Maine Archives and Museums Director and Falmouth resident Erin Bishop. Dr. Bishop led attendees through a strategic planning session to help us reaffirm our mission and better define our direction. After much discussion, the board determined that the best use of our museum property would be as an office/exhibition space in which our collections and research could be on the first floor of a handicap-accessible building. With the generosity of our membership. we were able to install a new heating/cooling system. Additionally, with a lot of volunteer help, our collections were all moved to the 60 Woods Road location. Over the winter months, dedicated volunteers arranged our collections.
We are thrilled to say that 60 Woods Road now serves as a research and display center for local, Falmouth information and resources. We offer wireless internet access and a comfortable work space for your research needs.
Genealogical Research
The Falmouth Historical Society maintains a library of research material relating to the genealogy of many Falmouth families. You're welcome to come to the Falmouth Heritage Museum and use the reference materials, or we can assist you by researching your inquiries. The first hour of our research is free with additional hours billed at $25 per hour.