Preservation Projects
​Through communications with Town Leaders and others in the wider community, MMHS has a long tradition of supporting the Preservation of iconic local Village historic resources such as Cape Cod Airfield and Burgess House. (links to their histories if available)
​Hearse House Preservation
The first major project after MMHS was formed was to restore the Hearse House, which the town had proposed moving to Sandy Neck. They put a concrete foundation under it, repaired and painted the frame under guidance of the state Historical Commission. The Town's Grounds Deprament subsquently secured and waterproofed the building.
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​Artifact Detecting
MMHS member Tony Mulone has been detecting artifacs around historic buildings in the Mills for more than two years surveying the exterior of such sites as the Library, Liberty Hall, Community Church, Isaac Crocker Farm, Luther Hamblin House, and the Burgess House.
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​Historic House Sign Project
Offered to owners of homes built before 1900 in the historic house survey of Marstons Mills. The Society will verify the historic first owner and develop an historic house sign for those meeting specifications. Contact us for more information.
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​Historic Preservation
In 1983 the Society started recording historic homes of the Mills on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2009 the Historic Sites Committee (Holly Hobart, Bob Frazee and Jim Gould) completed the inventory of every house in the village built before 1945.
Photo Collections
One of the original projects taken on by the Society was the collection and preservation of historial photos of the Village. In the summer of 2014, MMHS submitted the photographs used in the Gould/Cushing book to the Boston Public Library as part of their digitization collaboration with Digital Commonwealth (DC) and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).
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​Hearse Preservation Project
The 1885 horse-drawn hearse, housed in the Hearse House at Marstons Mills Cemetery, is being prepared for preservation. It was originally built by the George Brownell Company of New Bedford. A bidder has been selected and the work will begin soon.
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​Sons of American Revolution Grave Marking Ceremony
In collaboration with the Cape Cod Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the 12 Marston Mills graves of people asso-ciated with, or fought in, the American Revolution were identified. In October 2020, a special commemorative ceremony was held at the Cemetery.
See program video, and Photos
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​Cemetery Headstone Maintenance
​After being trained in careful methods of cleaning and saving ancient gravestones, a team of Society volutnteers cleaned the gravestones so those who fought in the Revolutionary war could be identifed and made legible.
Book Publication
In 2013 the Marstons Mills Historical Society celebrated the publication of the Arcadia Images of America book, "Marstons Mills, authored by local historians Jim Gould and Vivian Cushing (available for purchase on our Book Store page).
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Glass Negative Collection
In 2020 the Society recently purchased 120 glass negative slides of Marstons Mills from auction to add to its archives. They were taken between 1905 and 1915 by a local photographer. The slides were subsequently made into photographic positives for all to appreciate. The positive below is of Captain Oliver Crocker in a sleigh. Read more in in this issue of The Grist
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