1971-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

18 The Mashpee Historical Commission Report To the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee Another year of anxiety has been concluded for our Commission, bute w feel that there is a brighter future, in as much as some definite progress has been made in the restoration of the Avant House. The restoration of the struc- ture exterior has been completed and application for re- imbursement from the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been made. It is our hope that the fifty per-cent cost of Phase I & II will have been received by the Town Treasurer prior to the Annual Town Meeting of 1972. Estimates for the next phase are presently being obtained so that further delays will be unnecessary for completion of the total project. As stated in the Historical Commission Act for the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts, it is our function to conduct research, as well as coordinate activities of unofficial bodies. To date we have been fortunate in locating some priceless documents, relics, and information relative to the Mashpee Wampanoags of long ago; whose occupations proved to be of great interest for establishing a broader scope of life in Mashpee during various periods. To add to this information, we shall enlist the aid of our native senior citizens, to tape I their memoirs. A campaign is presently under way to establish the much needed Mashpee Historical Society. The society will be a private organization which will sponsor historical projects within our town. Such an organization will be a first in the history of Mashpee, and will represent a great challenge to all who join. Although the booklet, "MASHPEE LAND OF THE WAM- PANOAGS" by Amelia G. Bingham was published by the i Centennial Committee as a service to the community and was to be sold during the 1970 celebration, it was not released 'I from the press until March 1971. And despite the fact that a is formal advertisement campaign was not presented, the edi-