The Falmouth Heritage Museum

Historical societies are repositories for artifacts and documents reflecting the heritage of their towns.  Catalogs of these historical materials have traditionally been recorded in ledgers and boxes of index cards.  We are transcribing these catalogs into an online database using the PastPerfect museum collection management software application.  This is a slow, laborious process.  When completed, the digital catalog will contain details about each item including its location and often a photograph. 

Today the catalog is a work in progress.  We are making it accessible to the community.  Please understand that only a fraction of our collections has been loaded into the database.  Even so, it offers an eye-opening view into our amazing collections.

Some items from our collections are being posted on digital repositories.  Civilian Defense Volunteer Registration Cards from WWII have been digitized and published at the DigitalMaine Repository.  We plan to post some other items on the Maine Memory Network.

More content to be added soon!

Visiting the Falmouth Heritage Museum

The Museum and Barn at 60 Woods Road in Falmouth are usually open during summer (June-October) on most Tuesdays (10:00-3:00) or by appointment. 

Check our calendar to see exactly which Tuesdays we are open.  If Tuesday's aren't convenient, we are happy to open the Museum for an individual, family, or group.  Please call ahead (207-781-4727) to set up an appointment or to 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.

During winter (October-May), the Museum is closed due to the high cost of utilities and maintenance for a 19th century house, but our volunteers are busy online responding to requests from our community.  If there is something in our collections you would like to see, we can make that happen.

Historical societies are repositories for artifacts and documents reflecting the heritage of their towns.  Catalogs of these historical materials have traditionally been recorded in ledgers and boxes of index cards.  We are transcribing these catalogs into an online database using the PastPerfect museum collection management software application.  This is a slow, laborious process.  When completed, the digital catalog will contain details about each item including its location and often a photograph. 

Today the catalog is a work in progress.  We are making it accessible to the community.  Please understand that only a fraction of our collections has been loaded into the database and the entries for most are incomplete.  Even so, it offers an eye-opening view into our amazing collections.

More content to be added soon!

About the Museum and Barn

In January 1774, the Proprietors of Falmouth granted a 75½ acre lot at the western end of present-day Woods Road to Humphrey Merrill Jr., a yeoman of Falmouth.  He built his farmstead and land records show him living there in 1804.  According to oral history, the house was badly damaged or destroyed in a fire.  Humphrey or his son, Israel, rebuilt the farmhouse around 1820.  The farm was purchased by the Leightons in 1848 and remained in that family for the next 114 years.  Dr. & Mrs. David Andrews took ownership in 1999 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, thehome became The Falmouth Heritage Museum.  It was first opened to the public on June 14, 2008.  Click here for a more complete history of the Leighton Homestead.

Since its opening, many projects have been completed to enhance the Museum, namely: a handicapped accessible ramp, a rest room, garden and 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 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.

Today, the Museum and Barn house our collections and serve as a center for historical research and education related to Falmouth.  Visitors are welcome to make use of our comfortable research area (with internet access).

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.