Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties

The Falmouth Museums on the Green, owned and operated by the Falmouth Historical Society, is a two-acre campus that has been serving the residents and visitors of Falmouth since 1900. One of the most popular sites in Falmouth for visitors, it contains the 1790 Dr. Francis Wicks House—a magnificent Federalist-period residence with guided tours demonstrating what life was like for an affluent physician in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; the recently-restored 1730 Conant House—used for exhibits, research and genealogy studies; the Hallett Barn Visitors’ Center—rebuilt in 2002 on the site of an original barn and used a welcoming point for those coming to Falmouth as well as the “Whaling Wives Gift Shop”; the Colonial Gardens—showing off plantings, such as a boxwood tree, that go back to the days prior to the American Revolution; Memorial Park—a tranquil place of refuge that is open to all visitors looking for relaxation; and the recently-opened (2012) Cultural Center—a superb, 3600 square foot structure used for public and private programs and events, public restrooms, kitchen facilities, and as a repository for archival collections to preserve Falmouth’s past. It also has a series of rotating historical exhibits throughout the campus.

Falmouth Museums on the Green

What to expect in Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties: Radicals and Rascals - A Book Lecture

Falmouth Historical Society

What to expect in Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties: Radicals and RascalsBook Lecture Wednesday, May 24th at 4pmWith Tom Dresser$20 Non-Member/$10 Members includes light refreshments and option to purchase the book. The 1920s was a unique era in American history. On Martha’s Vineyard, the 20s unfolded on a dual track: locals were influenced by national news, but still carried on in their own ways. The Spanish Flu was a worldwide pandemic. About 30 Vineyarders died from the vicious virus. On one day in December 1919, three young men died. It was devastating.The First World War was over. Veterans returned to the Island, although three men died overseas from the flu. Trolley cars were taken out of service just as the first airplanes touched down in Oak Bluffs harbor. By the end of the 1920s, regular airplane passenger service operated between Boston and the Vineyard and newspapers were delivered daily at the Island’s only airport in Katama. A lot was going on in the 1920s. Alcohol was prohibited nation-wide. Vineyard fishermen were recruited to transport alcohol from supply ships, twelve miles off shore, to the Island, where bootleggers picked up the illegal liquor and distributed it.Women won the right to vote, beginning with the 1920 election. Voting was taken seriously. The number of voters in 1916 doubled by 1920. The Island was a Republican enclave and supported Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge as Vice-President. Martha’s Vineyard Museum began in 1922 as the Dukes County Historical Society. Phillips Hardware opened its doors in 1928; the granddaughters of the founder run it today. Social clubs from the Odd Fellows to the Triad Club and the Want to Know Club were popular. Golf clubs and yacht clubs began in the 1920s.A survey of the number of automobiles was conducted in the 1920s. Four new steamships were launched. Tourists discovered Martha’s Vineyard. Then it was Black Friday, 1929, and the Great Depression began. The Roaring 20s came to a screeching halt across the country and on Martha’s Vineyard.To learn more about this exciting era from a century ago, Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties, Radicals and Rascals, tells the story. In addition, the story sounds remarkably similar to many situations we are facing today.This new book will be published May 22, 2023, with a foreword by Island teacher, writer, photographer, and historian Chris Baer. It will be available at Bunch of Grapes, Edgartown Books and Phillips Hardware, arcadiapublishing.com, as well as other vendors. And, of course, at thomasdresser.comAuthor Bio:Thomas Dresser has written several books on the history of Martha’s Vineyard. Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring 20s, Radicals and Rascals is one of his favorites. Why? It was exciting to find similarities between the 1920s and the 2020s, from the pandemic and prohibition to women’s right to vote and immigration restrictions. In addition, there is much, much more.Tom grew up in central Massachusetts, taught third grade for a decade, and then spent 20 years in nursing home administration. Joyce, a high school classmate, invited Tom down to the Vineyard for a weekend visit, back in 1995. Tom and Joyce celebrate 25 years of marriage this spring.Kutter, a Mexican rescue miniature Schnauzer, joined Tom and Joyce in 2022. He is much loved (and spoiled) by Tom and Joyce’s collective five children and nine grandchildren.

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Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties

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Martha’s Vineyard in the Roaring Twenties

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