Postcards from Falmouth oral history collection : Nell Fields on the Waquoit Congregational Church
(Electronic Resource)

This set of oral histories, inspired by the Falmouth Public Library's extensive collection of historical postcards of Falmouth, was part of Postcards from Falmouth, a local history project made possible through a Library Services Technology Act grant administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Reverend Nell Fields, interviewee ; Anna Lee, interviewer.

Recorded at Falmouth Community Television (FCTV), September 22, 2021.

Reverend Nell Fields details the birth and transformations of the Waquoit Congregational Church, its prominent steeple a landmark for local sailors and pilots. She describes the construction quirks of this 1848 church -- its first altar made from a New England Organ Company box, the hand-built book racks on pews, and the original whale-oil filled chandelier made of Sandwich glass. A house of worship, a meetinghouse and a center of village activity, the church transformed and grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it quickly adapted to new technology, expanded its community outreach by establishing a food program and aiding in resettling families from Afghanistan with its Neighborhood Support Team. Rev. Fields refers to it as "the little church with a big heart" welcoming all into the congregation.