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Cobb Blogs.
June 2026 — A Very Blessed Event, 1803
In 1803, Thomas Jefferson was President, the United States had expanded its borders to the Mississippi River, and the American Navy was stationed in the Chesapeake Bay because British ships were threatening to blockade Washington D. C. In Truro, Benjamin Harding was...
April 2026 – The Laws of New England 1700
THE LAWS OF NEW ENGLAND 1700 Adapted from Laws of New England to the Year 1700 Carrollton Press, 1991 When they set sail for America, our Pilgrim forefathers were seeking the freedom to worship as Puritans in Plymouth. While we tend to think of them as stern and...
A Matter of Honor
Under colonial rule, Truro was required to engage a minister “to preach the gospel” before incorporating as a town. The Reverend John Avery answered the call in 1709. After Mr. Avery’s death in April 1754, pastors from Wellfleet, Eastham, and Chatham manned the...
TRURO’S FIRST MEETING HOUSE? 1709
In colonial Truro, democracy was the order of the day; freedom of religion was the practice (so long as it was Puritan); and there was no separation between the two—both the township and the church held court inside the local “Meeting House.” On July 16, 1709,...
PROHIBITION: c. 1925
Truro was to be my mother’s escape, for in 1924 she recklessly and without my father’s knowledge, bought an old fish house at the foot of Corn Hill. She had carpenters and masons (who thought she was crazy) install a kitchen, a hand pump, a fireplace, a two-holer,...
THS’s Digital Commonwealth Page
Digital Commonwealth is a non-profit collaborative program that brings together the vast and unique historical collections of Massachusetts libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies onto a single, searchable digital platform. The Truro Historical Society...
TRAIN CRASH, NORTH TRURO: – AUG 1885
The railroad accident which happened at the North Truro Station on the evening of July 29th, was the only thing of the kind which has occurred in this vicinity since the road was built. On the day in question the downward freight train in charge of Conductor...
Edward Wilson Visits the Grocer, 1918
Arriving in Truro during wartime in 1918, Edward Wilson stumbled upon Eben Payne’s humble grocery store—“an oasis in a desert.” Inside, surrounded by barrels of crackers and penny candy, Eben Payne—cobwebbed boater hat and all—cheerfully served customers with meat cut from ice chest chunks, using the same hatchet he used for kindling.
The Humane Society – 1902
Three years after George Washington was elected president…. he helped found the Humane Society.
A Carriage Mystery: 1910
The blacksmith shop had originally been a stable on the John Elliot Estate off what is now Prince Valley Road in South Truro.
June 2024: 1907 – A Very Busy Body
In 1907, Truro Selectmen Isaac Morton Small was a busy body—also Assessor, Overseer of the Poor, Board of Health, School Committee, Library Trustee, and Election Official.
Cobb Blogs – May 2024
How I Spent My Summer Vacation: During the summers of ’22 and ‘23, History major Susannah R. interned at the Highland House Museum, where our “can-do” youngster organized our extensive art collection and guided visitors through our exhibits. At the Cobb Library...
March, 2024 – A Truro Boy Rebels Against the Hardness of Life, ca. 1905
A Truro Boy Rebels Against the Hardness of Life, ca. 1905 by Thomas Hopkins (1889-1982) L. Thomas Hopkins was an influential, progressive educator who was born and died in Truro. His family lived on the now-vacant property across from Snow Park in Truro Center; his...
A 1908 Highland House Vacation
A 1908 Highland House Vacation Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Dodge vacationed at the Highland House between June 25 and July 24, 1908. The couple checked into Room 2 of the Highland House Hotel, which opened just a year earlier by Isaac Morton Small. New Hotel Built in 1907 In...
February 2024 – 50 Acres in Truro
February 2024 50 Acres in Truro Written by Victor Morris, 1993 "I was born in North Truro, Jan 28, 1903. My grandfather, Joseph Morris, Sr., was born in Fayal, Azores. He and his brother Victor were orphaned early. Both were unhappy and 'ran away to sea'. They served...