1848
We learn from the Boston Bee that numerous complaints have been made, particularly by masters of Eastern vessels, who winter their craft in our harbor, that their vessels have been broken open and many articles stolen there from. It is said that upwards of thirty vessels have been robbed this winter. (Note: The Boston Bee newspaper, also known as the Boston Daily Bee, was published during the 1840s and 50s.)
1868
The sleighing in this section has been splendid – the best we have enjoyed for years – during the past week, and the lads and lassies, as well as those of an older growth, have improved it to the utmost, and the air has been resonant with the merry music of sleigh bells. Our citizens have not been blessed with so rare a treat, such a rich carnival, for twenty years, and they are bound to enjoy it to the fullest extent while it lasts.
1888
Hyannis: The rain of Wednesday night and the cold weather that followed rendered our streets and walks a solid sheet of ice, so that walking has been positively dangerous. Such severe and long continued cold has not been known in this section for many years…During the ringing of the bell at the Baptist church for the prayer meeting on Wednesday evening, the tongue became detached from the bell and fell with great force upon the deck of the belfry. Severe cold and frost was the probable cause of the accident. (Note: The tongue, also known as the clapper, strikes the inside of the bell to produce the peal.)
1898
There has been between forty and fifty foxes killed in Barnstable this winter. Mr. John Rogers of West Barnstable has shot twenty foxes. Mr. Frank Crocker has secured the pelt of one fox this winter and expects to have No. 2 very soon. Capt. Samuel Nickerson shot another fox a few days ago which makes the fourth he has shot this winter.
1918
Hyannis: The Wide-Awake girls' club held a meeting on Wednesday evening at the public library. The object was preparation for the "drive" this week by which $5,000 must be raised. The fund is necessary to enable this association, known as the Mass. Association of Women Workers, to meet the constant demand from towns in the vicinity of military training camps. Their supervised dances and other entertainments for soldiers and sailors, their Red Cross work, Food Conservation and other war-time activities have won high official commendation.
1928
Special Room for Smokers at Courthouse: The large crowd of smokers in the Barnstable courthouse corridors on last Friday caused the commissioners to have "no smoking" signs placed upon the courthouse walls. A smoking room has been provided in the basement.
1938
Soars Through the Air: Parker Leonard of Osterville piloted a glider on a three-hour flight at Corn Hill, Truro yesterday. He took off in a 20-mile breeze in a sail plane formerly owned by Richard DuPont of Wilmington, Del. Mr. Leonard is an expert in motorless plane flying.
1948
G.C.A. Movies Shown at Kiwanis Meeting: Recruiting Officer Capt. James McIvor of New Bedford was the speaker at the Kiwanis meeting last night. Capt. McIvor enlisted in the Air Corps in January 1941 and became a Flight Instructor for A26 and B26. He served in the 9th Air Force overseas and went on 27 missions. The pictures shown were from Ground Control Approach (G.C.A.) and showed how the large airplanes are landed in bad weather. G.C.A. crew actually take charge of the airships when 30 miles away and guide it to the runway.
1958
Chairman of Selectmen Victor F. Adams said yesterday that he feels there is a “fair chance” that the Legislative Committee on Education will report favorably on a bill which, if passed by the legislature and accepted by the Town of Barnstable, would reestablish a State Teachers College in Hyannis. At a hearing in Boston Monday, Mr. Adams was chief spokesman for the Barnstable County Selectmen’s Association, sponsors of the bill. The bill was filed by Rep. Allen F. Jones of Barnstable, who also spoke favorably.
1968
The Senior Citizens Center, located in “the little White House” on South Street, Hyannis, will open Monday afternoon, Feb. 5, at 1 o’clock and thereafter five days a week, Monday through Friday from 1 to 4 o’clock. Volunteer personnel, representing the Town of Barnstable Council on Aging will be in attendance. “We plan to operate this service in a consulting capacity, cooperating with other departments of the town, designed to help meet the problems of our senior citizens,” the Council’s E. L. Carroll said today. The Center is a new undertaking of the Council, and will develop step by step and should have a progressive growth as the need presents itself.
1978
Barnstable Evening School, which began last week, has enrolled 1,300 students in about 80 courses for the second semester. The evening courses run Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:00 to 10:00. There’s an afternoon program at the high school and senior citizens building, from 2:30 to 4:30 the same days. Overall, there are 20 arts and crafts courses, 18 in cultural and special interests, 14 in practical arts, 11 in health and recreation, seven afternoon, and five business and vocational.
1988
Some 850 Barnstable properties have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, according to an announcement this past week by Secretary of State Michael J. Connolly, chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Listing in the National Register recognizes that individual properties and districts are important to the community, state, or nation and allows owners of income-producing properties federal tax incentives for approved rehabilitation work. The Barnstable Historical Commission is to be commended for a tremendous amount of work in researching the information on historic properties throughout the town.
1998
Virtual Campus: Cape Cod Community College courses are now available at local high schools through televideo technology. Students may register for any of seven courses offered through this media, including Coastal Zone Management, Literature by Women, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, General Psychology, Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse, Elementary Algebra, and Marketing.