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Don has presented his programs to a wide variety of audiences since 2001, including the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Boston Public Library, the Thoreau Society, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, the Eastham Historical Society, and the Thornton Burgess Society, as well as classes from the Orleans Elementary School, Captain Nathan Hill Middle School (Coventry, Conn.), Tahanto Regional High School (Boylston, Mass.), Chatham High School on Cape Cod, Penn State University, Emerson College, and Franklin Pierce University (New Hampshire). Don has led history walks at Cape Cod National Seashore, and taught Cape history courses at the Open University of Wellfleet and Nauset Community Education. 

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See Don's schedule of events here.

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PLEASE NOTE: As of March 15, Don will only be scheduling the following talks for the remainder of 2023. The only exceptions to this are a few Outermost House programs that are now awaiting final confirmation. 

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CAPE COD AND THE PORTLAND GALE OF 1898

On the night of November 26, 1898, with a killer storm of historic proportions approaching, the steamer Portland set out from Boston. By the following night, the winter hurricane sent the vessel to the depths of Massachusetts Bay off Cape Cod, claiming nearly two hundred lives. On the Cape, a few dozen victims of the Portland disaster washed ashore, while ships piled up in harbors, high tides swept away railroad tracks, and the landscape and beaches were changed forever. Several Cape Cod mariners went to sea and never returned, caught in the gale’s evil clutches. Don revisits this disaster and the heroic deeds of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the Cape’s citizenry in what came to be known as “The Portland Gale.”

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SHIPWRECKS OF CAPE COD: STORIES OF TRAGEDY & TRIUMPH

Cape Cod’s outer beach, often referred to as the “Graveyard of Ships,” has always been known for its shipwrecks. Between 1626 and the mid-twentieth century, this solitary forty-mile stretch of beach and sandbars saw the demise of over 3,000 vessels along its shifting shoals. It’s been said that if all the wrecks were raised, one could walk from Provincetown to Chatham without getting his or her feet wet. Don revisits some of these disasters and the heroic, and sometimes tragic, rescue efforts of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and Coast Guard.

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WHERE DON'S BEEN ...

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* -- Indicates multiple presentations at venue

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CAPE COD, MASS.

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EASTHAM

Cape Cod National Seashore, Salt Pond Visitors Center. *
Cape Cod National Seashore (walks). *
Eastham Chamber of Commerce
Eastham Senior Center *
Eastham Historical Society *
Eastham Public Library *
Nauset Fellowship (Universalist / Unitarian) of Chapel in the Pines. *
Eastham 350th Anniversary celebration, 2001.
The Inn at the Oaks (Penn. State University).
Captain’s Quarters (tourist group from Georgia)

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WELLFLEET
Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. *
Wellfleet Historical Society (at the Wellfleet Public Library). *
Cape Cod National Seashore, Marconi Beach (for Tahanto Regional High School, Boylston, Mass.).
Open University of Wellfleet (at Wellfleet Preservation Hall). *
Nauset Newcomers (at Wellfleet Cinemas). *

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TRURO
Truro Library, North Truro. *

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PROVINCETOWN
Seashore Point. *
Provincetown Public Library. *
Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum (Provincetown 2020 event). 
Pilgrim House.

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ORLEANS
Nauset Heights Association, East Orleans.
Nauset Community Education at Nauset Middle School. *
Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary (Orleans branch) at Church of the Holy Spirit.
Snow Library. *

Orleans Historical Society. *

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CHATHAM
Atwood House Museum (Chatham Historical Society).

Chatham Men's Club (at Chatham Community Center).
Chatham High School. *
Eldredge Public Library. *
Chatham Orpheum. *

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BREWSTER
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. *
Brewster Ladies’ Library. *
Brewster Men’s Club (at Ocean Edge)
Cape Cod Sea Camps. *
Epoch Senior Center. *

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HARWICH
Harwich Council on Aging at Harwich Community Center.
Harwich Conservation Trust at Harwich Community Center. *
Harwich Historical Society. 
Brooks Free Library. *

Stone Horse Yacht Club.

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DENNIS
Cape Cod Museum of Art. 
Dennis Public Library, Dennisport. *
South Dennis Free Library, South Dennis.
Dennis Memorial Library. 

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YARMOUTH
Mayflower Retirement Community, West Yarmouth.
Historical Society of Old Yarmouth at Old Yarmouth Inn.
South Yarmouth Public Library.
Cultural Center of Cape Cod (for the Cape Cod Film Society).
Thirwood Place, South Yarmouth. *

Crazy Rooster Pub & Grill (tour group from Florida)

 

BARNSTABLE
Cape Cod Community College, West Barnstable.
Cape Cod Writers’ Center (at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum).
Cape Cod Maritime Museum. *
Tales of Cape Cod. *
Barnstable Senior Center. *
Cotuit Library, Cotuit. *
Osterville Free Library, Osterville. *
Sturgis Library. *
Hyannis Public Library. *

Alberto's Ristorante (tour group).

Osterville Men's Club.

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MASHPEE
Mashpee Public Library.

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SANDWICH
Thornton W. Burgess Society (Green Briar Center). *
Sandwich Council on Aging.
Sandwich Glass Museum (Talk of the Town Series). *

Sandwich Public Library / Sandwich Town Archives. *

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​BOURNE
Bourne Newcomers & Neighbors.

Bourne Historical Society *

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FALMOUTH
Woods Hole Biological Laboratory.
Falmouth Public Library. *
Encore of Falmouth Newcomers (at First Congregational Church of Falmouth). *

Falmouth Newcomers (at First Congregational Church of Falmouth). *

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MASSACHUSETTS (OFF-CAPE)

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ABINGTON
Abington Public Library.

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ATHOL
Athol Public Library.

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BOSTON
Emerson College.
Boston Public Library. *

South Boston Historical Society.

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BOYLSTON
Tahanto Regional High School. 

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BRIDGEWATER
Bridgewater Public Library.

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BROOKLINE
Brookline Adult Education.

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CAMBRIDGE
Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

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COHASSET
Paul Pratt Memorial Library.

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CONCORD
Thoreau Society (72nd Annual Gathering, 2013).

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DOVER
Dover Town Library.

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FOXBORO
Foxborough Historical Society. *

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FRAMINGHAM
Framingham Public Library. *
Carmel Terrace.

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FRANKLIN
Franklin Public Library.

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HINGHAM
Hingham Public Library.

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HOLLISTON
Holliston Public Library.

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​HOPEDALE
Bancroft Memorial Library.

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HUDSON
Hudson Public Library.

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MARSHFIELD
Ventress Memorial Library.

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MANSFIELD
Mansfield Council on Aging.
Mansfield Public Library. *

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MATTAPOISETT
Mattapoisett Free Public Library. 

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MAYNARD
Maynard Public Library.

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MIDDLEBORO
Mitchell Memorial Club (for the Massachusetts Beach Buggy Association).

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MILFORD
Milford Town Library. *
Cornerstone at Milford.

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NATICK
Morse Institute Library.

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NEWBURYPORT
Newburyport Film Festival, The Screening Room Theater (rough cut screening of film, 2014).

 

NEWTON
Newton Free Library. *

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NORFOLK
Norfolk Public Library.
 
NORTH ATTLEBORO
North Attleboro Historical Society.

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NORTHBORO
Northboro Free Library.

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NORTON
Norton Public Library.
Norton Institute for Continuing Education (Wheaton College).

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PLYMOUTH
Plymouth Public Library.

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QUINCY
Thomas Crane Public Library. *

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RAYNHAM
Raynham Historical Society.

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SALEM
Hawthorne Hotel (2003 annual meeting of Annie’s Book Stop owners ).
Salem Athenaeum.

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SHARON
Sharon Adult Center (at the Community Center).

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SOMERSET
Somerset Public Library.
 
SOUTHBORO
Southboro Public Library.

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STOW
Randall Library.

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UXBRIDGE
Uxbridge Free Library.

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WALPOLE
Walpole Public Library. *

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WEBSTER
Corbin Public Library.

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WELLESLEY
Wellesley Free Library.

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​WESTFIELD
Westfield Athenaeum.

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WESTON
Weston Senior Citizens Club.

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WINCHESTER
Winchester Public Library.

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​MAINE

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DAMARISCOTTA
Damariscotta Lake Watershed Association.

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NOBLEBORO
National Literary Landmark dedication for Henry Beston’s Chimney Farm at Nobleboro Grange.

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

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HOPKINTON
Hopkinton Public Library.

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​RHODE ISLAND

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​EAST PROVIDENCE
Weaver Memorial Library.

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NORTH KINGSTOWN
North Kingstown Free Library.

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