2018 Nickerson Family Association Reunion

2018 Nickerson Family Association Reunion 121st “Togethering” Weekend

September 7-10, 2018

 

 You will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the excavation of William and Anne Nickerson’s c. 1664 homestead… 

This year the reunion will be held during the mid-way point of the final eight-week excavation of William and Anne (Busby) Nickerson’s 1664 homestead. No one knows what exciting troves our archaeological team might unearth. We hope you will join us for this landmark event.

The Reunion weekend begins Friday afternoon with a talk on Old Orleans by historian Bonnie Snow.  We will meet at 1 p.m. at the Snow Library in Orleans.

From 5 to 7 p.m. our Welcome Cocktail Party will be held at the newly-refurbished Orleans Historical Society.  Executive Director Pamela Feltus will greet us.  The Red Cottage Restaurant will provide an array of sumptuous hors d’oeuvres; wine and soft drinks will be available.  Register early as we are limited to 80 guests.

On Saturday we will start our day at 9 a.m. with registration
at the Church of the Holy Spirit. Coffee and pastries will
be provided.  Our Annual Meeting begins at 10 a.m. followed
by our featured speaker, historian, Ron Petersen.   Ron will
present a fascinating talk on how Orleans was the only place
in the U.S. to receive enemy fire during WWI; we will
acknowledge the 100th anniversary of that event.

A delicious box lunch will be served at noon.

                                                                                                                                             Nauset Beach

Saturday afternoon is free, so you can explore Orleans and the surrounding area on your own.

Saturday evening, we will adjourn to the Riverway Lobster House for our annual banquet. Beginning at 5 p.m. cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.  After dinner John Whelan, a local author and radio personality, will speak about the music of the First and Second World Wars.

Sunday morning you are invited to attend the service at the First Congregational Church of Chatham to commemorate Nickerson Sunday.  Following the service, we will gather on the NFA campus, 1107 Orleans Road, for our annual cookout.  Archaeologist Craig Chartier, who will be digging at the excavation during the morning, will share his latest findings with us.

On Monday, the Genealogical Research Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Reserve your spot at the Nickerson Family Reunion’s reunion and landmark archaeological dig by going to the Store and registering or by returning the Registration Form with your check.

                                                                 1720 Jonathan Young Mill

 

WHAT TO DO IN ORLEANS …

Orleans, just north of the elbow of Cape Cod, is a charming town nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay.                                                                          

A two-hour Harbor Cruise in East Orleans is a wonderful way to see some of the local seals and hear tales of pirates and shipwrecks.

 To book a cruise, visit www.blueclawboattours.com.

Are you a bird lover?  The Bird Watcher’s General Store at 36 Route 6A is a mecca for bird watchers from around the globe.  And right across the street is the 1720 Jonathan Young Mill set in a small park overlooking Town Cove.

Like candles?  The Honey Candle Company at 37 Main Street is for you.  Here you can buy 100 percent beeswax and bayberry candles made locally.  And at 22 Main Street is Snow’s, a family-owned store offering unique gift items.

 

You might walk along Nauset Beach, scene of the famous 1918 WWI German attack on Orleans, or stroll at Rock Harbor on Cape Cod Bay.  This is where you can view the CG36500, the rescue boat used in the 1952 Pendleton rescue off the coast of Chatham.

The 1879 French Cable Station Museum at 41 Route 28 is one of many 
historic sites in Orleans.  A cable once ran under the Atlantic Ocean
from here to France.  Visit www.frenchcablestationmuseum.org.

 

Mayflower descendants won’t want to miss Cove Burying Ground in
Eastham, about a mile and a half from the Orleans rotary.  Buried
here are Mayflower passengers Constance Hopkins and Stephen
Hopkins.  Also, here is John Doane, who arrived in Plymouth Colony soon after the Mayflower.

And just up Route 6 is First Encounter Beach on Cape Cod Bay, where Mayflower passengers first met members of the Nauset tribe in 1620.  A plaque marks the famous meeting.

For more information on hotels and local sites, visit www.orleanscapecod.org .  Also available through the Orleans Chamber is a full list of area hotels, motels, resorts, guest houses and inns.

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
 
Friday, September 7:

1 p.m. – Talk on Old Orleans with historian Bonnie Snow.  Snow Library, 67 Main Street, Orleans.

5-7 p.m. – Welcome cocktail party at the Orleans Historical Society, 3 River Road, Orleans.

Saturday, September 8:

9 a.m. – Registration and Coffee Hour at Church of the Holy Spirit, 204 Monument Road, Orleans.

10 a.m. – Annual Meeting.

12 p.m. – Box lunch and group photo.

Afternoon – Free time to explore Orleans and vicinity.

5-6 p.m. – Social Hour followed by dinner at Riverway Lobster House Restaurant, 1338 Route 28, South Yarmouth.

Sunday, September 9:

10 a.m. – Church Service at the First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main Street, Chatham.

12 p.m. – Cookout at the NFA campus, 1107 Orleans Road, North Chatham, followed by talk by archaeologist Craig Chartier.

Excavations will be ongoing during the event.

Monday, September 10:

10 a.m.– 4 p.m. – Genealogical Research Center Open

 

 

ACCOMMODATIONS

We recommend that you visit the Orleans Chamber of Commerce at
www.orleanscapecod.org
or call 508-255-7203 for information about accommodations in Orleans. Nearby towns are Eastham, Chatham, Brewster, Harwich and Dennis.

 

For these towns, visit: www.capecodchamber.org.
Maps and directions will be mailed as soon as you register.
Questions may be addressed to Reunion Coordinator Debra Lawless:
chathamjazzage@live.com