Falmouth Historical Society to Honor Tamsen Evans George with 2026 Heritage Award

Falmouth Historical Society to Honor Tamsen Evans George with 2026 Heritage Award

FALMOUTH, MA | September 2026 — The Falmouth Historical Society is pleased to announce that Tamsen Evans George will receive its 2026 Heritage Award in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of Falmouth's history and cultural heritage.

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The Heritage Award celebration will be held Thursday, October 1st, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Falmouth Museums on the Green, in the Cultural Center, a building that holds a special place in Tamsen's heart. The evening will feature food and libations, along with remarks from speakers who will highlight Tamsen's many accomplishments and her lasting impact on the Falmouth community. Tickets are $50, with proceeds benefiting the Museum's education and collections programs.

Tamsen's connection to Falmouth began at the age of eight, when she began spending summers here. Her family's connection to the town spans three generations, and she has lived in Falmouth year-round for the past twenty-five years. A graduate of Connecticut College with a degree in art and art history, Tamsen built a distinguished career at the intersection of the arts, education, museums, and historic preservation. Her professional experience includes work with the Cambridge Arts Council, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Museum of Fine Arts, where she served as Head of Public Programs. She also served as executive director of Young Audiences of Massachusetts and the Shirley-Eustis House Association.

Her professional work was complemented by a deep personal commitment to historic preservation. After living in an historic 1714 house and later rebuilding her 1774 Federal farmhouse in Andover, Tamsen became increasingly involved in historic restoration and the stewardship of historic properties. At the Shirley-Eustis House, she moved a large carriage house from a Brookline estate, piece by piece, and completed the landscaping of the grounds with a gazebo and fruit orchard. She also assembled two collections of historic carriages, including the large yellow Governor Eustis coach dating to about 1810.

When Tamsen returned to Falmouth in 2006, she quickly became an active and deeply engaged member of the local history community. Her experience in historic restoration led her to take a hands-on role in the preservation of the Dr. Francis Wicks House at the Falmouth Museums on the Green. She helped develop the servant's and child's room from previously closed-off storerooms, removing wallpaper and painting trim herself, and partnered with Michael Kasparian on the restoration of the parlor, including its wallpaper, paint, and furnishings. In many ways, the work they undertook was an early chapter of what would eventually become today's "Fix the Wicks" preservation campaign.

Tamsen has given countless hours to the Falmouth Historical Society as a volunteer, docent, Collections Committee member, and board member. She worked with John Rodgers to rebuild the Society's Federal furniture collection, attending auctions and helping identify important acquisitions. She contributed to numerous exhibitions and community events, including creating floats for the town's Christmas parade. For thirteen years, she wrote and produced A Visit from the Night Watchman, an annual Halloween program involving approximately thirty volunteers. She also served as president of the Falmouth Historical Society for eight years, providing leadership during an important period in the organization's history.

Her commitment to Falmouth extends well beyond the Historical Society. Tamsen currently serves on civic committees in town and is completing nearly ten years of service on the Falmouth Historical Commission. She has served on the Community Preservation Committee and is a member of the Falmouth 250th Committee commemorating the American Revolution.

Tamsen has also brought her passion for history into her writing. Following her retirement, she wrote Allegiance, The Life and Times of William Eustis, a biography of an otherwise little-known patriot that was an award finalist in the United States History category of American Book Fest. She has since written three eighteenth-century murder mysteries, with Dr. Eustis serving as the fictional protagonist. Her approach to history is rooted in the belief that introducing people to the individuals who shaped our country can make history feel more immediate, believable, and alive than simply presenting battles and dates.

"Tamsen has devoted so much of her life to making history tangible, engaging, and meaningful," said Rachel L. Lovett, Executive Director of the Falmouth Historical Society. "Whether she was restoring a historic room, researching a piece of furniture, producing a community program, serving on a committee, or bringing a historical figure to life through her writing, Tamsen has always approached history as something to be experienced and shared. We are thrilled to honor her with this year's Heritage Award."

The Heritage Award celebration offers the community an opportunity to recognize Tamsen's remarkable contributions while supporting the programs that carry that same spirit of history forward. The Falmouth Museums on the Green is committed to preserving Falmouth's history and making it accessible through collections, exhibitions, education, and community programming.

Heritage Award Celebration
Thursday, October 1st, 2026
4:00–6:00 p.m.
Falmouth Museums on the Green
Cultural Center
55 Palmer Avenue, Falmouth, MA

Tickets are $50 and benefit the Falmouth Historical Society's education and collections programs.