“We realized there’s a lot of history here that people don’t know much about,’’ said Jay Heard, executive director of WCTV. Onset “used to be a premier summer resort area… . It was a happening place.’’
The village is much quieter now, but it remains one of the most popular tourist spots on Buzzards Bay, helping to swell the town’s year-round population of 21,000 during the summer months, when snowbirds return to their cottages, beachgoers flock to the ocean’s edge, and visitors gather for outdoor concerts and festivals.
“Postcards from Onset’’ was directed by Heard, a third-generation summer resident who now lives in town full time. He and the staff of WCTV spent the past year and a half collecting postcards, images, and anecdotes to make the film.
Drawing from more than 1,200 vintage postcards and photographs — many unseen by the public for decades — the documentary shows Onset’s growth from a Spiritualist summer resort to a Victorian-era vacation spot for tourists from Boston and New York.
The documentary features interviews with 20 longtime residents and local historians, including Randy Joseph, an educator from Plimoth Plantation who traces Onset’s beginnings to the Wampanoag; 87-year-old Audrey Carter, who reminisces about heading off in high heels to the big dances (“I didn’t walk, I ran,’’ she says, with a chuckle. “They had the big bands there… . We danced our feet off.’’); Richard T. “Dick’’ Porter, the local resident known for his extensive collection of thermometers; and Anthony “Tiny’’ Lopes, who tells about the rise of the local Cape Verdean community and what Onset was like “back in the day.’’
“Onset was a very upscale community. This was considered part of the Cape,’’ said Lopes. “Nothing can compare to the beach in Onset. It’s one of the best-kept secrets.’’
