When Wareham Community Television producers set out to make a documentary about Onset, they had no idea what they'd find.

"I think we've uncovered a lot of interesting historical anecdotes," said Jay Heard, Executive Director of WCTV, and producer/director of the documentary, tentatively titled "Postcards from Onset".

Heard and his crew (WCTV Technical Director Steve Ruiz and several of the station's members) originally wanted to tell the story of Onset's colonial casino, a two-story entertainment venue and dance hall that was located in the area of Hynes Field.

But the crew quickly realized that there weren't enough people to interview who knew about the casino, so the scope of the documentary broadened. Though the casino is certainly discussed, the documentary tells the story of how Onset became a destination for tourists. It begins at the end of the 1800s when the spiritualists came to town, and goes through the 1960s.

"I think [people will] be amazed at how much history happened in our backyard," Heard said.

The crew began working early this year, and has interviewed more than 15 people to tell Onset's story, and began accumulating dozens of old postcards to illustrate it.

"Onset went through a cycle of boom and bust," Heard explained. "Hopefully, right now, it's going into another boom."

The documentary "tells the story of a different Onset," Heard said.

An Onset with trolleys transporting excited passengers from train stations into the seaside village. An Onset with sidewalks so packed that people spilled into the streets.

"We lucked out and [talked to] some very interesting people," said Ruiz, who recorded all of the interviews for the production.

Many of the interviewees were in their 90s.

"They were here when this was the place to be," said Ruiz. "We turned the camera on and said, 'go.'"

The documentary is currently in the editing stage. Because the old postcards used are "tattered and torn," its been challenging to get them to display nicely on video, said WCTV editor Casey Hogan. The production will likely be completed and screened by springtime.

Heard said the documentary helps preserve Onset's history, and he hopes that WCTV members will be inspired to create their own documentaries about different subjects.

"I hope that as people see it, they'll see that there's a much bigger history in Wareham in general, and I hope they'll pick up a camera," Heard said. "If you don't capture it, it'll disappear."

Heard and his crew are still looking for pictures and drawings of the 1946 gas explosion, and images from the aftermath of the hurricane of 1948.

Once it's completed, the documentary will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going to WCTV, a nonprofit. For more information about WCTV or to become a member, visit www.warehamtv.org or call 508-273-2340.