'Land of Summer Homes,' reads the tagline of an old local newspaper article entitled "The Story of Wareham." Indeed, as the article explains, Wareham has always been a land of summer homes (or Nepinnae-Kekit as the Wampanoag called them), but there's much more to the story than that.

Telling this story in detail is the goal of the Historical Displays event at Town Hall this week, where the newspaper article and other artifacts relating to Wareham can be found. Put on by volunteers from various organizations in the town, the displays run the depth and breadth of the town's history.

"The many, many groups and departments that are here today have put on a tremendous display," said Angela Dunham, Chairwoman of the Wareham Historical Society at the event on Tuesday. The displays will still be viewable Wednesday, July 8 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Thursday, July 9 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Dunham says the event has been put on to celebrate Wareham and its roots.

"The rich culture, the diversity, and all of the hard work and energy that the people who came before us put into making this town what it is," she said.

Pam Kiernan of the Wareham Village Association was part of the team that put together their group's display. It shows the progression of many town fixtures through history.

"We took some of the more important buildings, the ones that have been there for a very long time, and we tried to do the evolution of each building," said Kiernan.

The Village Association display shows how well-known town buildings have changed over the years. For instance, Main Street's Decas Building was once home to a candy shop, a soda fountain, a home oil company, a dentist, and a variety of other storefronts throughout its history. Now, it houses establishments such as the Jug Shop and Gourmet and Gourmand, as well as the Wareham Week offices.

Kiernan says one of her favorite research projects was the Kiernan Building, which she owns.

"After doing the research I found out it used to be a district court," she said. "Well, it's a law office now, so things like that are always very exciting to find out."

"Wareham has a tremendous amount of history so it's important for people to be exposed to that and experience it," said Malcolm Phinney of the Wareham Historical Society.

Phinney's display focused on the Tremont Nail company, the story of which has captivated many residents since it was open for tour during the "Redcoats and Residents" event as well as being the focus of a recent documentary from WCTV.

"A lot of people have no idea," said Phinney of the history of Tremont Nail. "Then they start to learn and their eyes light up and they say, 'Wow, I didn't know that!'"

As Angela Dunham said, the event also acknowledges Wareham's diversity and looks at every angle when examining the town's rich history. Hence, First-generation Cape Verdean American Col. Phillip G. Gomes was on hand to relate the story of Cape Verde to attendees.

Gomes says his mission is to educate Cape Verdeans and people of all backgrounds as to the importance of Cape Verde to American history.

"Our history leapfrogs over it," he said. "It goes from Africa to the United States. We don't want [our history] to be forgotten. We need the community to know who we are."

Gomes says he is the voice of his mentor, Marcelo Gomes Balla, author of the book "Antonio's Island" and a leading authority on Cape Verdean history. Gomes says his own motivation to study his history comes from Balla, and from within.

"There is a major desire for identity within everyone. I had a thirst to know who I was as a person."