Simes House, Tree Lighting, and Santa Claus, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Santa Claus arrived in Manomet a few days ago to light the Christmas Tree at the Simes House/Manomet Commons area just off Manomet Point Road near the center of the Village.  It was a clear night with a bright moon shining, and in addition to Santa and his elf, hundreds of kids and adults turned out for the event.

The gathered throng is shown here awaiting the tree lighting. Restoration of the Simes House is underway in the background.

And speaking of  Santa and the true spirit of giving, shown here is Randy Parker, the current President of the Simes House Foundation. Randy is a long time resident of Manomet and for decades, a tireless force and proponent in helping improve our community. In the photo above, he is talking with a supporter off-camera and showing one of the tree ornaments that commemorate the Simes House.  Randy has spent years volunteering his time and effort to participate in improving Manomet.  Please consider helping by joining the Foundation, and/or purchasing ornaments, and/or purchasing other memorabilia at this link, Simes House Foundation. It is our community - let's improve it now and for the future generations.

The Simes House was built in about 1863 and stands today in need of tender loving care and repair and restoration. The Simes House Foundation was created to restore and maintain the Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet. For the public benefit, the Foundation will enhance cultural focus and identity, provide education and encourage community service.

The photo above shows the Simes House in August before the restoration work began in earnest. 

Progress has been great as of November 24th! Just from what you can easily see, the entire porch deck and the dilapidated right side porch roof have been completely rebuilt. The work is being performed by Vareika Construction Company from West Bridgewater, and their crew has been working feverishly to get the exterior mostly done and buttoned-up by the end of the calendar year.

Simes House and St. Catherine's Chapel Park, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I live near the Simes House in Manomet and often pass by. It changes dramatically depending on the light. These images were just before sunset one recent spring evening.

The Simes House Foundation states that, "Our mission is to restore and maintain the 150-year-old Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet within the Town of Plymouth. For the public benefit, we hope to enhance cultural focus and identity, provide education and encourage community service."

"Simes House Foundation's goal is to create a mixed-use structure that will accommodate a self-sustaining historical community center, affordable housing and offices for local businesses, as well as becoming the cultural center of the Village of Manomet with an open space common."

"The Simes House Foundation now owns St. Catherine’s Chapel Park, located at 95 White Horse Road in Manomet. The site, formerly home to St. Catherine’s Chapel, was sold by the church to Good Properties Realty Trust, which built a beautiful, pastoral two-acre park. The park has been given as a gift to the Foundation, along with a $90,000 maintenance endowment. Historical village signage has been designed and is scheduled for installation. The public is welcome to enjoy the facility." (Source: The Simes House Foundation).

Here is an example of one of at least a dozen informative panels installed within the park providing fascinating details about the history of Manomet. It's a living museum of Manomet's history and I found it really cool.

It's a beautiful space and getting better with each passing season.

So let me be clear I understand this: Good Properties Realty Trust, a private entity, which according to public town records, purchased the former church property in June 2012 for $379,000. they then demolished the structure, dug up and disposed of almost two acres of asphalt parking lot, reconditioned the soil, landscaped, planted trees, graveled walks, built an entrance driveway, added fencing, lighting, and signage - and then DONATED the entire completed park to the town?  WOW, what a wonderfully altruistic act!  I don't know who the Good Properties Realty Trust people are but I for one, commend and thank them for their kindness and generosity.

And as if the donation of the property wasn't enough by itself, they also provided a maintenance endowment. What a wonderful gift to us all! What a thing of beauty!

Here's what it looked like a year ago. (Panorama - click on it to view in full width).

Simes House, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, and can use help with financial support to continue the building restoration and to stage community events.  Please consider making a donation and/or join the Foundation as a member at this link. 

Simes House, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The restoration of the Simes House, which began in August 2012, is moving ever closer to completion. The Simes House was built in about 1863 and was in need of tender loving care and repair and restoration. The Simes House Foundation was created to restore and maintain the Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet. For the public benefit, the Foundation will enhance cultural focus and identity, provide education and encourage community service. 

Manomet is one of the villages of Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is a seaside village south of downtown Plymouth and adjacent to White Horse, Priscilla, and Manomet beaches. Plymouth itself is the largest municipality by area in the state and boasts at least 365 lakes and ponds within its borders - one for every day of the year. 

The exterior finish work is looking great! (This image post-processed with Photoshop Elements then further enhanced with Snapseed).

Apparently, the authentic paint style of the day was to use the same color for trim and other surfaces.

The newly finished front door entry. (Post-processed in Photoshop Elements).

(For comparison, the same view further post-processed with Snapseed.)

This is a good example of what the contractors had to work from. (Vareika Construction, Inc. from West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.)

The finished beautifully curving railing on the front porch.

Here's an old photo from around 1870. Note the lack of trees compared to today - much of the area was used for cropland back then.

While the exterior is nearly complete, the interior still needs a lot of tender lovin' care - and  buckets of money!  If you're one of those people with too much money and/or too much time, the Simes House Foundation in Manomet could use your support.  Here's the link: Simes House Foundation.

By the way, it's apparently pronounced "SIMS,"  a "short i" sound rather than a "long i" sound for those of you that remember your early English grammar and pronunciation lessons.

Simes House, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Simes House front entrance, decorated for the holidays, serves as a great location for a photo in the late afternoon golden light. These two lifelong friends were happy to oblige.

The exterior restoration of the Simes House, which began in August 2012, is completed and the interior work will begin in 2014. The Simes House was built in about 1863 and was in need of extensive tender loving care and repair and restoration. The Simes House Foundation was created to restore and maintain the Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet. For the public benefit, the Foundation will enhance cultural focus and identity, provide education and encourage community service.

If you are a Manomet supporter consider this worthy cause - use this link to the The Simes House Foundation if you would like to join and/or donate.

Simes House, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This lovingly rebuilt and restored 1923 REO Speedwagon helps set the mood by posing outside the Simes House in "downtown" Manomet. I had the opportunity to recently attend a fundraiser for the Simes Foundation hosted by Plymouth Digital Photographers Club. The photographers got some great images and Simes got hundreds in donations - a win for everyone.

".......the wheels on the bus go round and round...." - and this was the first motorized school bus in Wayland, Massachusetts back in the day. And in the "Learn-Something-New-Everyday" category, I always thought that REO Speedwagon was only the name of a rock band from my youth.

I just love the way the carpenter rounded this corner of decking boards on the front porch.  I don't see craftsmanship like this very often in today's hurry-up world.

The interior rehab is expected to begin this fall.

The restoration of the Simes House, which began in August 2012, is moving ever closer to completion. The Simes House was built in about 1863 and was in need of tender loving care and repair and restoration. The Simes House Foundation was created to restore and maintain the Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet. For the public benefit, the Foundation will enhance cultural focus and identity, provide education and encourage community service.

If you have too much time and/or money on your hands, please consider a contribution to the Foundation.

Santa Comes to the Simes House, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's that time of the year when hundreds of local folks gather on the Manomet Commons at the Simes House to welcome Santa Claus to light the Christmas tree. This event, (the fourth annual by my count), is testimony to support the vision of the Simes House Foundation that Manomet needs and will benefit from having a focal point, a central location from which to build local community. Judging by the hundreds who turned out tonight, this new tradition will be carried into the future by the latest generation of parents here with their young ones.



The odd blue glow in this and other images was caused by the police vehicle lights parked nearby to help direct local traffic.

The Simes House was built in 1863. The Simes House Foundation was created in 2010 to restore and maintain the Simes House and Manomet Commons as self-sustaining historical landmarks in the Village of Manomet. The Foundation expects the public to benefit through enhanced cultural focus and identity, as well as through education and encouraging community service.



Seasonal live music was provided by this guitar duo from the Middle Street School of Music in Plymouth.



Santa starts the countdown to lighting the tree.



The brightly lit tree served as a popular backdrop for family and group photos. The tree was donated by Egan Landscaping of Plymouth.











Jack Frost made an appearance but, it was so warm this year I'm surprised he didn't melt.



Jack doesn't quite have the stature of the man in the red suit but, he was still a good sport for photos.



The main event was definitely Santa. He received a long line of excited kids who waited patiently to share their wishes with him.



This little fellow was too young to understand the whole Santa hoopla but.........



....he did know how to point at the candy basket.



I think Santa got photobombed for this one.















Hundreds of folks turned out on this unseasonably warm late November evening for the event with Santa.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."