Founding of the Association
Davisville Civic Association (DCA) was founded in 1952 by fifteen year-round families living in the Davisville section of East Falmouth.
In its statement of purpose, DCA stated:
“Oppose any project or projects which detract from Davisville as an attractive residential or historic area or which present undesirable environmental problems or undue traffic or safety hazards in the area.”
One of the precipitating reasons for DCA establishment was to stop development of a major expansion of the Captain’s House on the beach southeast of the intersection of Pasnecoy Lane with Foster Road. The proprietors of the Captain’s House were planning to construct additional hotel facilities in the neighborhood, consisting of a ten-unit apartment hotel on Foster Road near Bournes Pond The structure would have been 230 feet long and 30 feet wide. The proposed location of this planned expansion, now 67 years later, would have been in the Atlantic Ocean, as a result of continued coastal erosion in that area. Subsequently, the original Captain’s House structure was totally destroyed by a major fire in the intervening years.
The following quote from the 1952 DCA year-end report by its initial president, Charles Willis, of Willis Point and Willis Lane, here in Davisville, states that the DCA was successful in blocking this proposed construction, which was not in character to its surrounding residential community:
“December 31st marks the end of the first fiscal year for the Davisville Association, and the results we believe justify the effort which has been put into it by all concerned. Our first effort, to stop the granting of a permit for the proposed Motel, was successful. .... The Association had 90 members in 1952 and we hope to raise that figure to over 100 for 1953.”
At the outset in 1952, dues were $1 per member per year! Current annual membership dues for the DCA remain low at only $20 per year.
We have many new capable board members – three of our current board members have parents who previously served on this board, illustrating the family and community nature of this organization.