Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Forestdale

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Forestdale

1 of Forestdale’s places is on the National Register

Most of Forestdale was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1886 on and old-book passages.

1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0

What stands out about Forestdale’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Forestdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18866 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1977. Watch Forestdale change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Forestdale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Forestdale’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Forestdale on the map, 1886 to 1977

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Forestdale. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Forestdale on the 1886 USGS mapForestdale on the 1893 USGS mapForestdale on the 1946 USGS mapForestdale on the 1953 USGS mapForestdale on the 1967 USGS mapForestdale on the 1977 USGS map1886Falmouth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Forestdale.

The story so far

Forestdale, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Forestdale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Forestdale is a village and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Sandwich in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, Forestdale had a population of 4,116. It is the most populous of the three CDPs in Sandwich. The ZIP code of Forestdale is 02644.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,099 in 2010, 4,116 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Forestdale in 1890

Passages that mention Forestdale, cut from the printed page as they were published.

In the south part of the town there are two places of worship more humble in appearance than those of the thickly settled north part, but supplying the wants of the respective communities. A small, plain church building at Forestdale, claimed to be Methodist, is used for occasional service by diffe…
History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1637-1686-18901890 · page 295Read the page →
Read the text

In the south part of the town there are two places of worship more humble in appearance than those of the thickly settled north part, but supplying the wants of the respective communities. A small, plain church building at Forestdale, claimed to be Methodist, is used for occasional service by different denominations; and a school house has been purchased at South Sandwich for occasional service there.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Forestdale, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Mobil Mart2012Mobil MartGreenville School2012Greenville SchoolForestdale Cemetery2012Forestdale CemeteryForestdale Baptist Church2012Forestdale Baptist ChurchFire Station2012Fire Station
On the National Register

1 historic place in Forestdale

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Forestdale

Nobody well known was born in Forestdale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
G
Geena DavisAmerican actress · b. 1956
Casey AffleckAmerican actor · b. 1975
K
Katharine Lee BatesAmerican poet and songwriter · b. 1859
Mercy Otis WarrenAmerican writer · b. 1728
James OtisLawyer in colonial Massachusetts · b. 1725
Skipp SudduthAmerican actor · b. 1956
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Sandwich7 historic placesAMashpee2 historic placesB−

Questions about Forestdale’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.