Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote “
America the Beautiful,” was born in
Falmouth, Massachusetts on August 12, 1859 and lived there until she was twelve. She was buried there in the
Oak Grove cemetery after her death in 1929.
A copy of America the Beautiful written in Bate's own hand is now a part of the Falmouth Historical Society archive. A statue of Katherine Lee Bates graces the Falmouth town park.