Black wampum is the interior shell of the quahog and is actually shades of purple.
The Indians made beads and jewelry items to use for trading. A large number of implements and burying grounds found show that Falmouth was once largely populated by Indians. It is believed that small-pox brought from England in later years nearly caused extinction. The first white man to arrive in Falmouth when it was still virgin woods was Bartholomew Gosnold. He named it after his home port, Falmouth, England.