Marion resident Diane Flaherty is on a mission to get past and present Point Road Cape Verdean residents back in touch, but she needs some help along the way.

For the past few months, Flaherty, who works in the attorney general’s office in New Bedford, has spent the majority of her free time trying to uncover the history of her local Cape Verdean community.

The focal point of that community, Flaherty said was the Point Road School, a former elementary school located near Barros Drive.

Since the school closed its doors in the late 1950s and the building was taken down, houses have been built on its former lot.

While the school's playground still stands, Flaherty's research has been focused on finding more information about the school, This, she said, has been somewhat difficult.

“The only picture I can get is of the front entrance of the school. There has to be more,” Flaherty said.

For months she has been digging through both town and state archives to learn as much as she can about the Cape Verdean neighborhood.

“I live on Point Road and I could see a change happening,” Flaherty said. “There are less and less Cape Verdean families. They left a footprint and that’s going to be lost.”

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Flaherty has set a date for a Point Road reunion on August 9, the day before the annual Cape Verdean Festival in Onset.

Organizing reunions is nothing new for Flaherty. Every two years she helps organize her family’s reunion. With this year's reunion, Flaherty said that she is planning on upping the ante.

“I’m approaching this as I do the other reunions,” she said. “We get over 200 people and I’m sure there are other people that would support my effort. We have people coming from all over the country.”

Since she began her research, Flaherty said her project has taken on a life of its own. What began as a reunion has now led to plans for a book as well as a plaque at the former playground.

While nothing is set in stone, Flaherty said she hopes assistance from the community could lead to the realization of both ideas.

Some of the items Flaherty has been able to collect include a Point Road School yearbook from 1937, a few class photos from the 1950s, and several birth, marriage, and death certificates.

Flaherty said one of her proudest moments came when she uncovered the marriage license of her grandparents dated in 1913.  Before uncovering the record in the state archives in Boston, Flaherty said she never knew when her grandparents had married.

One of nine siblings, Flaherty said her brothers and sisters strengthened her appreciation of the local community.

“I can appreciate the dynamics of what took place on Point Road,” she said.

To contact Diane Flaherty or to submit photos from the neighborhood, call 508-728-0370 or email dianelopesflaherty@verizon.net.