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AHistory
History · Barnstable Town

Barnstable Town dates to 1637, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #137 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

82 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Kennedy Compound, a National Historic Landmark, and ten historic districts with 1,260 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1790.

1637founded
82on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
21famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Barnstable Town began

When was Barnstable Town founded?

1637

Barnstable Town dates its founding to 1637 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 2,610 in 17902020 census: 48,916389 years

How historic is Barnstable Town?

A

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Barnstable Town’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barnstable Town is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #137 of 283 in Massachusetts. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barnstable Town’s overall grade.
Founding era1637, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194010.1% of homes (±1.6) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register82 listings, 1,359 historic buildings, 274 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 91%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 52%

Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barnstable Town’s 274 sits above most of its state (82% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 1,359 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1637.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Barnstable Town’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark82 places on the National Register, including Kennedy Compound, a National Historic Landmark.A historic districtThe Old King's Highway Historic District takes in 797 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1637, 139 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Barnstable Town, and 20 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

82 listings protect 1,359 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
82
National Historic Landmark
1
Kennedy Compound
historic buildings protected
1,359
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
Old Jail
Old Jail, built 1690U.S. Customshouse, built 1855Wianno Club, built 1887Barnstable County Courthouse, built 1831Old King's Highway Historic DistrictAdams-Crocker-Fish House, built 1830Ancient Burying Ground, built 1743Barzillai Weeks House, built 1799Benomi and Barnabas Crocker House, built 1790Blish-Garret House, built 1775Building at 237-239 Main Street, built 1910Building at 600 Main Street, built 1920Building at 606 Main Street, built 1910Building at 614 Main Street, built 1910Canary-Hartnett House, built 1860Capt. Alexander Crocker House, built 1865Capt. Allen H. Bearse House, built 1857Capt. Joseph Hinckley House, built 1850Capt. Rodney J. Baxter House, built 1850Capt. Sylvester Baxter House, built 1855Capt. Thomas Gray House, built 1875Charles L. Baxter House, built 1858Collen C. Campbell House, built 1920Crowell-Smith House, built 1775Fuller House, built 1800Gideon Hawley House, built 1758Gifford Farm, built 1850Goodspeed House, built 1653Herman Isham House, built 1761Hyannis Road Historic DistrictJenkins-Whelden Farmstead, built 1840John Jenkins HomesteadJoseph Jenkins House, built 1750Josiah B. Whitman House, built 1860Lemuel B. Chase House, built 1820Liberty Hall, built 1859Lincoln House Club, built 1899Lot Crocker House, built 1800Marstons Mills Hearse House and Cemetery, built 1885Matthias Smith House, built 1760Methodist Church, built 1829Nathaniel Baker House, built 1721Nelson Rhodehouse House, built 1858Nymphus Hinckley House, built 1780Round House, built 1900William and Jane Phinney House, built 1730William Marston House, built 1780Capt. Seth Baker Jr. House, built 1850Capt. William Hallett House, built 1800Daniel Crosby House, built 1812Dr. Edward Francis Gleason House, built 1790Harlow Homestead, built 1878Hinckley Homestead, built 1750John Richardson House, built 1795Josiah A. Ames House, built 1887Merrill Estate, built 1765Nehemiah Lovell House, built 1789Osterville Baptist Church, built 1837S. Alexander Hinckley House, built 1710Sampson's Folly-Josiah Sampson House, built 1807Seth Hallett House, built 1775Shubael Baxter House, built 1829Benjamin Baker Jr. House, built 1828Capt. George Lovell House, built 1826Centerville Historic DistrictCotuit Historic DistrictCraigville Historic DistrictEbenezer Crocker Jr. House, built 1783Hyannis Port Historic DistrictJoseph Robbins House, built 1841Mill Way Historic DistrictMunicipal Group Historic DistrictPleasant-School Street Historic DistrictSantuit Historic DistrictSantuit Post Office, built 1846West Barnstable Village-Meetinghouse Way Historic DistrictWianno Historic DistrictCapt. Oliver Bearse House, built 1841Town Boundary MarkerTown Line Boundary MarkerTown Line Boundary MarkerKennedy Compound★
BuildingsDistrictsSitesObjects★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Federal24
Greek Revival23
Colonial Revival11
Italianate10
Queen Anne10
Georgian7
★ Landmark
Kennedy CompoundDistrict
Old JailColonial · Built 1690
U.S. CustomshouseItalianate · Built 1855
Wianno ClubShingle Style · Built 1887
Barnstable County CourthouseGreek Revival · Built 1831
Old King's Highway Historic DistrictFederal
Adams-Crocker-Fish HouseGreek Revival · Built 1830
Ancient Burying GroundBuilt 1743
All 82 listings
Barzillai Weeks HouseBuilding · listed 1987Benomi and Barnabas Crocker HouseBuilding · listed 1987Blish-Garret HouseBuilding · listed 1987Building at 237-239 Main StreetBuilding · listed 1987Building at 600 Main StreetBuilding · listed 1987Building at 606 Main StreetBuilding · listed 1987Building at 614 Main StreetBuilding · listed 1987Canary-Hartnett HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Alexander Crocker HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Allen H. Bearse HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Joseph Hinckley HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Rodney J. Baxter HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Sylvester Baxter HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Thomas Gray HouseBuilding · listed 1987Charles L. Baxter HouseBuilding · listed 1987Collen C. Campbell HouseBuilding · listed 1987Crowell-Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1987Fuller HouseBuilding · listed 1987Gideon Hawley HouseBuilding · listed 1987Gifford FarmBuilding · listed 1987Goodspeed HouseBuilding · listed 1987Herman Isham HouseBuilding · listed 1987Hyannis Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Jenkins-Whelden FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1987John Jenkins HomesteadBuilding · listed 1987Joseph Jenkins HouseBuilding · listed 1987Josiah B. Whitman HouseBuilding · listed 1987Lemuel B. Chase HouseBuilding · listed 1987Liberty HallBuilding · listed 1987Lincoln House ClubBuilding · listed 1987Lot Crocker HouseBuilding · listed 1987Marstons Mills Hearse House and CemeterySite · listed 1987Matthias Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1987Methodist ChurchBuilding · listed 1987Nathaniel Baker HouseBuilding · listed 1987Nelson Rhodehouse HouseBuilding · listed 1987Nymphus Hinckley HouseBuilding · listed 1987Round HouseBuilding · listed 1987William and Jane Phinney HouseBuilding · listed 1987William Marston HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. Seth Baker Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. William Hallett HouseBuilding · listed 1987Daniel Crosby HouseBuilding · listed 1987Dr. Edward Francis Gleason HouseBuilding · listed 1987Harlow HomesteadBuilding · listed 1987Hinckley HomesteadBuilding · listed 1987John Richardson HouseBuilding · listed 1987Josiah A. Ames HouseBuilding · listed 1987Merrill EstateBuilding · listed 1987Nehemiah Lovell HouseBuilding · listed 1987Osterville Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1987S. Alexander Hinckley HouseBuilding · listed 1987Sampson's Folly-Josiah Sampson HouseBuilding · listed 1987Seth Hallett HouseBuilding · listed 1987Shubael Baxter HouseBuilding · listed 1987Benjamin Baker Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1987Capt. George Lovell HouseBuilding · listed 1987Centerville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Cotuit Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Craigville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Ebenezer Crocker Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1987Hyannis Port Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Joseph Robbins HouseBuilding · listed 1987Mill Way Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Municipal Group Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Pleasant-School Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Santuit Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Santuit Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1987West Barnstable Village-Meetinghouse Way Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Wianno Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987Capt. Oliver Bearse HouseBuilding · listed 1987Town Boundary MarkerObject · listed 1987Town Line Boundary MarkerObject · listed 1987Town Line Boundary MarkerObject · listed 1987

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

Timeline

Barnstable Town, 1637 to 1973

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1637
    FoundingBarnstable Town is established
  3. 1690BuiltOld Jail is built
  4. 18th century
  5. 1725Born hereJames Otis is born here
  6. 1728Born hereMercy Otis Warren is born here
  7. 1761Born hereIsaiah L. Green is born here
  8. 1792Post officeThe Barnstable post office opens
  9. 19th century
  10. 1816Post officeThe West Barnstable post office opens
  11. 1821Post officeThe Hyannis post office opens
  12. 1831BuiltBarnstable County Courthouse is built
  13. 1853Born hereJane Maria Read is born here
  14. 1855BuiltU.S. Customshouse is built
  15. 1887BuiltWianno Club is built
  16. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  17. 20th century
  18. 1973LandmarkKennedy Compound named a National Historic Landmark
The story

How Barnstable Town came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Barnstable Town.

Read it all →

Barnstable takes its name from the English town of Barnstaple, in the county of Devon. The first European to explore the area was Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. It was settled in 1638, as one of the first towns in the Plymouth Colony, one year behind Sandwich further south in Massachusetts on Cape Cod. It was incorporated on September 4, 1639, the same day as the towns of Sandwich, and Yarmouth. On the first Tuesday of December, the same year, its deputies took their seats in the general court. The early settlers were farmers, led by the Reverend Joseph Hull, the founder of Barnstable. A memorial tablet was dedicated there in 1939 (the 300th anniversary of the town's founding) marking the site of his home, and the rock from which he preached still stands along the highway there.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Barnstable Town on the map, 1888 to 1974

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

Barnstable Town on the 1888 USGS mapBarnstable Town on the 1893 USGS mapBarnstable Town on the 1942 USGS mapBarnstable Town on the 1950 USGS mapBarnstable Town on the 1961 USGS mapBarnstable Town on the 1974 USGS map1888Barnstable 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 Barnstable Town.

People over time

Barnstable Town, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,0001800185019001950200048,916

Grew from 2,610 people in 1790 to 48,916 in 2020, more than tenfold.

20 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Barnstable Town’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

21 famous people were born in Barnstable Town

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mercy Otis WarrenAmerican writer · b. 1728
James OtisLawyer in colonial Massachusetts · b. 1725
I
Isaiah L. GreenAmerican politician · b. 1761
Jane Maria ReadAmerican poet, artist, teacher · b. 1853
Nancy FrangioneAmerican actress · b. 1953
B
Benjamin F. HallettAmerican lawyer and politician, Democratic Nati… · b. 1797
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Barnstable
1792–today
West Barnstable
1816–today
Hyannis
1821–today
Osterville
1822–today
Marstons Mills
1828–today
Hyannis Port
1829–today
Centreville
1834–1892
Cotuit Port
1848–1872
Cotuit
1850–1854
Cotuit
1872–today
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BarnstableCentervilleCobbs VillageCotuitCotuit HighlandsCraigvilleCraigville BeachCummaquidHyannisHyannis PortMarstons MillsNewtownOstervilleOyster HarborsPond VillagePondsvilleSantuitWest BarnstableWest HyannisportWianno
13cemeteries and burying grounds inside Barnstable Town
BeechwoodCenterville AncientCobb HillCrocker ParkCummaquidHillsideLothrop HillMosswoodOak GroveOak NeckSaint Francis XaviersSandy StreetWest Barnstable

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Barnstable Town’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Barnstable Town’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
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Mashpee2 historic placesB−Yarmouth6 historic placesAWest Yarmouth1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPopponesset IslandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townYarmouth Port2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMashpee NeckIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSandwich7 historic placesA

Questions about Barnstable Town’s history

What year was Barnstable Town founded?

In 1637, according to Wikidata. Barnstable Town’s post office opened in 1792, and the first U.S. census counted 2,610 people here in 1790.

How does Barnstable Town rank for history?

Barnstable Town is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #137 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Barnstable Town?

82 listings: 64 buildings, among them the Old Jail (listed 1971, the first), 13 historic districts with 1,260 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 3 objects. 1,359 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Barnstable Town?

10% of Barnstable Town’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1978.

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).

From Wikidata (18), the National Register of Historic Places (82), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.