Most of West Chatham was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1888 on and old-book passages.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Chatham. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Chatham 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 West Chatham.
The story so far
West Chatham, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Chatham yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Chatham is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Chatham in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, West Chatham had a population of 1,619.
Its first post office opened in 1829. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,410 to 1,619 (+15%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about West Chatham in 1890
Passages that mention West Chatham, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1637-1686-18901890 · page 600Read the page →
Read the text
West Chatham is a genuine New England village, situated just west of Chatham village, south of the center, and in the most fertile portion of the town. The old burying places of the town are northeast of the village, and the settlement of this area between the grounds and the Harwich line was made early. The one street extends from the environs of Chatham to those of South Chatham, a distance of nearly two miles, lined with fine residences. Many of the inhabitants have formerly been engaged in fishing, buttheindustry is now nearly
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
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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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 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.
