Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Barnstable (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Barnstable Market, Sandy Neck Light, and United States Customshouse. Also, be sure to include West Barnstable station in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Barnstable (Massachusetts).
Table of Contents
Barnstable Market
Courthouse in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Barnstable County Courthouse is an historic courthouse at 3195 Main Street in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The two-story Greek Revival building was built in 1831 to a design by architect Alexander Parris. It is built mostly out of Quincy granite, although its front portico and fluted Doric columns are made of wood fashioned to look like stone. The building has been expanded five times between 1879 and 1971, with each addition made in a style sensitive to its original styling, and its main courtroom features original Federal styling. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and included in the Old King's Highway Historic District in 1987. The Barnstable Superior Court is located in the building.[1]
Address: 3220 Main St, 02630 Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Sandy Neck Light
Lighthouse in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Sandy Neck Light is a lighthouse on Sandy Neck, in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, at the entrance to Barnstable Harbor. It was first established in 1826. The current tower was built in 1857 and strengthened in the 1880s. It was discontinued in 1931, replaced by a skeleton tower, which was discontinued in 1952. The light was relit as a private aid to navigation in 2007.[2]
United States Customshouse
Custom house. The U.S. Customshouse is a historic customs house and United States Coast Guard museum on Cobbs Hill in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built in 1855 to a design by Ammi Young, it was used as a custom house and post office until 1913, continuing to house the post office and other offices until 1958. It was converted into a museum in 1960, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[3]
Address: 3353 Main St, 02630 Barnstable (Mid Cape)
West Barnstable station
Museum in Barnstable, Massachusetts. West Barnstable station is a railway station in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. The train station currently serves as a weekend stop for several excursion trains operated by the Cape Cod Central Railroad. The station building, which is owned by the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is the headquarters on the Cape Cod Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.[4]
Address: Barnstable, 2469 Meetinghouse Way, West Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sturgis Library
Building in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts is the oldest building that houses a public library in America.
The original library building was built in 1644 as the house of Rev. John Lothropp and is the oldest building housing a public library in the United States. Since Reverend Lothrop used the front room of the house for public worship, another distinction of the Sturgis Library is that it is the oldest structure still standing in the United States where religious services were regularly held. This room is now called "The Lothrop Room" and contains a beamed ceiling and pumpkin-colored wide-board floors that exemplify the quintessential early character of authentic Cape Cod houses. The library was organized in 1863 and has continuously operated since that date.[5]
Address: 3090 Main St, 02630 Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Cahoon Museum of American Art
Museum in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Cahoon Museum of American Art is an art museum located in Cotuit, Massachusetts. It features fine art, folk art and American art from the 1800s through the present. Public programs include a series of annual changing exhibitions, tours, artist's talks and workshops, and family activities.[6]
Address: 4676 Falmouth Rd, 02635-2521 Cotuit (Mid Cape)
Old Jail
Museum in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Barnstable's Old Gaol is a historic colonial jail in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built c.1690, it is the oldest wooden jail in the United States of America.
The jail was built by order of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colony courts. It served as the Barnstable County jail until c.1820, when a new stone jail was built. The structure, which held about six prisoners, was eventually attached to a barn. In 1968 it was rediscovered, separated from the barn, and moved 100 feet onto the grounds of the Coast Guard Heritage Museum (located in the old Customshouse building) in Barnstable Village.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and included in the Old King's Highway Historic District in 1987.
In 1716, the jail imprisoned Goody Hallett, the lover of pirate Samuel Bellamy, later known as the Witch of Wellfleet, as well as the two survivors of Sam Bellamy's flagship Whydah Gally which wrecked at Wellfleet, and the seven survivors of his consort ship Mary Anne which wrecked ten miles south at Pochet Island. The jail house is considered one of the most haunted in America and is open to ghost tours at certain times of the year. It is believed to be haunted by Goody Hallett, who is said to also haunt the Expedition Whydah in Provincetown, as well as Lucifer Land (also called Goody Hallett's Meadow) which is a reference to the area of land at the top of the Wellfleet cliffs.[7]
Address: 3353 Main St 6A, 02630-1262 Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Barnstable Harbor
Barnstable Harbor is a natural harbor located in Barnstable, Massachusetts that is sheltered by Sandy Neck to the north and the city of Barnstable to the south. The inner harbor is mostly dredged, while the outer harbor is natural.
During the 2014-2015 winter, the inner harbor suffered extensive ice damage to pilings, which were pulled out or snapped.[8]
Address: 399 Millway, 02630 Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Osterville Baptist Church
Church building in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Osterville Baptist Church is an historic Baptist church building at 824 Main Street in the Osterville village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The white clapboarded wood-frame structure was built in 1837 for a congregation formed two years earlier. It is one of the older buildings in Osterville, and is a fine example of the Greek Revival with Gothic Revival elements. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[9]
Address: 824 Main St, 02655-2011 Osterville (Mid Cape)
Marstons Mills Community Church
Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Marstons Mills Community Church, formerly the Methodist Church, is a historic church building in the Marstons Mills village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The white clapboard church was built in the town of Yarmouth, and moved to Marstons Mills in 1830. Its small belfry tower was added sometime between 1888 and 1908, around the same time it acquired some of its Queen Anne stylistic elements. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 for its architecture and for its role in community history.[10]
Address: 2135 Main St, 02648-5705 Marstons Mills (Mid Cape)
Marstons Mills Hearse House and Cemetery
Cemetery. The Marstons Mills Hearse House and Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Massachusetts Route 149 in the Marstons Mills section of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The hearse house, essentially a garage, was built c. 1885 to house a hearse for the village of Marstons Mills, and was one of seven such buildings erected in Barnstable. It is one of only two that are now left, and the only one that is relatively unaltered and in its original setting. It presently serves as a utility shed for the Marston Mills Cemetery, and is maintained by the local historic society. It is a simple rectangular wood-frame structure, with a gable roof, decorative shingle exterior, and a large double-leaf equipment door.
The Marston Mills Cemetery was established in 1775, and is the resting place of many of the village's early settlers. It is located on the northwest side of Route 149, between Mistic Drive and Cammett Road. It is still in active use; the oldest graves are nearest the street, and it has an estimated 300–400 burials.
The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[11]
David Cole Observatory
Astronomical observatory. The David B. Cole Observatory is an educational astronomical observatory owned and operated by Barnstable High School. It is named after David Cole, the longtime trustee of the trust fund of Enoch Cobb. The observatory itself houses one telescope, while there are mounts outside the building for four more telescopes. The observatory is also located within the grounds of the high school, thus allowing for more access to the building for its students.[12]
Photography Center of Cape Cod
Museum
Address: 3480 Main St, Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Sampson's Folly
Sampson's Folly is a historic house in the Cotuit village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built in 1807, it is the finest Federal style house in Cotuit and one of the finest in all of Barnstable. The Sampsons, intermarried with the locally prominent Crockers, were major landowners in the area. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places September 18, 1987.[13]
Address: 40 Old Kings Rd, Barnstable (Mid Cape)
Town Boundary Markers of Barnstable
Historical landmark in Sandwich, Massachusetts. The town of Barnstable, Massachusetts has four surviving stone markers that were used in colonial days to mark the town's boundaries with its neighbors. All four are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, three of them individually, and one as part of the Old King's Highway Historic District. Barnstable was established in 1639.[14]
John Jenkins Homestead
The John Jenkins Homestead is a historic house located in Barnstable, Massachusetts.[15]
Ancient Burying Ground
Cemetery in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Ancient Burying Ground is a historical cemetery at Phinney's Lane in Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is the oldest cemetery in the village of Centerville, and the only surviving civic element of its colonial origins. was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[16]
Capt. Alexander Crocker House
The Capt. Alexander Crocker House is a historic house located in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts.[17]
Ebenezer Crocker Jr. House
The Ebenezer Crocker Jr. House is a historic house located in Barnstable, Massachusetts.[18]
Josiah B. Whitman House
The Josiah B. Whitman House is a historic house located in Barnstable, Massachusetts.[19]
Marstons Mills
Marstons Mills is a village in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It is primarily residential, located on Massachusetts Route 28, and rural in nature. Main roads also include Massachusetts Route 149, Race Lane, River Road, Osterville-West Barnstable Road, and Santuit-Newtown Road.[20]
Benjamin Baker Jr. House
The Benjamin Baker Jr. House is a historic house at 1579 Hyannis Road in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built about 1828, it is a well-preserved example of a Federal period "half Cape". It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[21]
Nathaniel Baker House
The Nathaniel Baker House is a historic house in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The house was probably built about 1721, and is a well-preserved example of an early Georgian hip-roofed house. It is also noted for its association with the locally prominent Baker family. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[22]
West Barnstable Village–Meetinghouse Way Historic District
The West Barnstable Village–Meetinghouse Way Historic District is a historic district on Meetinghouse Way from County Rd. to Meetinghouse Road in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The 175-acre district encompasses the historic heart of the village of West Barnstable. This is a roughly linear district, including all of the properties along Meetinghouse Way between County Road and the 1717 West Parish Meetinghouse, which is the district's most prominent building. Most of the houses in the district were built in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and are thus predominantly in Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival styles. Later buildings include the First Selectmen's Office, elementary school, and railroad station.
The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[23]
Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center
Public school in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Barnstable High School is a public high school in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States, Town of Barnstable. The school is part of the Barnstable Public School District.
Barnstable High School was founded in the 19th century and was located on High School Road in Hyannis before relocating to its current location on West Main Street in 1959. The school has had several major renovations and building additions over the years, most recently in 1998.[24]
Yarmouth Camp Ground Historic District
The Yarmouth Camp Ground Historic District is a historic district encompassing a religious summer camp meeting ground in Yarmouth and Barnstable, Massachusetts. The core of the camp ground was purchased in 1863 by the Sandwich District Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist Episcopal organization, and was operated until 1939. The area contains a well-preserved collection of predominantly residential buildings built during this period; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[25]
Liberty Hall
Building. Liberty Hall is a historic community building in the Marstons Mills village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The 1+1⁄2-story structure was built in 1859 by a local community group as a function hall. It has modest Greek Revival styling, with an entablature and corner pilasters, large 12-over-12 sash windows, and an entry vestibule projecting at an angle from one corner. It continues to be used as a community function space, although it was adapted for a time as the local Methodist church's parish hall.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[26]
Capt. Joseph Hinckley House
The Capt. Joseph Hinckley House is a historic house located at 142 Old Stage Road in Barnstable, Massachusetts.[27]
Capt. Seth Baker Jr. House
The Capt. Seth Baker Jr. House is a historic house in Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA. Built about 1850, it is a late example of transitional Federal-Greek Revival architecture, and a somewhat modest house built for a ship's captain. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[28]
Col. Charles Codman Estate
The Col. Charles Codman Estate is a historic house on Bluff Point Drive in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built in 1870, the house is a well-preserved example of a summer seaside resort house in Queen Anne/Shingle style. It was designed by Boston architect John Sturgis, and modified in the early 20th century, adding some Colonial Revival elements. The estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1987, and it was included in the Cotuit Historic District in November 1987.[29]
Seth Hallett House
The Seth Hallett House is a historic house in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built in 1775, this 1+1⁄2-story Cape house is one of the few surviving Federal style houses on Main Street in Hyannis. In the mid-19th century it was occupied by Seth Hallett, a town selectman. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[30]
Shubael Baxter House
The Shubael Baxter House is a historic house in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built c. 1829 by a ship's captain, it underwent a major transformation into a Colonial Revival mansion in the early 20th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 for its architectural significance.[31]
Josiah A. Ames House
The Josiah A. Ames House is an historic house in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Built in 1887 by a military veteran, it is notable for its association 1902–1922 with the Lincoln House of Boston, a charity providing "fresh air" opportunities to inner city youth. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[32]
Old King's Highway Historic District
The Old King's Highway Historic District encompasses what was historically the principal east–west thoroughfare through Barnstable, Massachusetts. It encompasses Barnstable's entire length of what is now designated Massachusetts Route 6A and called Main Street, between the town lines of Sandwich and Yarmouth. It includes more than 1,000 acres, and includes all of the buildings whose properties front on the road, nearly 500 in all. The area includes the main population centers of Barnstable from its founding in the late 1630s until the mid-19th century, when the southern parts of the community became more significant in economic prominence. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The oldest buildings in the district are the Allyn House (2730 Main Street), built in the late 1600s, and the Old Jail, built c. 1690. The Old Jail is the oldest wooden jail in the United States, and is now part of a museum complex including the Old Customshouse. Both the jail and the customshouse are also separately listed on the National Register.
The 1763 county courthouse, at 3046 Rt. 6A, was the scene of an historic mass protest on Sept. 27, 1774, against British efforts to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party the previous year. The protesters demanded that county officials refuse to obey the Massachusetts Government Act, passed by the British Parliament in May 1774, which stripped the colony of its long-held rights of self-government. County officials agreed, and Royal control of the county was effectively ended. The building was converted to a church in 1842.
Because of the shift of Barnstable's economy to more maritime concerns based in villages along its southern coast beginning in the early 19th century, the villages along the King's Highway gradually declined in economic importance, with an resultant decline in construction. As a result, the district has a large number of Federal and Greek Revival properties. Barnstable Village, stretched out along the highway, remained the civic administrative center of the county, even though town offices were eventually moved to Hyannis. The Barnstable County Courthouse, built in 1831, is one of the landmarks of the area's importance in county administration.[33]
Capt. William Hallett House
The Capt. William Hallett House is a historic house in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA.[34]