Barnstable Historical Society

In 1639, Barnstable was established by the Plymouth Plantation Colony as the third town on Cape Cod. Over time, Barnstable was divided into six distinct villages: Centerville, Cotuit, Hyannis, Marstons Mills, Osterville, and West Barnstable. Each of these communities grew and developed their own libraries, schools, churches, and general stores. Local industry was abundant, and residents were employed as blacksmiths, cobblers, copper smiths, and farmers. Saltworks, cranberry bogs, shipbuilding, and light industry also supported the area. Barnstable documents the evolution of the town between the 1839 centennial celebration and the 1939 tercentenary and shows how the advent of both the railroad and steam-powered ships spurred great change in the town's communities. Today, economic life revolves around Hyannis while the other villages have become more residential in nature.

One of the first towns founded in the original Plymouth colony, Barnstable Village has not only endured but thrived for more than 350 years. Bordering on Barnstable Harbor and Cape Cod Bay, the sea has played a major role in Barnstable's continued success--by the end of the 19th century, there were over 800 boats docked in the harbor, but as sailing became an outdated mode of transportation, Barnstable was reinvented as a tourist destination, which it remains to this day. Many prominent Bostonians spent their summers on the Cape's shore, including U.S. presidents Grover Cleveland, Ulysses S. Grant, and most notably, the Kennedy family.Barnstable Village, West Barnstable, and Sandy Neckcombines the histories of notable people, leisure activities, and working days from these three unique regions of the town of Barnstable.