United States Customshouse (Barnstable, Massachusetts) facts for kids
|
U.S. Customshouse
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
US Customshouse in 2014
|
|
 Location in Cape Cod
Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 3353 Main Street, Barnstable, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | Ammi B. Young |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Part of | Old King's Highway Historic District (ID87000314) |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000239 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | November 12, 1975 |
| Designated CP | March 12, 1987 |
The U.S. Customshouse is a very old and important building in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Today, it is known as the Coast Guard Heritage Museum and the Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum. It sits on Cobbs Hill and was built in 1855. A famous architect named Ammi Young designed it.
For many years, this building was used as a place to collect taxes on goods coming into the country (a custom house) and also as a post office. It served these roles until 1913. After that, it continued to hold the post office and other offices until 1958. In 1960, it became a museum. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This means it is a special building worth protecting.
About the Old Customshouse
This old customshouse building is located on the south side of Main Street. It is a two-story building made of brick. It was built in 1855 and shows a building style called Italianate. This style often includes decorative details and round-arched windows.
The building has special trim made of cast metal. Its roof is a "truncated hip roof," which means it slopes on all four sides but has a flat top. The building is almost square, with three sections on each side. The front sections stick out a little. The doors and windows have round tops with light-colored trim around them. There are decorative bricks that stick out between the two floors and more fancy brickwork at the top of the building. Behind the main building, there is a smaller building called a carriage house, which has a similar style.
History of the Building
In the 1800s, the harbor in Barnstable was one of the busiest in Massachusetts. Before this building was constructed, the person who collected customs taxes worked from their own home. This new building was built to be a proper office.
At first, the ground floor was used as a post office, where people sent and received mail. The second floor held the offices for the customs collector. Both of these services were in the building until 1913. After that, the upstairs offices were used by a local government office called the Barnstable County Extension Service.
The post office moved out in 1958. In 1960, the national government gave the building to the town of Barnstable. Since then, it has been a museum. Today, it is home to the Coast Guard Museum. On the museum grounds, you can also see the Old Jail, which was built in 1690. It was moved to this spot from another nearby location. There is also a working blacksmith shop on the museum grounds, where you can often see demonstrations of how things were made long ago.
More to Explore
