Barnstable

Barnstable, or its Indian name, Mattakeese, is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. Bartholomew Gosnold was the first to set foot on what is now the village of Hyannis and it’s been a busy and exciting place ever since. The town was settled in 1636 and incorporated in 1639. When farming proved unsuccessful, the settlers quickly turned to the sea. Fishing, whaling and salt works became a large industry and, in the late 1800s, there were as many as 800 boats moored in the harbors. Many of the sea captains mansions remain and many of their descendants are still in residence.

In July of 1854, the railroad arrived in Hyannis and ships were being driven by steam. The glory days of the beautiful schooners and the fishing industry would decline but were replaced by trade and bigger businesses. It was becoming obvious that thousands of visitors were returning summer after summer and, as in most Cape towns, tourism became a booming business.

The villages that make up the population of Barnstable are: Barnstable, Centerville, cotuit, Hyannis (including Hyannis Port), Marstons Mills, Osterville and West Barnstable.

Barnstable is not only the largest and most populous of the Cape towns but it is probably the busiest and most well known. This is largely due to the village of Hyannis, the home of social activity, their busy airport and some of its residents. This all began when Ulysses S. Grant visited the Cape along with many prominent Bostonians. Later, Grover Cleveland spent summers there and, of course, the well known Compound in Hyannis Port that is owned and lived in by the Kennedy family. Ted Kennedy’s official address is still Hyannis Port. Down town Hyannis, on Main Street, is the site of the John F. Kennedy Museum.

The Melody Tent is another well-known attraction in Hyannis. During the summer, it draws big names in show business. It is a small, intimate tent theater-in-the-round and one truly sees the stars up close. As the saying goes, not a bad seat in the house. One port in Hyannis provides steamship access to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The Hyannis Mariners, or Mets, are one of the teams on the Cape Cod Baseball League and their home field is McKeon Field at the brand new Hyannis High School, Pope John Paul II High School.

The rest of Barnstable is largely residential and hospitable to the many visitors it sees every year. The beaches are vast, the shopping exciting, the museums interesting and plentiful and the food, of course, is outstanding.