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U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable) |
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![[photo]](buildings/usb1.jpg "[photo]")
U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable)
Photo copyright Dave and Elaine Doolittle of capecodphotoalbum.com, used with permission
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The U.S. Customshouse in Barnstable is architecturally and historically significant for its role in the maritime commerce of Cape Cod in the late 19th century. The Seventh United States Customs District was established in 1789 with the Town of Barnstable as its administrative center. Customs activities took place in the collector's home until the mid-19th century when collector Sylvanus B. Phinney secured congressional funding to erect a fireproof, brick and cast iron customshouse/post office in 1855. Ammi Burnham Young, Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, designed the two-story, Renaissance Revival style building with an advanced cast-iron structural system by 1856.
![[photo]](buildings/usb2.jpg "[photo]")
Historic postcard of U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable)
Postcard courtesy of Joy Fisher, USGenWeb Penny Postcard Collection |
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The customshouse occupied the second level until 1913, while the first level served as a post office until 1958. The County Extension Service replaced the customhouse on the second level from 1924 to 1957. The Federal government deeded the building and grounds to the Town of Barnstable in 1960 for use as a historical museum, which opened that same year. The building is dedicated to Donald G. Trayser, a local Barnstable historian, former editor of The Barnstable Patriot, former Clerk of the Barnstable Superior Court, and editor of Barnstable-Three Centuries of a Cape Cod Town, which was published in 1939. For many years, the historic building housed the collection of the Barnstable Historical Society. After the Society moved out, the customhouse was restored by a group of dedicated local residents and reopened as the Coast Guard Heritage Museum at the Trayser in July 2005.
The U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable) is located at 3353 Main St. in Barnstable. It is open to the public as the Coast Guard Heritage Museum, seasonally from 10:00am to 3:00pm, Tuesday-Sunday, for a small fee. For further information, contact the museum at 508-362-8521.
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