Misplaced Pages

U.S. Customshouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
US Customshouse in 2014
Show map of Cape CodShow map of MassachusettsShow map of the United States
Location	3353 Main Street, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°42′1″N 70°17′57″W / 41.70028°N 70.29917°W / 41.70028; -70.29917
Built	1855
Architect	Ammi B. Young
Architectural style	Italianate
Part of	Old King's Highway Historic District (ID87000314)
NRHP reference No.	75000239
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 12, 1975
Designated CP	March 12, 1987

The U.S. Customshouse (now known as the Coast Guard Heritage Museum and the Donald G. Trayser Memorial Museum) 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.

Description and history

The former customshouse is set on the south side of Main Street just east of Barnstable's municipal complex. It is a two-story brick building with late Italianate styling, designed by Ammi Young and built in 1855. It has trim details of cast metal and a truncated hip roof. The building is nearly square, three bays on a side, with the front-facing bays projecting slightly. Its door and window openings have round-arch tops highlighted by light-colored trim. A line of corbeled brickwork separates the two floors, and there is more elaborate corbelling at the cornice. A carriage house with similar styling stands to the rear.

The port of Barnstable was one of the busiest in Massachusetts in the 19th century. Prior to the construction of this facility, the customs collector of the U.S. Customs District of Barnstable operated from his own home. This building at first house the post office on the ground floor and the offices of the customs collector on the second floor, serving both of these roles until 1913. The upstairs offices next housed offices of the Barnstable County Extension Service. The post office moved out in 1958, and the federal government turned the building over to the town in 1960. It has served as a museum property since, currently housing the Coast Guard Museum. The Old Jail (1690) is located on the museum grounds adjacent to the customshouse after being moved from another location nearby. There is also a working blacksmith shop with daily demonstrations on the museum grounds.

See also

• List of maritime museums in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barnstable County, Massachusetts

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. ^ "MACRIS inventory record for US Customshouse". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 5, 2014.

External links

Media related to United States Customshouse (Barnstable, Massachusetts) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Barnstable Berkshire Bristol Dukes Essex Franklin Hampden Hampshire Middlesex Nantucket Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester (northern)
Lists by city	Barnstable County Barnstable Harwich Bristol County Fall River New Bedford Taunton Essex County Andover Gloucester Ipswich Lawrence Lynn Methuen Salem Hampden County Springfield Middlesex County Arlington Cambridge Concord Framingham Lexington Lowell Marlborough Medford Newton Reading Sherborn Somerville Stoneham Wakefield Waltham Weston Winchester Norfolk County Brookline Milton Quincy Suffolk County Boston northern southern Worcester County Southbridge Uxbridge Worcester eastern northwestern southwestern
Other lists	Bridges Cape Cod National Seashore National Historic Landmarks Boston
Category National Register of Historic Places portal United States portal

v t e United States Coast Guard
Category:United States Coast Guard
Leadership	Secretary of Homeland Security Commandant of the Coast Guard Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard
Organization	Missions Reserve Intelligence Investigative Service Legal Division Police Areas Districts Sectors Stations Air Stations Radio stations Shipbuilding Yard National Ice Center Research and Development Center Coast Guard Auxiliary
Personnel and training	Personnel Officer ranks Enlisted ranks Ratings Coast Guard Academy Training Center Cape May Training Center Petaluma Training Center Yorktown Maritime Law Enforcement Academy Joint Maritime Training Center Aviation Association Chaplain of the Coast Guard Four-star admirals Three-star admirals
Uniforms and equipment	Uniforms Awards Badges Cutters List of cutters Ship commissioning Ship decommissioning Equipment
History and traditions	History Coast Guard Act Coast Guard City Life-Saving Service Revenue Cutter Service Lighthouse Service Steamboat Inspection Service Bureau of Navigation "Semper Paratus" Flag Ensign Racing Stripe United States Coast Guard Band United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard United States Coast Guard Pipe Band Fleet Week Coast Guard service numbers Coast Guardsman's Creed United States Coast Guard Cutters Coast Guard Bears SPARS
Battles and operations	Quasi-War War of 1812 West Indies anti-piracy operations Capture of the schooner Bravo Ingham Incident Amistad Incident Great Lakes Patrol Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Fort Sumter Battle of Pig Point Battle of Galveston Harbor Battle of Portland Harbor Overland Relief Expedition Spanish–American War Battle of Manila Bay Battle of Cárdenas Ice Patrol World War I 1st Battle of the Atlantic Great Mississippi Flood Rum Patrol World War II 2nd Battle of the Atlantic Battle of Guam Operation Overlord Korean War Vietnam War Coast Guard Squadron One Operation Market Time Operation Sealords Action of 1 March 1968 Persian Gulf War War on terror Afghanistan War Iraq War Operation Enduring Freedom HOA

• Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
• Buildings and structures in Barnstable, Massachusetts
• Custom houses in the United States
• United States Coast Guard
• History of the United States Coast Guard
• Maritime museums in Massachusetts
• Military and war museums in Massachusetts
• Naval museums in the United States
• Museums in Barnstable County, Massachusetts
• History museums in Massachusetts
• Government buildings completed in 1855
• Museums established in 2005
• 2005 establishments in Massachusetts
• Ammi B. Young buildings
• National Register of Historic Places in Barnstable, Massachusetts
• Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
• Custom houses on the National Register of Historic Places