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Barnstable Harbor, November 2002

Barnstable is the name of one of the seven villages within the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The Village of Barnstable is located on the north side of the Town, centered along "Old Kings Highway", state route 6A, and houses the County Complex of Barnstable County, a small business district, a working harbor and several small beaches. The Village is home to many small attractions including Sturgis Library, The Olde Colonial Courthouse (now Tales of Cape Cod), The Barnstable Comedy Club, and the Trayser Museum.

The Sturgis Library was constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop, founder of Barnstable. The house which forms the original part of the Library is the oldest library building in the United States. The building is also one of the oldest houses remaining on Cape Cod. Since Reverend Lothrop used the front room of the house for public worship, another distinction of the Sturgis Library is that it is the oldest structure still standing in America where religious services were regularly held. This room is now called "The Lothrop Room" and contains a beamed ceiling and pumpkin-colored wide-board floors that exemplify the quintessential early character of authentic Cape Cod houses.

The Olde Colonial Courthouse was Built in 1772 and is the oldest wooden courthouse on Cape Cod. Tales of Cape Cod, a local group dedicated to preserving the Cape's history, sponsors a series of lectures with slide shows in the Courthouse during the summer months every Tuesday evening.

The village could probably be considered the most historic village in Barnstable; It holds the homes of M. Hinkley, D.G. Bacon, F.D. Cobb, and many more, all these homes dating from the mid 1800s. The area also holds the renowned Cummaquid Golf Club, The Barnstable Comedy Club and the Trayser Museum.

The Barnstable Comedy Club is the oldest and longest running Community Theater in Massachusetts – more than 84 seasons. The Trayser Museum is the former county custom house, which now houses a Coast Guard Heritage Museum. Barnstable village is also home to the Crocker Tavern, which was built around 1754 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In his collection of short stories, Welcome to the Monkey House, author Kurt Vonnegut references Barnstable Village on more than one occasion.

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