West Barnstable, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
West Barnstable is a village or section in the northwest part of the City of Barnstable, Massachusetts
. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential.
the Patriot was the original intellectual leader of the revolutionary movement in Boston in the years leading up to the War of Independence.
His sister, Mercy Otis Warren
, also born next to the Great Marshes, became a political activist, one of the first women writers in the country, and a historian of note. She is a member of the Women's Hall of Fame.
Lemuel Shaw
, another native of the village, held the important post of chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1830 to 1860 and earned the reputation of a leading jurist in the nation's formative constitutional history.
The fourth native, Captain John "Mad Jack" Percival
, rose to the highest rank in the U.S. Navy, serving in four wars. In late 1844 he saved and restored the U.S. frigate Constitution and then sailed her around the world, the venerable ship's only circumnavigation.
is known as "Shark City" reputedly because of the card sharks who hung out there. West Barnstable is home to Cape Cod Community College
, the only college on the Cape proper, as well as the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music, Art, Drama & Dance.
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Barnstable is a city, referred to as the Town of Barnstable, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the county seat of Barnstable County. Barnstable is the largest community, both in land area and population, on Cape Cod. The town contains seven villages within its boundaries...
. Once devoted to agricultural pursuits, West Barnstable now is largely residential.
Natural features
These include six-mile long Sandy Neck Barrier Beach which protects the extensive Great Marshes, the latter a source of salt hay that attracted the first English settlers to the area in the mid-17th century.Prominent Sons and Daughters
Remarkably, in the 18th century, the village produced four nationally prominent leaders at a time when there were no more than 500 inhabitants. James OtisJames Otis, Jr.
James Otis, Jr. was a lawyer in colonial Massachusetts, a member of the Massachusetts provincial assembly, and an early advocate of the political views that led to the American Revolution. The phrase "Taxation without Representation is Tyranny" is usually attributed to him...
the Patriot was the original intellectual leader of the revolutionary movement in Boston in the years leading up to the War of Independence.
His sister, Mercy Otis Warren
Mercy Otis Warren
Mercy Otis Warren was a political writer and propagandist of the American Revolution. In the eighteenth century, topics such as politics and war were thought to be the province of men. Few women had the education or training to write about these subjects. Warren was the exception...
, also born next to the Great Marshes, became a political activist, one of the first women writers in the country, and a historian of note. She is a member of the Women's Hall of Fame.
Lemuel Shaw
Lemuel Shaw
Lemuel Shaw was an American jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court...
, another native of the village, held the important post of chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1830 to 1860 and earned the reputation of a leading jurist in the nation's formative constitutional history.
The fourth native, Captain John "Mad Jack" Percival
John Percival
John Percival known as Mad Jack Percival was a legendary officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812, the campaign against West Indies pirates, and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:Born in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, Percival left home at thirteen to...
, rose to the highest rank in the U.S. Navy, serving in four wars. In late 1844 he saved and restored the U.S. frigate Constitution and then sailed her around the world, the venerable ship's only circumnavigation.
Description
The fully restored 1717 Congregational meetinghouse, West Parish of Barnstable, UCC, (West Parish Memorial Foundation) remains a central feature of the village. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries a number of Finnish immigrants settled here, and, to this day, the eastern side of the village is known as "Finn Town", while the area near the West Barnstable Train StationWest Barnstable Train Station
The West Barnstable Station, located on Route 149 in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is the only station remaining on the old Old Colony Railroad route on Cape Cod that is in use for tourism. It was used for Amtrak's "Cape Codder"...
is known as "Shark City" reputedly because of the card sharks who hung out there. West Barnstable is home to Cape Cod Community College
Cape Cod Community College
Cape Cod Community College, known locally as "4-C's", is a two-year community college located in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. Cape Cod Community College was established in 1961, the second institution to open as part of what is now a 15 community college system in Massachusetts...
, the only college on the Cape proper, as well as the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music, Art, Drama & Dance.