Historical Places Barnstable County, MA

Historical structures represent a community's cultural tie for all generations; from early settlers to the present day.  Family homesteads, meeting houses, workshops, factories, and nautical structures, built prior to the 20th century, portray the environ- mental landscape, means of commerce, religious and political beliefs, and daily life of our ancestors.  These formidable structures deserve a spot on the family tree. It is fitting, therefore, that the protection and preservation of historical structures is a heart-felt, personal, and community-wide responsibility.

Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or artifacts of historical significance.  One important philosophy behind historic preservation is to "do no harm". An effective means to that end is in the concept of "adaptive reuse" whereby older buildings are given new life by converting them for alternative uses such as offices, libraries, and community centers and maintaining their historical exterior.  By merging the concepts of smart growth, sustainability, and historic preservation, adaptive reuse makes social, economic and environmental sense for any community.   

Preservation Team

Our local preservation community is strong.  Many Cape towns have historical or preservation societies comprised of townspeople who are passionate about protecting our heritage.  Historical restoration projects are brought to life by a preservation team that generally includes: people personally connected to the structure like parishioners of a church; building committees; design professionals such as architects and engineers; building code officials; regulatory compliance experts; and a construction team.

Generally speaking, there are two hurdles that preservation teams need to overcome to get a project off the ground:  raising awareness that a structure needs attention and raising project funds.  If a structure meets certain criteria as set by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, it may qualify for historic distinction. The Massachusetts Historical Commission may offer financial assistance by way of grant programs through the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund that was established to support the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the new 8th Edition State Building code gives special dispensation to historic structures through relief from strict conformance with updated building codes. 

Highfield Hall Falmouth

Throughout history, members of communities joined together to design and build gathering places, houses of worship, and businesses. Today, it takes the same team work to preserve or restore historical structures.

Historically Speaking

The Pilgrim Monument, Brooks Academy, Harwich Recreation Center, Provincetown Library and Brewster Meeting House are recent examples of community historic landmarks that have been or are currently being successfully restored on Cape Cod.

Brewster Meeting House

The restoration of the 177-year-old Brewster Meeting House has been

Video: Raising of BMH

described as a "complete transformation". The $1.5 million project was completed in an impressive 14 months because of the dedication and tireless efforts of the preservation project team. Funds were raised by parishioners, residents, and the Brewster Community Preservation Committee. Regulatory compliance was managed by a local permitting expert. The modernized design was done by an architectural firm with significant historic preservation experience on Cape Cod. The interior beams, posts, and rafters were designed at the hand of a local crafter and the interior paint was done by a local artist. The entire building was lifted off its foundation and then re-set on a modern concrete foundation under the supervision of local engineers and contractors.  On Christmas Eve, 2011, the Church re-opened its doors to the community serving as an example of the pride and progress a community feels at the conclusion of a historical preservation project. [Read more:  Brewster Meeting House Preservation]

Pilgrim Monument

Another

Pilgrim Monument Provincetown

historical Cape Cod landmark currently receiving some TLC after enduring years of harsh weather and visitor traffic is the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown.  While the Monument was closed for the winter, local structural engineers worked with a New England-based structural renovation company to address the Monument's structural integrity by using state-of-the-art advance fiber technology. Additional repairs to the Monument over the years have included repairing corrosion-related damage, water damage to the observation deck, and improvements to the the interior hand rail and ramp system.  

[Read more:  Building  Pilgrim Monument]

Join In

If you enjoy the historical structures and landmarks that call Cape Cod home, inquire about protection and preservation efforts that may be in the works. If the structure calls for repair, generate conversation with friends, colleagues, and around town with community members. With community support and specialized design and construction teams, you may have a historical preservation project underway.    

Restoration and preservation projects are a reinvestment in communities. As our forefathers could certainly attest to, "with every challenge there is opportunity to succeed."        _____________________________________________________________________ 

MAY is National Preservation Month.