Barnstable

Barnstable (bärn'stubul) [key], town (1990 pop. 40,949), seat of Barnstable co., SE Mass.; inc. 1639. It is a resort town on Cape Cod. Industries are tourism, fishing, and cranberry farming. Barnstable comprises seven villages, including Hyannis. Points of interest include the home of the Revolutionary War patriot James Otis, in West Barnstable; the John F. Kennedy Memorial, in Hyannis; and several 18th-century buildings. From colonial times until the middle of the 19th cent., Barnstable had a prosperous coastal and overseas shipping trade.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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