{"nrhp_refnum":"81000104","name":"Barnstable County Courthouse","other_names":["Barnstable County Superior Courthouse"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Barnstable","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.70147981900004,"lon":-70.30428740099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-06-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Law","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival granite county courthouse on Main Street (Route 6A) in Barnstable Village, Massachusetts, built in 1831/32 and enlarged by several later additions. It is owned by the County of Barnstable.","why_significant":"The courthouse has served as the seat of Barnstable County government and justice since 1831 and has hosted notable judges and lawyers, including Daniel Webster. It is also a fine early example of the monumental Greek Revival style on Cape Cod, thought to be the first there with a full two-story columned portico. Its design is ascribed to Alexander Parris.","narrative":"Perched on a hill above Barnstable Village and harbor, this courthouse was built in 1831/32 after an 1827 fire destroyed the earlier county house and most deed and probate records. Constructed of coursed rough-faced Quincy granite with lighter granite quoins, it is fronted by a Greek Doric portico of four fluted columns that is actually made of wood. A cupola crowns the roof. Design is ascribed to Alexander Parris, and Jacob and Abner Taylor are named as builders. Wings were added in 1893, 1897, 1906, 1925 and 1972, generally using Quincy granite to match the original fabric. The building has housed county offices and the Superior Court since its completion. Judges such as Lemuel Shaw sat here, and attorneys including Daniel Webster argued cases in its courtroom. It is considered an early and influential Cape Cod example of Greek Revival design, and it remains in active use.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Jacob & Abner Taylor / Alexander Parris (design ascribed to Parris); later additions by Samuel D. Kelley, J. Williams Beal, Guy Lowell, and Gafney Associates","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Occupied and still in use; most county offices and the Superior Court remain in the building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.259926-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/7940/63794071/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/81000104.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000104/0f9df9460e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/81000104/0f9df9460e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Kenneth C. Zirkel","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnstable_County_Courthouse_2014.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Kenneth C. Zirkel</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Barnstable_County_Courthouse_2014.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87000314","name":"Old King's Highway Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/old-kings-highway-historic-district-87000314/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794071","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstable_County_Courthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4861949"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/barnstable-county-courthouse-81000104/"}