Barneyville Historic District

Barneyville is a small riverside village in northwestern Swansea, Massachusetts, where houses from about 1750 to the early 20th century line Old Providence and Barneyville Roads on both banks of the Palmer River. The district covers roughly 27 acres and includes 13 contributing and 16 noncontributing resources. Settlement began with the Rev. John Myles's garrisoned home, after 1663. The village took its name and identity from the Barney shipyard, begun by Jonathan Barney and expanded by his son Mason, whose yard launched 137 ships between 1803 and 1859. Jewelry manufacturing, started by Daniel R. Child, replaced shipbuilding until the early 1920s. Surviving buildings include Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival and Colonial Revival houses, among them the ca. 1750 Barney House and the Mason Barney House. A 1938 concrete bridge, site markers and a golf course also lie within the boundaries. The district keeps its rural character and is entirely residential today.