Mill Way Historic District

Mill Way is a short road in Barnstable Village that once led to Barnstable Harbor, and the district along it contains 15 early houses on about 15 acres, with barns, garages and sheds. The buildings range from the David Bursley House of about 1750 to Greek Revival and Colonial Revival examples, all of wood-frame construction and set close to the street. Maritime trades shaped the area. Abraham Blish built a tidal grist mill here as early as 1657, and shipbuilding became prominent in the early 19th century, with builder William Lewis launching the 186-ton brig Cummaquid in 1836. Salt manufacture by solar evaporation was another early 19th-century industry, and Loring Crocker won a silver medal for salt in 1828. Many houses were built by men who worked the sea. The period of significance runs from about 1657 to about 1900, when maritime activity declined. The northern boundary excludes modern maritime industries.