Old Village Historic District

Chatham's Old Village occupies the southeast corner of the town on Cape Cod, bounded by Chatham Harbor on the east and Mill Pond and Little Mill Pond on the west. It is a densely built residential neighborhood of narrow, tree-shaded streets, most laid out by 1880. The district holds 220 contributing resources, including traditional Cape Cod cottages, Greek Revival houses, and Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival buildings. The oldest known house, the Solomon Collins House, dates to about 1730. Settlement grew after 1808, when the federal government built lighthouses at James Head, and the area shifted toward the harbor in the early 19th century. The Chatham Light Station, Chatham Light Park with its memorials, and the Sailors' Cemetery are also within the boundaries. Most buildings are small, wood-framed, one-and-a-half to two stories, and set close to the street. The district is considered significant as a well-preserved example of a Cape Cod village shaped by maritime trade and summer resort use between about 1730 and 1945.