Baxter, Shubael, House
Why it's listed
At 9 East Bay Road in Osterville, a village of Barnstable, stands a clapboard house first built around 1829 in the Federal style. Early in the 20th century it was enlarged by two bays toward the east and remodeled with full Colonial Revival details. It rises two stories under a hip roof and is seven bays long. The facade is organized around a monumental two-story entry pavilion that breaks through the roof in a segmental curve. The entry has a segmental pediment and a three-part window above it, heavy quoins mark the corners, and the windows hold 12/12 sash. Its first owner was Shubael Baxter, a sea captain and privateer. Later owners included Captain James Henry Parker, who was lost overboard from the schooner Abbie Bursley, and Dr. Thomas R. Clement, a Civil War surgeon. By 1907 J. S. Twombley owned it and may have directed the remodeling. The house was listed as a locally important Colonial Revival remodeling and is in excellent condition.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as the home of a local sea captain and as an impressive piece of architecture. It reached its present appearance through a major Colonial Revival remodeling of an earlier Federal period house. The form cites criteria B and C, but the final review accepted it under criterion C as a locally important Colonial Revival remodeling.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87000304, listed September 18, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 9 E. Bay Rd., Barnstable |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | September 18, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000304 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Federal/Colonial Revival remodelings |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in excellent condition and in use as a dwelling, with a barn and garage as outbuildings. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.62773, -70.37975 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87000304.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7504518
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.