Crowell-Bourne Farm
Why it's listed
Set on West Falmouth Highway and facing south over Crocker's Pond, this 35.73-acre farm holds a timber-frame farmhouse, two barns and nine small outbuildings, all enclosed by a dry-laid stone wall. The two-and-a-half-story house, probably built around 1775, sits on a hammered granite foundation and is covered in unpainted cedar shingles. Inside, fine raised field paneling survives little altered. A railroad line crosses the land, and a cattle pass cut beneath it remains. Joseph Crowell, born in 1744, bought and developed the farm in 1772. An 1811 valuation recorded his house, barn, pasture, tillage, mowing land and a storehouse of grain and hay. He was a Congregationalist, deacon, selectman and militia ensign. The farm later passed to his son, a hired helper and then his great-grandson Lester Bourne. It is valued as a rare, intact example of Cape Cod's eighteenth-century farming landscape, and it may hold prehistoric and historic archaeological remains.
Significance in brief: The farm is presented as a rare representative of Cape Cod's eighteenth-century agricultural character, with integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It has associations with the early development of Falmouth through Joseph Crowell, a deacon, selectman and militia ensign. It is also judged to have prehistoric and historic archaeological potential.
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 80000501, listed April 23, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W. Falmouth Hwy., West Falmouth |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | April 23, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80000501 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Joseph Crowell (builder) |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition and unaltered on its original site; the interior is little altered. Ownership passed to a bird sanctuary organization to be preserved as an exhibit of a working farm. |
| Acreage | 35.7 |
| Within district | West Falmouth Village Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.61662, -70.62436 (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 80000501.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5189214
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.