Marstons Mills Hearse House and Cemetery
Why it's listed
A small gable-roofed hearse house, built around 1885 and sheathed in painted wood shingles, sits beside the Marstons Mills Cemetery on Route 149. In the 1800s each of Barnstable's seven villages had a horse-drawn hearse and a building to house it, paid for by town meeting appropriations. This one stopped serving that purpose in the early 1930s and later became a storage and tool shed. In 1984 the town planned to move it to Sandy Neck as a gatehouse, but residents and the Barnstable Historical Commission objected, and local groups raised money for repairs in 1985. It is one of only two hearse houses left in town, and the only one on its original site that has not been substantially altered. The adjoining cemetery holds an estimated 300-400 gravestones, including those of the Marston family and other early village families, and displays the full range of 19th-century stone types.
Significance in brief: The hearse house is argued to be significant for its ties to the village of Marstons Mills and as the only building of its type in Barnstable to remain substantially unaltered since the mid-19th century. The cemetery is significant for its role in the village's development and for the artistic quality of its gravestones, which span the full range of 19th-century types.
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 87000302, listed March 13, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | MA 149, Barnstable |
|---|---|
| County | Barnstable County |
| Listed | March 13, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000302 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Art |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The hearse house is listed as vacant and in fair-good condition; it was repaired in 1985 with concrete footings and new timbers. The cemetery is still in use and needs gravestone repair. |
| Acreage | 5.8 |
| Coordinates | 41.66233, -70.40847 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 87000302.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6774014
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.