Gay Head-Aquinnah Town Center Historic District
Why it's listed
Gay Head, now Aquinnah, sits at the western tip of Martha's Vineyard, and its town center is a small cluster of modest shingled buildings at South Road and Church Street. The district covers about seven acres and includes a one-room school (ca. 1844, moved 1878) now used as the public library, a Baptist church (1850) and parsonage (1856) both moved in 1907, a former post office from the 1920s, and a Craftsman-style Town Hall/Community Center built in 1929. Two World War I monuments stand in front of the town hall, one honoring the town for sending more men to the war in proportion to its population than any other New England town. After South Road was laid out in 1870, families and institutions left the older Old South Road, and this group became the new center of community life. A newer town office and fire station are non-contributing. Archaeological potential is considered high.
Significance in brief: The district is described as the compact civic, educational and religious center of Gay Head, formed when the community shifted from Old South Road to the newer South Road. Three of its buildings were moved there during the historic period, a move the form treats as a significant event in the town's evolution. It also records the town's service in World War I and has high 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 99000187, listed February 26, 1999. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | South Rd. and Church St., Aquinnah |
|---|---|
| County | Dukes County |
| Listed | February 26, 1999 |
| Reference number | 99000187 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; no style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government, Education, Native American, Exploration/Settlement, Religion |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Post Office/Residence is currently unoccupied. The School houses the public library, the Town Hall/Community Center is in use, and the Church is the only extant church in Gay Head. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 41.34234, -70.81175 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 99000187.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5528591
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.