Town of Barnstable Receives Grant for Custom House/Trayser Museum

The Town of Barnstable applied for and received a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Historical Commission in the amount of $50,000 for improvements to the Custom House (Trayser Museum). 

The Barnstable Town Council voted unanimously to support this grant at its July 12 meeting. 

The grant required a 50-50 match of funds between the Commonwealth and the Town of Barnstable. The Town Council earlier approved a FY13 Capital Improvement Program request totaling $217,346 from the Community Preservation Committee to fund design, project management and restoration costs for the project. The Grant is a part of the total funding approved,

The funds will be used to restore the building while maintaining its beautiful and historical significance. The improvements include the restoration/replacement of windows, cast iron trim as well as exterior masonry re-pointing and flashing replacement. 

The Trayser Museum Building is the only building in Barnstable listed on the National Register of Historic Places that achieves a “totally preserved building” status.  It currently is the home of the Coast Guard Museum.

Background: 
The U.S. Customs House in Barnstable is architecturally and historically significant for its role in the maritime commerce of Cape Cod in the late 19^th century. The Seventh United States Customs District was established in 1789 with the Town of Barnstable as its administrative center.  Customs activities took place in the collector’s home until the mid-19^th century when collector Sylvanus B. Phinney secured congressional funding to erect a fireproof, brick and cast iron customs house/post office in 1855.

Ammi Burnham Young, Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, designed the two-story, Renaissance Revival style building with an advanced cast-iron structural system by 1856.

The customs house occupied the second level until 1913, while the first level served as a post office until 1958.  The County Extension Service replaced the custom house on the second level from 1924 to 1957.  The Federal government deeded the building and grounds to the Town of Barnstable in 1960 for use as a historical museum.

Information from a press release.