The Phinney-Jones House
The Phinney-Jones House (built in 1834) is a late Federal ship captain's home at 3087 Main Street in Barnstable. It hosts our extensive collection of historical artifacts dating from the 1600s.
Among other things, visitors can learn about Barnstable's fishing, ice trade, salt manufacturing and cranberry industries; and get a glimpse into Barnstable life in years gone by.
Sylvanus B. Phinney (1808-1899) founded the Barnstable Patriot, Cape Cod's oldest newspaper. He was an outstanding business man and politician. Among his many accomplishments he was a customs collector under Presidents Polk, Pierce, Buchanan and Johnson; a member of the Democratic National Convention in 1844, 1853 and 1857; President of the Barnstable Agricultural Society; and was a Major in the 1st Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia.
Phinney bought the land on which the house stands from Henry Crocker in 1832. The current house was built in 1834.
In 1840, the house was lived in by Captain Benjamin Lothrop Jr. In1850 it was lived in by Dr. Peter Pineo and his wife Elizabeth. Dr. Pineo started a marine hospital in Hyannis and worked with Clara Barton (the founder of the Red Cross) during the Civil War.
Members of the Kimball, Howes and Hopkins families lived in the house through to 1900, when it became a law office. In 1948 the Jones family moved into the house.
In 2012 the house was bought by BHS.
The BHS museum is furnished and styled, in part, as a ship captain's home as it would have been in the 1800s. Exhibit rooms also showcase local artefacts and crafts, old maps, and paintings of former Barnstable residents.
Visitors can explore the house on their own, or ask for a guided tour led by one of our knowledgeable docents.
We welcome questions about our exhibitions, and we are happy to share interpretive insights and historical context.