United States Customs District of Barnstable

The United States Customs District of Barnstable was an administrative area for the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States by ship at the port of Barnstable, Massachusetts. Established in 1789, it was abolished in 1913. Today the port of Barnstable is administered by the Boston Customs District.

History

The District of Barnstable was established in the fifth statute passed by the First Congress in 1789 (ch.5, 1 Stat. 30). This act provided for the collection of the duties that had been laid down in the Hamilton Tariff earlier that year. The town of Barnstable was designated as the port of entry for the district. The towns of Sandwich, Harwich, Wellfleet, Provincetown and Chatham were designated as ports of delivery only. The district included all shores and waters within the county of Barnstable, excepting the town of Falmouth. A collector for the district was appointed, to reside at Barnstable.[1]

Customs House
Customs House

Customs activities took place in the collector's home until the mid-19th century when collector Sylvanus B. Phinney secured congressional funding to erect a fireproof, brick and cast iron customshouse/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 in 1856. The customshouse occupied the second level until 1913, when Barnstable ceased to be a customs district in its own right. The first level continued to serve as a post office until 1958. The federal government deeded the building and grounds to the town of Barnstable in 1960 for use as a historical museum, which opened that same year. The building is dedicated to Donald G. Trayser, a local Barnstable historian, former editor of The Barnstable Patriot, former Clerk of the Barnstable Superior Court, and editor of Barnstable - Three Centuries of a Cape Cod Town, which was published in 1939. For many years, the historic building housed the collection of the Barnstable Historical Society. After the Society moved out, the customhouse was restored by a group of dedicated local residents and reopened as the Coast Guard Heritage Museum at the Trayser in July 2005.[2]

Officers

The position of collector was appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Senate. From 1820 onward, collectors were limited to four-year commissions, at the end of which they needed to be reappointed by the President. They could also be removed from office at any time at the pleasure of the President.

Collector for the District (1789 - 1913)
NameEntered Office[n 1]Left OfficeFirst Appointed ByReason for Leaving Office
Joseph OtisAugust 3, 1789February 7, 1809George Washington ???
William Otis[n 2]February 7, 1809January 21, 1814Thomas Jefferson ???
Isaiah L. GreenJanuary 21, 1814March 3, 1837James MadisonCommission expired
Henry CrockerMarch 3, 1837March 11, 1841[n 3]Andrew JacksonCommission expired
Ebenezer BaconMarch 11, 1841March 11, 1845William Henry HarrisonCommission expired
Josiah HinckleyMarch 11, 1845April 4, 1847James K. PolkRemoved by Polk
Sylvanus B. PhinneyApril 4, 1847[n 4]June 10, 1849James K. PolkRemoved by Taylor
Ebenezer BaconJune 10, 1849[n 4]March 17, 1853Zachary TaylorRemoved by Pierce
Sylvanus B. PhinneyMarch 17, 1853July 1, 1861Franklin PierceRemoved by Lincoln
Joseph M. DayJuly 1, 1861[n 4]November 12, 1861Abraham LincolnResigned
Charles F. SwiftNovember 12, 1861[n 4]November 11, 1866Abraham Lincoln ???
Sylvanus B. PhinneyNovember 11, 1866[n 4]March 2, 1867Andrew Johnson ???
Charles F. SwiftMarch 2, 1867July 8, 1876Andrew Johnson ???
Franklin B. GossJuly 8, 1876August 8, 1887Ulysses S. Grant ???
Van Buren ChaseAugust 8, 1887August 1, 1889Grover Cleveland ???
Franklin B. GossAugust 1, 1889February 17, 1894Benjamin Harrison ???
Thomas C. DayFebruary 17, 1894January 20, 1898Grover ClevelandResigned
Thatcher T. HalletJanuary 20, 1898July 1, 1913William McKinleyPost Abolished

Notes
  1. From 1820, collectors were appointed to four-year commission. The term of a collector may have expired for a short period before the new collector was confirmed, but the dates are shown as continuous.
  2. William Otis was the son of the previous collector
  3. Crocker was renominated for another term by Martin van Buren but never confirmed.
  4. Recess appointment. The date of taking up office is the date the recess appointment was made by the President, unless otherwise noted.

References
  1. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875
  2. U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable), featured in Maritime History of Massachusetts-A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
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