Jenkins Homestead

The John Jenkins Homestead on Church Street in West Barnstable, also known as 'The Old Parsonage,' is a much-altered dwelling with 17th-century origins; the date 1685 is inscribed in a fireplace brick, and its present appearance is late Georgian or early Federal, with a shallow gable roof and an off-center chimney. John Jenkins settled here in 1652 and developed the land for farming and raising livestock. From 1763 to 1807 the property was owned by the Rev. Oakes Shaw, esteemed pastor of the West Parish Church for 47 years, and it was the birthplace of his son Lemuel Shaw (1781-1861), who became Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1830 to 1860. Elizabeth Crocker Jenkins bought the neglected property in 1914, restored it beginning in 1921, and later willed it to the West Parish Church. It was listed under Criteria A, B and C.

Jenkins Homestead is a landmark in Barnstable, Barnstable County. It is one of 6,558 landmarks documented in Barnstable County, among 6,897 historic sites cataloged across the county on MassRoam.

The site sits at 41.6949, -70.3693 near Barnstable. The nearest cataloged historic site is Shaw, Chief Justice Lemuel Birthplace Marker (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Jenkins, Elizabeth C. - Gilman, Ruth House, Jenkins, John Wildlife Reservation, and Whelden, Isaac House.

This record is drawn from public historical records. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.