Barnstable is named after Barnstaple, Devon, England. The area was first explored by Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. It was one of the first towns to be settled, one year behind Sandwich, in 1638, and was incorporated in 1639. The early settlers were farmers, led by the Reverend Joseph Hull, the founder of Barnstable. A memorial tablet was dedicated there in 1939 (the 300th anniversary of the town�s founding) marking the site of his home, and the rock from which he preached still stands along the highway there.
Soon after the town's founding, agriculture, fishing and salt works became its major industries. By the end of the 19th century, there were some 804 ships harbored in the town. But this came to a decline with the rise of the railroad, which had arrived in 1854, and of steamships.
By the late 19th century, however, Barnstable was becoming world-renowned as the tourist destination it is to this day. Many prominent Bostonians spent their summers on the Cape shores, as did Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Grover Cleveland. However, the most famous family to summer in the town was, and remains, the Kennedy family, who can still be found living in the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. It was the summer home of President John F. Kennedy during his administration, and it was likewise the home of Senator Ted Kennedy until his death.
Today, tourists come in droves to the town during the summer months. There is abundant shopping in the quaint shops of Hyannis, and other popular sites abound, such as the John F. Kennedy Museum and several other museums and places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Ancient Burying Ground and Gideon Hawley House. The town's many beaches are popular tourist destinations as well
