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

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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

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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

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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)

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Name Entered Office[n 1] Left Office First Appointed By Reason for Leaving Office
Joseph Otis August 3, 1789 February 7, 1809 George Washington ???
William Otis[n 2] February 7, 1809 January 21, 1814 Thomas Jefferson ???
Isaiah L. Green January 21, 1814 March 3, 1837 James Madison Commission expired
Henry Crocker March 3, 1837 March 11, 1841[n 3] Andrew Jackson Commission expired
Ebenezer Bacon March 11, 1841 March 11, 1845 William Henry Harrison Commission expired
Josiah Hinckley March 11, 1845 April 4, 1847 James K. Polk Removed by Polk
Sylvanus B. Phinney April 4, 1847[n 4] June 10, 1849 James K. Polk Removed by Taylor
Ebenezer Bacon June 10, 1849[n 4] March 17, 1853 Zachary Taylor Removed by Pierce
Sylvanus B. Phinney March 17, 1853 July 1, 1861 Franklin Pierce Removed by Lincoln
Joseph M. Day July 1, 1861[n 4] November 12, 1861 Abraham Lincoln Resigned
Charles F. Swift November 12, 1861[n 4] November 11, 1866 Abraham Lincoln ???
Sylvanus B. Phinney November 11, 1866[n 4] March 2, 1867 Andrew Johnson ???
Charles F. Swift March 2, 1867 July 8, 1876 Andrew Johnson ???
Franklin B. Goss July 8, 1876 August 8, 1887 Ulysses S. Grant ???
Van Buren Chase August 8, 1887 August 1, 1889 Grover Cleveland ???
Franklin B. Goss August 1, 1889 February 17, 1894 Benjamin Harrison ???
Thomas C. Day February 17, 1894 January 20, 1898 Grover Cleveland Resigned
Thatcher T. Hallet January 20, 1898 July 1, 1913 William McKinley Post Abolished

Notes

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  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. ^ a b c d e Recess appointment. The date of taking up office is the date the recess appointment was made by the President, unless otherwise noted.

References

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