The Ebenezer Crocker Jr. House to Stay Put
The application seeking to move the Ebenezer Crocker house from its current location at 49 Putnam Avenue has been withdrawn from consideration by the Cape Cod Commission as a development of regional impact by its owner. In August the Town of Barnstable Historical Commission voted unanimously to impose an 18-month demolition delay and automatically referred the owner’s notice of intent to the Cape Cod Commission as is the case for any building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cotusions may have seen one of the many “Stop the Move” signs around the village, and the Historical Commission received a record number of letters from concerned residents who opposed the planned move to a new location either on the site of the former, now-demolished barn at the old Crocker farm, or to 555 Main Street next to the entrance to the former Cotuit Elementary School.
What the owner of the nearly 250 year old home intends to do with the property is unknown.
Cotuit Oyster Company prevails against “No-Oyster” Harbors NIMBYs
Loyal readers of this blog may recall an effort two years ago by a group of Oyster Harbor residents to block the Cotuit Oyster Company from using rafts of floating bags in the Cotuit Narrows.
The “Neighbors of Cotuit Narrows” — a group of plaintiffs who live along the Osterville side of the Narrows — filed suit in Barnstable Superior Court to overturn the renewal of the Cotuit Oyster Company’s aquaculture license, renewed by Barnstable’s town manager in the winter of 2024.
Earlier this month (October 2025), Barnstable Superior Court Justice Elaime M. Buckley denied the plaintiff’s motions and upheld the counter motion filed by the Barnstable Town Council, Town Manager, and town Marine and Environmental Department.
The town’s approval of the Cotuit Oyster Company’s aquaculture license was affirmed.
Please note the judge took into account the many letters submitted by the oyster company’s supporters in making her ruling:
“….in approving COC’s license renewal application, the Town plainly disagreed that the COC’s usage of above-water equipment violated the Barnstable Aquaculture License Regulations…..In connection with the hearing, the town received a number of submissions from residents taking a position contrary to Plaintiffs’ — that COC’s activities in Cotuit Bay do not impede recreational uses or scenic views.”
The full text of the decision is below: