Hyannis Port, MA

  Hyannis Port was founded in 1639. Hyannis Port is on Cape Cod and is a part of the towns of Hyannis and Barnstable.  

The Kennedy Compound

Hyannis Port is most famous for the Kennedy Compound, which consists of three large houses on 6 acres of land over looking the ocean. It started back in 1928 when Joseph Kennedy purchased the main house, which he would remodel and enlarge to make it suitable for his family. The other two houses would be added to the compound in 1956 when John and Robert Kennedy purchase the two houses adjacent to the main house. Later two guesthouses were built for company to stay in. The compound would also include tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a four-car garage. The Kennedy’s have summered at Hyannis Port every year since 1928.

Sam Barber's House

Hyannis Port is also the residence of the famous artist, Sam Barber. Sam Barber has lived in this house for 35 years and has used the lighthouse as seen in the photo as his art studio. Sam Barber is known for his oil paintings of the landscapes and happenings in Cape Cod. His most well liked paintings are those of Hyannis Port and of the boats sailing in the Harbor.

A Boat Runs Aground at the Hyannis Port Yacht Club Pier

The Hyannis Port Yacht Club is most famous for its well-known sailboat-racing program and for housing the former Senator Edward Kennedy’s sailboat the Mya in its harbor. Here is the picture is one of the boats that ran aground into the pier during a storm. These men are trying to get the boat back upright so it can be put back into the water where it belongs.

Hyannis Port Post Office

The Hyannis Port Post office has been around for a while, not much has changed since the post office was opened. The Post office is connected to a news shop in the center of town. Residents of the town who live next door run the post office. Every house in Hyannis Port has its mail delivered to a specific numbered post office box in this little red building. This building is a landmark of the small village.

Hyannis Port Golf Course

The Hyannis Port Golf Course is a Private 18 hole golf course that is surrounded by salt marshes and over looks the ocean. This course is known to be most pristine golf courses on Cape Cod. The golf course was designed by Donald J. Ross and was opened in 1897. Scott Smith now manages the course. The Golf Course also has a Club, as seen in the picture, where anything from weddings parties to birthday parties are held.

The Union Chapel

The Union Chapel is the only religious building in Hyannis Port. It is a very small building only able to hold about 75 people maximum. The Chapel occasionally serves for weddings and services in the summer. On Christmas Eve every year the residents open the church for Christmas stories, cookies, and milk. There is no electricity in the chapel; the only available lighting is from the windows or oil lamps inside the chapel.

Hyannis Port Fire Station

The Hyannis Port Fire Station was built in 1930 and is located on Scudder Ave. The Firehouse would hold Engine 6 for a number of years. The Station is no longer in operation, but still holds one of the original Engine 6 Fire trucks, which is taken out every Fourth of July to participate in the Hyannis Port Parade.

Hyannis Port Fire Station

  The Hyannis Port Candy store has been known for its penny candy. The store has been around as long as the Post Office, which is next door. The Candy store is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day every year. You can find anything from Hyannis Port sweatshirts to ice cream for sale at the store. The candy store is a quick walk from the beach and is in the center of the village.

Hyannis Port Jetty

The Jetty is located on the end of Eugenia Fortes Beach. It was built with 8 by 3 by 2-foot granite blocks many years ago. The Jetty is about two-thirds of a mile in length. As you can see many of the granite block have been moved out of place by very strong storms and hurricanes throughout the years. The Jetty is usually populated with fisherman and kids climbing the rocks.

Eugenia Fortes Beach

Eugenia Fortes Beach is the only beach in Hyannis Port open to the residents. This beach was formally called East Beach until in 2004. The Beach was named after Eugenia Fortes who back in 1945 was ordered to leave the beach by a police officer because she was black, instead of leaving she stayed, and fifty-nine years later the town of Barnstable dedicated the beach to her. The beach is usually crowed with kids with their parents who are catching spider crabs or swimming.