| The
Crocker Tavern House is located on Olde Kings Highway on the
unspoiled north side of the Cape just outside the quaint
seaside village of Barnstable.
Prior to English settlement,
Olde Kings Highway was an Indian path. Today Olde Kings
Highway (Route 6A) is one of the most famous and scenic
roads in America. The most renown section of the Highway is
the "historic mile," on which the Tavern is
located. The "historic mile" visually preserves
the historic, cultural, and aesthetic traditions of the
Cape's early days.
 The Tavern
also boasts an historic granite marker erected in the 1700s
for stagecoaches. The inscriptions on the marker featured
below designate respectively the mileage to Plymouth,
Boston, and the northeastern tip of the Cape:
| Location |
Distance
in miles |
| P
- (Plymouth) |
30.5 |
| B
- (Boston) |
79.5 |
| C.
Cod - (Provincetown) |
43 |
Barnstable
Village prior to English settlement was known as "Mattacheese"
by the Indians. In 1620, the Pilgrims actually skirted
Barnstable on their journey to Plymouth, but decided not to
enter the harbor due to a snowstorm. In 1621, a young
Pilgrim by the name of John Billington wandered back into
the forests of "Mattacheese," lost his way, and
was eventually rescued by a band of Pilgrims aided by the
Sachem Iyannough.  Eighteen years later (1639) the Town of
Barnstable was established by the Reverend John Lothrop and
his congregation. Reverend Lothrop's home, which dates back
to 1644, is located across the street from the Crocker
Tavern House. Today, Reverend Lothrop's home operates as the
Sturgis Library and is known as the oldest building in
America housing a public library, and also has the
distinction of being the oldest structure still standing in
America where religious services were regularly held.
Within
walking distance of the Crocker Tavern are restaurants,
museums, St. Mary's Episcopal Church gardens, the Sturgis
Library and genealogy research facility, specialty shops,
and Barnstable Harbor with a public beach, sportfishing, and
whalewatching. The dunes of Sandy Neck, south side beaches,
freshwater ponds, golf, Hyannis shopping and nightlife, the
Kennedy Museum, the airport, and island ferries are all
within a ten minute drive. The Tavern's mid-Cape location is
an ideal vantage point to explore the entire Cape. A
favorite pastime of many visitors is meandering along Olde
Kings Highway with its stately historic homes, antique
shops, gift shops and fine restaurants.
Directions to
the Tavern are as follows: Route 6 East (Mid-Cape Highway)
to Exit 6 (Route 132). Turn left onto Route 132 North. Go
about one half mile to end. Turn right onto Route 6A East.
The Crocker Tavern House is 2.2 miles on the right.
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