Imagine Our Surprise!
6 acres in Barnstable Village
In June, 2009, a certified letter from a Boston law firm announced that BLT was named in the will of Kenneth Kramer. His will simply stated, “I give to Barnstable Land Trust of Cotuit, Massachusetts, the parcel of real estate located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, identified by me as Lot B containing 6 acres of land more or less as shown on a plan entitled …”
This was a first. According to BLT Executive Director Jaci Barton, “BLT had never before received a gift of land by will from someone we did not know. It was a lovely surprise!” A search of BLT records yielded no documentation of Mr. Kramer having ever been a member or ever donating to BLT. Why then did Mr. Kramer choose to donate his land to Barnstable Land Trust?
Out on his property the reason became clear why Mr. Kramer wanted to ensure that his land was preserved in perpetuity. His old colonial house sits atop a hill just 88 feet north of Route 6A and just west of The Barnstable Tavern. The house overlooks a rolling field that slopes gently to the marsh and abuts land on Rendezvous Creek, just west of the entrance to the Barnstable Harbor marina. Views of Sandy Neck are framed by stately trees over the parcel.
Barnstable Village is the only area in the Town of Barnstable that still has zoning for one-acre house lots. There are many more parcels of land in Barnstable Village than you might imagine which have houses near the road and extensive acreage behind them. Full development of all of these lots would radically alter the character of the village.
“We affectionately refer to them as ‘bowling alley lots,’” continued Jaci, “because they are long and narrow, stretching from the Old Kings Highway to the shore. The early settlers were granted these strips so that each family had a piece of woods, a piece of meadow, a piece of marsh and water access. Many of these landscapes abut or are part of the sensitive resource area known as the Sandy Neck/Barnstable Harbor Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). Historically, many of them were farmed and cattle grazed out on the salt marshes.”
On the west, the Kramer land abuts salt marsh owned by Massachusetts Audubon Society, one of the first gifts of land made to Audubon back in the 1950s. BLT owns four acres next to that, including the site of the former Cobb boathouse at the end of Rendezvous Lane. Thanks to Mr. Kramer’s bequest, the existing sanctuary has now been expanded to 23 acres.
On the plan the land is beyond an “old brick gate post,” situated almost 500 feet back from the road. It serves as a backdrop for an old stone foundation, presumably footings for an abandoned barn that once sat quietly in the lower field.
This is a very special gift of land, made all the more curious by the way it came to BLT and the stories it has to tell. We’re hoping to learn more about Mr. Kramer so that we can honor this generous man who cared for his land and placed his trust in BLT.
If you knew Kenneth Kramer or you know his land, call the BLT office and talk with Jaci or e-mail her at jaci@blt.org. She’d love to hear from you!