It encompasses Barnstable's entire length of what is now designated Massachusetts Route 6A, called Main Street, between the town lines of Sandwich and Yarmouth.

The area consists of the main population centers of Barnstable from its founding in the late 1630s until the mid-19th century when the southern parts of the community became more significant in economic prominence.

6A, was the scene of a historic mass protest on Sept. 27, 1774, against British efforts to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party the previous year.

The protesters demanded that county officials refuse to obey the Massachusetts Government Act, passed by the British Parliament in May 1774, which stripped the colony of its long-held rights of self-government.

Barnstable Village stretched out along the highway remained the civic administrative center of the county, even though town offices were eventually moved to Hyannis.