Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church

The parish of Saint Barnabas’s was founded in 1888 by E. Pierson Beebe and his brothers and sisters in loving memory of their parents. The cornerstone for the granite church (trimmed with mountain meadow red sandstone) was laid in June 1889 and is located on the outside front left base of the church. The English village-style structure, designed by Henry Vaughn, was completed by June 1890. The name, Saint Barnabas’s, is attributed to the church having been consecrated on the Feast Day of Saint Barnabas’s, June 11, 1889. However, it is also of interest that the first Beebe ancestor to come to the colonies and reside on Cape Cod was Barnabas Beebe!

Saint Barnabas’s Church Architecture
Architecturally, churches are generally fashioned in the shape of the cross, with the aisle representing pilgrimages or processions leading up to the crossing (in front of pews) and up to the chancel and altar. The nave represents the underside of a boat, when in ancient times religious services were held in the protection of an overturned vessel for shelter and privacy. The eight “ribs” in the ceiling is indicative of the Mayflower Design.