Ahearn House and Summer House

The Ahearn house is representative of the 19th century version of a Cape Cod house architectural style which originated in basic form in the late 17th century and still is a prominent architectural style on Cape Cod today. The basically intact and unaltered three-quarter Cape central facade of the Ahearn house, however, makes this structure a noteworthy example of the 19th century architectural techniques that were used to construct this type of house. Likewise, the alterations that have been made to this structure are minimal and consistent with traditional evolutionary modifications that were made to Cape Cod houses between the 19th and early 20th centuries. The interior of the structure is largely unaltered, and still represents the basic floor plan that the original 19th century design intended (e.g., central entrance, flanked by two rooms; kitchen in rear and bedrooms upstairs). The summer house also is representative of 19th century domestic life on Cape Cod and is compatible with the architectural design and setting of the main house.The significance of the Ahearn Summer House lies with its being ancillary structure to the Ahearn House. Architecturally, its design and siting respect the Ahearn House. The purposes of Cape Cod National Seashore include the preservation of notable examples of Cape Cod style houses and the preservation of the historic scene within the seashore. A recent survey (Pfeiffer 1981) of 110 structures that the Park Service owns or will acquire within the seashore area identified five 19thcentury Cape Cod style houses. Among the five houses, the 19th century Ahearn House is the only three-quarter Cape, a distinctive variation of the Cape Cod style. It is also one of the least altered examples of the 19th century Cape Cod style house among those that the Park Service owns. The Ahearn House and summer house, furthermore, are important reminders of the human settlement that once dominated the Wellfleet countryside. Although almost all the former agricultural fields now are reforested, the remaining rural houses, such as the Ahearn House, are crucial remnants of the 18th and 19th century historic scene of the outer Cape, telling evidence that the area is substantially a cultural landscape.