Centerville was originally named Chequaquet, which means “pleasant harbor”. It is located on the south side of Barnstable. The village of Centerville, along Main Street, is one of the town’s most intact traditional New England settings.
The one and a half-mile stretch of Main Street and Old Stage Road features 1800’s sea captains’ homes which are listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Also on the NRHP is the 1871 Craigville Tabernacle, located in Craigville Village along with the Craigville Conference Center, and a neighborhood of early 20th century cottages with gingerbread trim.
Craigville Beach, a long, wide beach on Nantucket Sound, is a favorite of teens and college students but appeals to all ages. On Pine Street is the St. Francis Xavier cemetery, which is the final resting place for Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband Sargent Shriver. The American composer Amy Beach frequently summered in Centerville during the 1920s and 1930s.
