In a quiet corner of Osterville, four generations of one family have shaped—and been shaped by—a cottage built more than a century ago.

There are grand houses in Osterville whose histories announce themselves from the curb. And then there are houses whose stories are quieter, tucked along the village’s smaller streets and carried forward not through architectural pedigrees, but through generations of the same family coming through the same front door.

Mark Germani’s home belongs decidedly to the latter.

Built in 1923 by Germani’s grandfather, the charming cottage has remained in the family for more than a century. Germani is its third-generation steward; his 17-year-old son, Tripp, will someday represent the fourth. In fact, when both sides of Germani’s family are considered, his roots in Osterville reach back five generations.

“My mom grew up on Wianno Avenue, and my dad on First Avenue, probably 100 yards from each other,” Germani says.

His grandfather’s arrival in the village is a particularly compelling chapter of the story. An immigrant from Italy, he worked as a chauffeur for a wealthy family who spent time in Osterville. Somewhere along the way, the young man who had crossed an ocean recognized something in the little coastal village worth holding onto for himself. He purchased a piece of land for $500 and, with the help of a friend who was a builder, constructed the house his family would inhabit for the next century.

His handiwork remains visible today.