Picking up on efforts that began more than 40 years ago, Edgartown voters will decide next week whether to more than double the size of their historic district, which includes about 250 homes in the heart of the village.

Around the Island, where some towns showcase three centuries of architectural history, historic preservation is a topic for discussion and debate.

A historic house thought to have been a British headquarters during Grey’s Raid in 1778 may soon be torn down.

Aquinnah is not the place to go looking for interesting houses without trespassing. Interesting stories, yes, but the houses visible from the road are few and far between. The exception of course is the Vanderhoop homestead.

The yellow house at the head of Camp street at William street is not for sale, has not been neglected and is not in need of restoration. It is that rare object: a house that has been cared for all of its long, long life.

One of the more interesting houses up-Island is 231 State Road in Chilmark. It is an unusual house for Chilmark: a Queen Anne style Victorian, painted yellow, with a turret.

I don’t know of any other such houses in Chilmark, whose charm lies in its serene and lovely rolling hills, hidden houses and beaches. It is a very common type of house elsewhere in the United States, the reflection of the prosperity of the late 19th century. Prosperity that had passed Chilmark by and which it was not to achieve until well past the midpoint of the 20th century.

A late 18th-century home has been on the move in Edgartown. The historic Warren House, which usually fronts North Water street beside the Edgartown library, has been temporarily relocated as part of a major restoration effort.

The Denniston House will remain standing for now, after a vote by the Oak Bluffs historical commission stalled a request to demolish the former African American church. The commission hopes to negotiate a compromise with the property owner.

A historic downtown Edgartown property that housed a women’s clothing store for nearly three decades has been sold. The new owners said they plan to open a year-round pedestrian food market there sometime this summer.

At the end of a long dirt road in Chilmark, a huge white tent arches above the meadows at Quansoo Farm. Inside the tent is the historic Mayhew-Hancock-Mitchell House, under renovation since last year.