Captain Edward Penniman's house and the story of its origin and symbolism (12 photos)

This Cape Cod home owes its existence to its owner's trade - whaling.





A wealthy 19th-century sea captain built this interesting home in the town of Eastham, just above Cape Cod. The cape is not very wide at Eastham, so the captain had to walk a little over a mile or so in any direction to reach the water. It was an extremely short journey - a stark contrast to the ones he was best known for, when he went whale hunting for years.



By 1868, Captain Edward Penniman had become a famous whaler. And wealthy enough to build himself this opulent French Empire-style home on his father's property. The house is squat and square, ornate and charming in equal measure. It's not particularly tall, just two and a half stories with a dome. It sits on a hill. At the entrance to the house is the first clue to Penniman's profession. It's a gate made from a whale's jaw that leads to the back door and barn.





A photograph of Captain Edward Penniman in the living room of his home

A native of Eastham, Penniman grew up by the sea. In 1852, at the age of 21, he became interested in whaling and traveled to New Bedford, the whaling capital of the world at the time, to seek his fortune.



This was his first long voyage, and for Penniman it was only the beginning.



As a captain, he made at least seven major whaling voyages, each lasting up to four years. The voyages were so long that whenever possible he took his wife (navigator and deck hand) and all three of his children along with him.



The house remained in the Penniman family until 1963. For the relatively affordable price of $28,000 (about $220,000 today), the captain's youngest granddaughter sold it to the National Maritime Service for the care and preservation of family archives and whaling curiosities.



Since 1976, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is operated by the National Park Service as a museum, including a whale bone museum.





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