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Contact: Sue Moynihan, 508-957-0738
Since its construction in 1868, the Captain Edward Penniman House has been a cultural treasure in Eastham. It commemorates this region's rich maritime history through its association with Edward Penniman, who, at age eleven, began his career at sea as a cook on a schooner bound for the Grand Banks. Captain Penniman retired to his ornate French Second Empire Eastham home on Fort Hill following a highly successful and adventurous career as a whaling captain. The Penniman story is further enriched by the fact that his wife and children accompanied him on some of his voyages.Cape Cod National Seashore seeks volunteers who are interested in sharing this engaging story with the public during tours and open houses beginning in spring 2015. In 2013 over 1,000 visitors toured the home. New volunteers will join a corps of passionate volunteers who currently provide interpretive services there. Training sessions for new volunteers will be held from 1-3 PM on four Wednesdays in October. The dates are October 1, 8, 15, and 22. During the first session, seashore historian Bill Burke will provide a tour of the home and the Fort Hill area for prospective volunteers. Many layers of history are represented at Fort Hill, from Native people and early settlement culture, to agriculture and whaling. Burke will also discuss proposed preservation maintenance projects at the Penniman House. Subsequent training sessions will cover the larger context of whaling during Penniman's time, research methods and sources, architecture, and techniques for sharing the Penniman story with the public. Prospective volunteers will meet with current volunteers to share ideas. At the conclusion of the fall training, volunteers and seashore staff will discuss scheduling and further training in the spring. Prospective volunteers should reserve their place by contacting Chief Park Interpreter Sue Moynihan at (508) 957-0738 or via email at e-mail us. ### |
Last updated: February 26, 2015