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Contact: William Burke, Park Historian, 508-255-3421
Superintendent George Price announced that there will be a special flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the installation of a new flag pole on the grounds of the historic Captain Edward Penniman House in Eastham.The ceremony will begin at 11 AM on Flag Day, June 14, 2013, and will feature remarks from Superintendent Price, a representative of Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which generously funded the flag pole, and a class from Eastham Elementary School studying Eastham history.The class will sing some patriotic songs at the conclusion of the celebration.An open house will immediately follow the celebration. Shortly after the Pennimans built their Second French Empire House in 1868, they erected a flag pole on the northwest corner of the property and took great pride in flying the flag.Captain Penniman, a renowned whaling caption who led numerous voyages around the world hunting for whales and their prized oil, would often inquire in his letters back home whether the family was flying the flag.2013 also marks the 100th anniversary of Captain Edward Penniman's death.He and his wife are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Eastham.The family sold the house to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1963, adding a rich piece of Eastham history to the fledgling Cape Cod National Seashore, which was established in 1961. The flag-raising marks the ongoing effort by the National Park Service and Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore to restore missing landscape features back to the Penniman House grounds.The NPS has undertaken intensive documentation of the Penniman family and their home over the years.In 2007, the NPS released the Condition Report for Fort Hill Rural Historic District, which recommends a number of improvements to be undertaken both at the Penniman House and throughout the Fort Hill Rural Historic District.To date, genetically identical cottonwood trees propagated at the Arnold Arboretum have been planted to replace original trees that lined the Penniman driveway and were lost in a 2005 storm, a new gravel path and brick patio were installed to replace ones that were long overgrown, and a short length of fence off the south side of the house was rebuilt.The finely crafted wood flag pole was built locally by the Pleasant Bay Boat and Spar Company of Orleans. If you go:Limited parking is available near the site.All events are free.Take Route 6 to Governor Prence Road to Fort Hill Road.The Penniman House is on the right. Parking is located across the road on the left, and at the terminus of the Fort Hill Road. ###
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Last updated: February 26, 2015