Adventures

News Release Date: November 26, 2024

Contact: Susan Reece, 508-957-0738

Wellfleet, MA – The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund recently financed a rehabilitation project of the Captain Edward Penniman House at Cape Cod National Seashore.  

Interior rehabilitation work included repairs to damaged plaster walls and ceilings, conservation of existing historic wallpaper and conservation repairs to historic floor coverings. Additional work included refinishing the historic wood floors and re-finishing of wood trim, casework, and plaster surfaces. The preservation work improves the conditions of the historic features and facilitate the park’s ability to maintain the resource in good condition. This work conserves and assures accurate treatment of historic interior surfaces, finishes, and trim and mitigates conditions that are currently contributing to ongoing deterioration and loss of historic integrity.

The work was performed by a GAOA funded Maintenance Action Team (MAT) composed of skilled craftspeople from the National Park Service Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center (HACE). HACE recruits, trains, and employs people in traditional historic restoration and preservation techniques and trades. Several geographically based MATs travel to national parks to train and work alongside park staff to complete small, but critical, maintenance rehabilitation and repair projects on historic structures. MATs enable the National Park Service to complete projects that require knowledge and competency in traditional trades in a consistent and cost-effective manner. 

Project assistance was provided by a preservation crew from the Student Conservation Association (SCA). The SCA provides young adults and veterans with meaningful historic preservation trades experience to develop a foundation in cultural and natural resources protection, and foster lifelong connections to the NPS.

The Penniman House was built in 1868 at the end of the Victorian Age and styled after the French Second Empire Period (1855-1870). The house was designed by an unknown architect, built by local artisans using the finest available materials, and sited on land purchased from Captain Penniman’s father. Historic structures, like the Penniman House and lighthouses, offer a glimpse of Cape Cod’s past.

The Penniman House is located at Fort Hill in Eastham. The grounds are open daily, year-round. Park staff lead tours of the house during the summer months. Learn more about the Penniman House by visiting our website: https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/historyculture/penniman.htm.