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Health & Fitness

A Brief Tour of the Cape's Sea Captains' Homes

Cape Cod epitomizes some of New England's beauty and is filled with so much history. The gorgeous shore lines are lined with some of the country's earliest colonial settlements; read more in my blog!

Cape Cod may be best known as a relaxing vacation destination where beachgoers can enjoy a taste of the good life, but it's also a string of charming New England hamlets brimming with fascinating history. From its Native American roots to some of the country's earliest colonial settlements through its rich tradition of explorers and seafarers and on into modern times, centuries of inhabitants have left their indelible marks on the Cape.

The Cape has a rich tradition of nautical history. While well known for its lighthouses, the Cape is also home to many stately sea captains' houses, which are scattered all over the region from Falmouth to Chatham to Provincetown. Perhaps the largest concentration of these is located along the Captain's Mile – a stretch of more than 50 historic sea captains' homes in Yarmouth Port along Route 6A. During the 18th and 19th centuries, more than 300 sea captains lived in the area. While some of the gracious homes that once stood along this stretch no longer exist, those that remain are marked with black plaques emblazoned with gold schooners. Museums, shops, and restaurants in Yarmouth Port distribute maps that visitors can use for self-guided walking tours of the area.

Traveling to far-flung destinations, captains brought back artifacts and ornaments from exotic ports around the globe. These homes were once filled with treasures collected from other lands like walnut furniture, alabaster, silks from the Orient, and ivory carvings from Africa. Many homes also incorporated nautical themes.

Most of these homes are now privately owned, but curiosity seekers hoping for a glimpse inside one of the old estates can visit the Captain Bangs Hallet House Museum in Yarmouth Port, which showcases rooms bedecked in 19th century furnishings and decorations, including representations of the spoils of Captain Hallet's voyages. The museum is open in the summer, and features guided tours.

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Another renovated sea captain's residence that stands nearby is now home to the Edward Gorey House Museum, former residence of Captain Edmund Hawes. The museum, which has been restored to reflect the home's 1890s glory days, now houses a collection of work by Cape author and illustrator Gorey, who resided on the Cape from the 1980s until his death in 2000, creating a macabre body of quirky stories and drawings.

While sea captain's manses were built in a variety of architectural styles according to captains' wealth and tastes, many feature rooftop widow's walks, where captain's wives were said to stand, watching the sea as they anxiously awaited the safe return of their husbands' ships. Some of the old homes now house restaurants, inns, and vacation properties that are carefully appointed to evoke a sense of stepping into the past. Others have been updated to tastefully incorporate modern amenities, and at any given time, house hunters can find a few of these historic homes for sale around the Cape.

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