I always take photographs of the front of the Captain Penniman House at Fort Hill in Eastham, but the back is just as pretty.

“The Penniman House was built 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.

Completed in 1868 for the family’s use while the Captain continued his whaling career, the house included every known comfort and many innovative ideas. The foundation was laid on the existing ground, the basement walls built up, and fill brought in to raise the surrounding land by eight feet. This provided excellent drainage, ensuring a dry basement, and raised the windows of the cupola high enough for the Captain to observe the ships passing in both Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.”

This photograph is the side facing the Atlantic Ocean. So beautiful and interesting, don’t you think?