The House That Captain Cook Built. Part 1 of 3

Monday, October 1. 2007

Presque Isle’s Captain Cook establishes seafaring reputation

All homes have a history to be sure, but few have a written history that is accessible to anyone who might be interested. In my quest for little-known Presque Isle history, I discovered a fascinating story about a house built in this village by a swashbuckling, treasure hunter whose family had been rooted in Presque Isle in the early years of Presque Isle's history. The story begins during the decade of the Civil War (1860's) and ends with the death of the subject of this historical piece. Few, if any, know the story and if I hadn't read it with my own eyes, would have had a difficult time believing the events that would lead up to and, in some small way, carve out a little piece of our local history. The story will take us from Presque Isle to California to Peru to Europe and finally back to Presque Isle where the subject of this story will settle down where his family did before him. He operated several businesses and erected a fine house all with the proceeds of his treasure-hunting efforts. What makes the story extra interesting is that the house is still viewable and still a fine, venerable dwelling even 140+ years after our hero, a certain Capt. Cook, built the house in the 1870's. It sits proudly on a corner lot on a street close to Main St. and even closer to my home and the library. It's somewhat natural for me to have been interested in this history, because the property has been part of my "backyard" scenery forever.

My intention is to unravel in a two-part series the story of our amazing Capt. Cook and the house he built. The identity of the property won't be revealed until the second part although the photo, which accompanies this first installment, is a very early photo of the dwelling and serves as a clue. The house has been owned through the years by a handful of outstanding families of the community and, to be sure, each family has added its flavor to the property that has contributed to its architectural evolution.

I begin the story of our Capt. Cook when in 1837 was born in Ellsworth, Me., the son of D.G. and Eleanor Cook. In the very early 1840's his father moved the family to the Ashland area. Twenty years later the family once again moved after purchasing a farm on the Houlton Road right outside of Presque Isle. The farm remained in the family for the next 50 years and eventually became the Bean and Allen farm, which many of the older readers once knew.

When Capt. Cook, then known only as Sidney, was around 18, he ventured to Boston and hired on as a hand on a whaling vessel. It was on this voyage that he fell in love with seafaring. He continued his love of the water by signing on with subsequent whaling voyages. During these voyages at sea, Cook learned the art of deep sea diving as primitive as it was.

In 1862 while Cook was working the woods on the California coast, an article appeared in the local newspaper about a steamer, Golden Gate, while heading to New York from San Francisco by way of Cape Horn, caught fire off the west coast of Mexico. The captain ordered the steamer to go ashore, but the ship grounded on a sandbar some distance from shore. Besides 300 passengers, she had on board $1,500,000 in the form of gold bullion and coin. Many of the ship's passengers perished. The bullion and coins had scattered in the waters nearby and subsequent search by divers hired by the ship's owners went unsuccessful. It was assumed that the gold had been carried out to deeper waters and probably unrecoverable. Cook, after reading the article, made his mind up to have a go at it. He said, when relating the story many years later, "I had considerable confidence in my quality of braving the elements in a rubber diving suit of armor." It was shortly after that he and a hired crew set sail with all the necessary equipment to the scene of the wreck.

Next week...the recovery of the gold, a fortune earned, refuge from authorities and Cook's return to his roots (Presque Isle). This just might turn into a 3-part series rather than a 2-part and reckon that will depend on my mood. In the meantime, please contact my e-mail address, RAG111@webtv.net, if you have any comments, additional information or even criticisms. All will be answered. Stay tuned...

Posted by Dick Graves in Forgotten Times at 06:00 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

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Wow, I think you have done it again. Found us another tale that will be very informative, yet exciting. Anxious for the second part. Very surprised to hear that the famous Captain Cook was actually from Presque Isle.

#1 Marilyn Rivers on 2007-10-01 11:47 (Reply)

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The House That Captain Cook Built. Part 1 of 3

Monday, October 1. 2007

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