The Edward Penniman House and Barn is a historic site in Eastham, Massachusetts, on Fort Hill, which is currently protected by the Cape Cod National Seashore and home to Indian Rock.

When Edward Penniman was growing up, it was possible to catch whales directly from the seashore, a practice the Indians perfected using the shallow marsh waters to scare herds of blackfish onto the beaches.

Attracted by the profits to be made as a whaler, he ran to sea at age eleven and at 29 he was master of his own whaling ship.

It is the family correspondence with this daughter that makes the Penniman house so interesting, as it brings the daily life of a whaling captain into perspective.

On retirement in 1868, Captain Penniman built this unusual house with plans he designed himself, including a modern toilet and bath with hot running water.