The Outermost House
Encyclopedia
The Outermost House is a book by naturalist
writer Henry Beston
. It was published in 1928 by Doubleday and Doran and is now published by Henry Holt and Company in New York
. It chronicles a season spent living on the dunes of Cape Cod
.
Beston's "Fo'castle," the 20x16 beach cottage which served as the setting for the book The Outermost House, was built in June 1925 and then claimed by the sea in February 1978. Beston (born Henry Beston Sheahan in 1888; died 1968) named the cottage "the Fo'castle" because its ten windows and its commanding presence on top of a dune overlooking the open Atlantic Ocean gave him the feeling of being aboard a ship. Over time, the structure also came to be known as "The Outermost House."
officers of the Outer Cape, Beston drew up floor plans for a house on the dunes two miles south of the Nauset Coast Guard station in Eastham, Massachusetts
. Carpenter Harvey Moore and his crew were the builders.
Beston intended to use the cottage as a retreat to visit whenever he could, but soon found he did not want to leave. "[A]s the year lengthened into autumn, the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed and held me that I could not go," he wrote in The Outermost House.
For the next couple of years, Beston would come and go from his dune refuge, keeping extensive notes on his observations of life on the beach. His meditation on surf ("The Headlong Wave"), experiences on the winter beach, and his view of life after his beach stay were molded together into one "Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod."
His observation, "We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals," is frequently quoted by wildlife and animal enthusiasts everywhere.
Beston finally left the "Fo'castle" in September 1927. He returned to his native hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts
, and proposed marriage to writer Elizabeth Coatsworth
. The couple had an extensive courtship period, but when Coatsworth saw that he had many notes but no manuscript from his stay on the beach, she said, "No book, no marriage." The manuscript was completed by April 1928, and The Outermost House was published in October 1928. Beston and Coatsworth were married in June 1929 and honeymooned at the Fo'castle for two weeks, but the couple seldom returned to the beach cottage after that.
" sent high tides over the barrier beach and swept the Fo'castle away. The original locations of the house have since been covered by the waves of the Atlantic.
Beston donated the Fo'castle to the Massachusetts Audubon Society
in 1959, shortly before the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore
. Massachusetts Audubon rented out Beston's house to its members, as Beston had requested that it be used as "a refuge and observation station for all good naturalists." One of those members was a woman named Nan Turner Waldron (born 1922, died 2000), who stayed in the house for parts of 17 years. Waldron went on to document her experiences in the book Journey to Outermost House.
In 1964, less than four years before Beston's death, Massachusetts First Lady Toni Peabody and Ivan Sandrof of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette put together a special dedication ceremony at Coast Guard Beach, where the "Fo'castle" was dedicated as a National Literary Landmark. Hundreds were on hand to watch Beston, now in ill health, receive recognition for his work. "Your book is one of the reasons that the Cape Cod National Seashore exists today," Massachusetts Governor
Endicott Peabody
declared. It was also revealed during this ceremony that the National Park Service
(part of the U.S. Department of the Interior) referred to The Outermost House on several occasions in its reports that were filed when making its evaluation of the Outer Cape land for National Park status in the 1950s.
Today, there are still "Outermost House" types of structures on the Outer Beach, where occupants live in the same fashion that Beston did in the 1920s. Although Beston's original house was claimed by the elements, the Henry Beston Society of Cape Cod has begun a campaign to rebuild the house and is now seeking a suitable location for the new "Fo'castle."
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
writer Henry Beston
Henry Beston
Henry Beston was an American writer and naturalist, best known as the author of The Outermost House, written in 1925.-Early life and work:...
. It was published in 1928 by Doubleday and Doran and is now published by Henry Holt and Company in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It chronicles a season spent living on the dunes of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
.
Beston's "Fo'castle," the 20x16 beach cottage which served as the setting for the book The Outermost House, was built in June 1925 and then claimed by the sea in February 1978. Beston (born Henry Beston Sheahan in 1888; died 1968) named the cottage "the Fo'castle" because its ten windows and its commanding presence on top of a dune overlooking the open Atlantic Ocean gave him the feeling of being aboard a ship. Over time, the structure also came to be known as "The Outermost House."
Writing and publication
Having spent considerable time on the Cape after completing a magazine assignment called "The Wardens of Cape Cod", about the Coast GuardCoast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
officers of the Outer Cape, Beston drew up floor plans for a house on the dunes two miles south of the Nauset Coast Guard station in Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
. Carpenter Harvey Moore and his crew were the builders.
Beston intended to use the cottage as a retreat to visit whenever he could, but soon found he did not want to leave. "[A]s the year lengthened into autumn, the beauty and mystery of this earth and outer sea so possessed and held me that I could not go," he wrote in The Outermost House.
For the next couple of years, Beston would come and go from his dune refuge, keeping extensive notes on his observations of life on the beach. His meditation on surf ("The Headlong Wave"), experiences on the winter beach, and his view of life after his beach stay were molded together into one "Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod."
His observation, "We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals," is frequently quoted by wildlife and animal enthusiasts everywhere.
Beston finally left the "Fo'castle" in September 1927. He returned to his native hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, and proposed marriage to writer Elizabeth Coatsworth
Elizabeth Coatsworth
Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth was an American author of children's fiction and poetry. Her novel The Cat Who Went to Heaven won the 1931 Newbery Medal....
. The couple had an extensive courtship period, but when Coatsworth saw that he had many notes but no manuscript from his stay on the beach, she said, "No book, no marriage." The manuscript was completed by April 1928, and The Outermost House was published in October 1928. Beston and Coatsworth were married in June 1929 and honeymooned at the Fo'castle for two weeks, but the couple seldom returned to the beach cottage after that.
Later events
A winter storm in 1933 nearly claimed the Fo'castle, and the house had to be moved back on the dune. In 1944, the dune that the house sat on began to hollow out, forcing another move. After replacing the original fireplace with a wood stove and making a few other changes, Beston had the house moved back behind the dune, next to Nauset Marsh. The house remained there until February 1978, when the storm known as "The Blizzard of '78Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978 was a catastrophic and historic nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to the New England region of the United States and the New York metropolitan area. The "Blizzard of '78" formed on February 5, 1978 and broke up on February 7, 1978...
" sent high tides over the barrier beach and swept the Fo'castle away. The original locations of the house have since been covered by the waves of the Atlantic.
Beston donated the Fo'castle to the Massachusetts Audubon Society
Massachusetts Audubon Society
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Protecting the nature of Massachusetts." Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and in fact was founded...
in 1959, shortly before the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore
Cape Cod National Seashore
The Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
. Massachusetts Audubon rented out Beston's house to its members, as Beston had requested that it be used as "a refuge and observation station for all good naturalists." One of those members was a woman named Nan Turner Waldron (born 1922, died 2000), who stayed in the house for parts of 17 years. Waldron went on to document her experiences in the book Journey to Outermost House.
In 1964, less than four years before Beston's death, Massachusetts First Lady Toni Peabody and Ivan Sandrof of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette put together a special dedication ceremony at Coast Guard Beach, where the "Fo'castle" was dedicated as a National Literary Landmark. Hundreds were on hand to watch Beston, now in ill health, receive recognition for his work. "Your book is one of the reasons that the Cape Cod National Seashore exists today," Massachusetts Governor
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
Endicott Peabody
Endicott Peabody
Endicott "Chub" Peabody was the 62nd Governor of Massachusetts from January 3, 1963 to January 7, 1965.-Early life:...
declared. It was also revealed during this ceremony that the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
(part of the U.S. Department of the Interior) referred to The Outermost House on several occasions in its reports that were filed when making its evaluation of the Outer Cape land for National Park status in the 1950s.
Today, there are still "Outermost House" types of structures on the Outer Beach, where occupants live in the same fashion that Beston did in the 1920s. Although Beston's original house was claimed by the elements, the Henry Beston Society of Cape Cod has begun a campaign to rebuild the house and is now seeking a suitable location for the new "Fo'castle."