_{Diorama of 1840s Pamet Harbor built by sculptor, Neal Personeus.} 

My house was commissioned, if not actually built, by a man named Thomas Paine. He was possibly the grandson or great grandson of the Thomas Paine who was Truro’s lead incorporator in 1709. I’ve found records for three men named Thomas Paine who were living in Truro at the time my house was built — circa 1820. I have not been able to determine which of them is my Thomas Paine.

_{Map of Pamet Harbor from Truro Historical Society exhibit.}

My house was built during, arguably, Truro’s most prosperous period, not far from the bustling harbor at the confluence of Pamet River and Cape Cod Bay. At Highland House, the Truro Historical Society has a fantastic show on Pamet Harbor during this period. The show is full of writing, maps and images that depict the harbor during this period. Its centerpiece, however, is a magnificent diorama of the site built by contemporary sculptor, Neal Personeus. 

_{Aerial view of Pamet Harbor in mid-20th c. showing derelict railroad bridge. Precise date unknown.}

I spend a fair amount of time at Pamet Harbor, and I’ve often tried to envision what it looked like as a working harbor. For perspective, in 1836, it was the fifth largest fishing harbor in Massachusetts. I’ve seen plenty of photographs of it when the train ran across it, and some stunning aerial views, but images earlier than the dawn of the 20th century are scarce. The diorama provides a tangible sense of how the harbor was organized, and the accompanying maps help us understand how the riverbed has shifted and silted over the intervening two centuries. 

One of the indelible events in Truro history was the October Gale of 1841 in which fifty-seven Truro fishermen died in one day somewhere near George’s Banks. They left 23 widows and 51 children. So widespread and devastating was the loss that Henry David Thoreau wrote in Cape Cod (1865), “I found that it would not do to speak of shipwrecks [in Truro], for almost every family has lost some of its members at sea… ‘Who lives in that house,’ I inquired. ‘Three widows’ was the reply.” 

_{Memorial to Those Lost in October Gale of 1841, photographed May 2023.}

In the graveyard of the Congregational Church there’s an obelisk that memorializes those who were lost, The inscription includes the unusual lines:

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.

Man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.

In addition, the names of all who were lost are inscribed on the monument, including eight men with the surname Paine. Since only eight of those lost were over the age of 30, it’s possible that some of those Paine family members grew up in my house.