What do a 19th century sea captain, Eugene O'Neill, the town librarian, and a found figurehead have in common? According to the ever-informative Building Provincetown, the answer can be found at 476 Commercial Street. Built in 1850, the East End property was home to Captain Henry Cook throughout the mid- and late 19th century. In April 1867, a whaling schooner in Cook's fleet "came across an eight-foot-long figurehead, provenance unknown." The crew took her aboard, cut her in half and brought her back to PTown where she was eventually placed atop the boss man's abode. A few decades later, the captain's granddaughter, Abbie Cook Putnam, who lived in the house, tossed out a drunk Eugene O'Neill, who showed up drunk after winning the Pulitzer Prize.
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