Located on the idyllic South Water Street in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, the Capt. Thomas Milton House stands as a fine and well-preserved example of a sea captain’s house built in the Greek Revival style. Captain Thomas Milton (1787-1862) was born in Liverpool, England, and first arrived to the island as a young man aboard a whaling vessel. He served as a Lieutenant and privateer during the War of 1812, when England restricted trade to maritime ports, which severely crippled the Edgartown economy. After the embargo ended, Captain Milton led whaling vessels and trade routes to as far as China. On his last trade excursion to China in 1837, Captain Thomas Milton brought back a sapling of a Pagoda Tree that was planted on the lot of his soon-to-be-built house on Water Street. Construction began on the house in 1840, which is unique for its asymmetrical four-bay facade and low hipped roof. Captain Milton died in 1862 and by the turn of the century, his residence was converted to an inn, which is now a part of the multi-building, Harborside Inn complex. The property has stood here for nearly 200 years joined by the ever-growing Pagoda Tree, which is believed to be the largest of its kind in North America.
Buildings of New England 