title: Herman Isham House
text: # Herman Isham House
  
  The Herman Isham House is a historic house located in the Osterville area of Barnstable, Massachusetts.
  
  ## Description and history
  
  The 1+1⁄2-story Cape house was built c. 1747, and is a well-preserved example of a Georgian cottage. It is five bays wide, with a detail central entry flanked by heavy pilasters and topped by a transom and console. The house was probably built by Samuel Isham, whose grandson sold it to Seth Weeks in 1841. Weeks was the last survivor of the famous whaler Essex, which a sperm whale rammed and sank. Herman Melville immortalized the story in his book Moby-Dick.
  
  The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 1987.
  
  