From the February 23, 1945 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:
The sale of the Capt. Jared Jernegan house on South Summer street, Edgartown, opposite the Gazette office, marks the passing of one more of the whaling captains’ houses into the hands of a summer resident. The purchaser is Mrs. Maude C. Inglis of Atlanta, Ga., the mother of Mrs. Charles King who has spent several summers in Edgartown.
The sale was made through the agency of Avery & Co. Much fascinating history concerning the house and its associations has been supplied by Prof. Marcus W. Jernegan.
The house was built by Charles Gifford Vincent in 1840. He was a brother of the Rev. Hebron Vincent of camp meeting fame and of Warren Vincent, grandfather of the present Edward T. Vincent of Edgartown. Mr. Vincent’s son, Charles M. Vincent, was also a “housewright” born in 1843. The Edgartown map of 1858 shows that the Vincents lived in the house at the head of Green Lane, now the summer home of the Gerald Chittendens.
Charles Gifford Vincent sold the Summer street house before 1859 to Nathan, the father of Captain Jernegan. Soon after the former’s death in 1852, the latter purchased it from the heirs, his brothers and sisters. It was the home of his wife, Mrs. Helen M. Jernegan, from 1861 to 1934, and on her death became the property of her son, Marcus W. Jernegan.
Opposite was the home of Capt. Isaiah Mills, now the Gazette office. His daughter married Henry Jernegan in 1844, who later became master of the whaler Enterprise.
This region was a low spot in the 1830’s, and before. It included the Jernegan, Samuel Osborn Jr. (now Charlotte Inn) and Richard Holley land. Captain Jernegan told his son that it was a favorite place for skating when he was a boy about 1830-1840. When the Osborn house was built in 1866, many hundred loads of earth were carted in to raise the level of the land. Captain Jernegan did not like the overflow of water on his land and so he also had hundreds of loads of earth carted in. This earth was taken from the field at the end of South Summer street, bordering on the land then belonging to Hiram Crowell and now in the property of Edward W. Jeffcott.
This land was one of the so called Indian fields, and was covered with broken shells, quahaug and clam. Here were found numerous Indian arrowheads.
The house was originally located near the present curbstone and was only a few inches from the ground. When the captain came home from a whaling voyage, he was uneasy unless he was having something done to improve the house. About 1861 he had it moved back about ten or twelve feet, raised some three feet, and built a brick underpinning.
At the same time he set out four Linden trees in front of the house. He also gave three to his father in law, Jethro Ripley, whose daughter Rebecca he marred in 1847. The Jethro Ripley house is now owned by Ludolph H. Conklin. Captain Jernegan gave two more linden trees to Capt. Leonard Courtney, whose house is now the summer home of Miss K. B. Tyler. All these trees are still living, eighty-four years old.
The chief interest of the interior of the Jernegan house is a beautiful ballustrade in the front hall, one of the finest in Edgartown. It is made of rosewood and was built by George Butler, the father of Miss Abbie Butler. He was an expert in this line and was in fact specially trained in the craft of stair building. It is probably that no one on the Island has the skill to duplicate it, and in any case it would cost a large sum to reproduce. An item of interest is the fact that the oldest resident of Edgartown, now in her 96th year, Mrs. William Channing Nevin, was born in this house, Sept. 4, 1849.
Next to Water street, South Summer street harbored more homes of captains than any other street in Edgartown. The whaling captains of this street were: Thomas E. Fordham, Thomas N. Fisher, one of the masters of the Charles W. Morgan, John A. Baylies, Isaac D. Pease, Asa R. Gifford, Jared Jernegan and Richard Holley. The merchant captains were: Charles O. Teller, Isaiah Mills, Chase Pease and Adelbert Phinney.
The Glenn apartments on Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs, were purchased this week by Charles Fuller, proprietor of the Herald Drug Co. of that town. Mr. Fuller said yesterday that he intends to operate the six-apartment house as formerly, without changes.
The building was erected for the late Dr. Harrison A. Tucker in the first golden age of Cottage City, and it was a show place of the Island. Many celebrated visitors were entertained there. In recent years it had been used as state police headquarters, and was purchased by Mrs. Chester L. Glenn some three years ago.
About two years ago it was remodeled and opened as an apartment house, outstanding in Oak Bluffs as a year round establishment of its kind. It has been patronized chiefly by naval officers and their families.
Compiled by Hilary Wallcox
library@vineyardgazette.com
This article appears in February 20, 2026.