Captain White House

This handsome but unpretentious residence on the corner of Main Street and Jagger Lane boasts a long history reaching back to 1651 when the property on which it sits was claimed by John Jagger, patriarch of one of Southampton’s earliest families. Town records confirm the existence of a cornerstone for a Jagger Home as early as 1707 and the oldest part of the present structure dates to sometime between 1750 and 1800. Facing Main Street is the two-story addition, built circa 1850 for Capt. George Gilbert White, the undisputed hero in this unassuming landmark’s story. Born in Southampton in 1819 into descendants of founding families on both sides, George White goes to sea at 13 as a cabin boy on a whaling ship captained by Mercator Cooper of Southampton. During 26 years at sea he rises to captain, sails the oceans, and in 1849 travels to California to join the Gold Rush, where his gains are modest. In 1852, retired from the sea, he marries Elizabeth Fordham of Southampton, purchases the family home and farm on Main Street and at age 40 settles down to the life of a farmer, though he is not through with the sea. He is often called upon to lead lifesaving crews on dangerous rescue missions along the treacherous coast, demonstrating extraordinary courage and skill. White also discovers a political calling back in Southampton and becomes an outspoken advocate for village causes, especially in defense of the historic beach rights of the town’s inhabitants. He is credited with galvanizing the town trustees during his decade of political leadership and he gains mass popular support on many contentious issues. When he dies in 1893 he is mourned by a community that holds him in the highest regard as a man of incorruptible character and courage, a defender of the people’s rights. In 2008, Madeleine White bequeaths the house to the Southampton History Museum, which waits for seven years before finding a buyer interested in preserving it. Today it survives, handsomely restored but still evoking its long history intertwined with Southampton’s past.