History: Gull Cottage was built between 1750 and 1765, by Josiah Higgins, who married Mary Aikins, who lived nearby. The house remained in the Higgins family for about 100 years, and many births, deaths, and weddings occurred here. Two of the Higgins children died in Newcomb’s Pond, which was renamed Higgins, in their honor. Thoreau mentions this house in his book Cape Cod, in the chapter on the Wellfleet Oysterman. Pat’s great, great Uncle Julius Palmer acquired this house in 1892 through a loan which he gave to a friend. The loan defaulted and the house was given up as collateral. Julius and his wife, Effie, lived here until they each had died by the early 1900’s. The house then passed to Pat’s great grandfather, grandfather, then Mother, and eventually to her. Pat began coming to Gull Cottage when she was 6 months old, and she has spent most of every summer here. In 1970, she and her husband, Randy Bartlett, moved to Wellfleet and lived in Gull Cottage for four years. After they moved to Barnstable, they always dreamed of returning to Wellfleet and living in Gull Cottage again. That is what they finally did in 2007. Gull Cottage today reflects the history and contributions of all of the people who have lived here, as furnishing, paintings, books, and other things have been brought and incorporated into it. Although many changes have occurred over time, the house is seeped in precious memories and memorabilia of times past.