Kingsport 1844: Custom House

10) Custom House
901 Water Street, The Wharves, Harborside. Est. 1722

A) The Custom House
Made from sturdy Georgian brick, this two-story building features a broad porch, two Palladian windows, a rooftop widow’s walk, and a handsome cupola. Built in the eighteenth century as a private residence and serving as Kingsport’s Custom House since the Revolution, it was expanded in 1799 by the addition of a single-story wing. It was during this renovation that the Custom House received its most famous feature: a gilded nereid projecting from the roof like a ship’s figurehead. Riding a hippocampus and surrounded by frolicking dolphins, she raises a golden trident in a glittering salute to Father Neptune. Dubbed Queen Salacia after Neptune’s mythological consort, the statue recently came under fire from a local Temperance league, who argued that her name is too “suggestive,” and should be changed to Amphitrite. The group also demanded that her bare breasts be covered with seashells. Mayor Cabot threw the women out of his office and immediately proposed a resolution to add Queen Salacia’s image to the official Kingsport seal.

Modern Renovations
Two years ago the East India Marine Society funded a series of “modernizations” to the Custom House. The porches, columns, and railings were restored, and the woodwork painted a luscious cream to “better catch the sunrise.” The shutters were painted black, the eighteenth-century windows were re-paned with modern glass, and the rooftop cupola was granted a copper dome. Queen Salacia was repaired and re-gilded; but somewhat controversially, a new clock was installed beneath her fanciful mount, its illuminated face overlooking the harbor. The interior was remodeled as well. Gaslighting and modern plumbing were installed, and a small museum was opened on the ground floor. Despite these improvements, the architects left the famous cannonball lodged below the front cornice, a rusty reminder of the British blockade of 1778.

B) Museum
Located on the first floor just past the entrance, the Custom House Museum is open to the public weekdays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The collection is about what you’d expect: a few dubious Naumkeag artifacts, some tired Revolutionary War paraphernalia, and a display of imported Chinese porcelain. The only thing of genuine interest is Fitz Henry Lane’s painting, The Tempest of 1800, a luminous portrait of Kingsport during the famous storm.

C) Harbormaster’s Office
Kingsport’s harbormaster is Captain Theodoric Hussey, a cheerful, middle-aged man with a pronounced limp. Once employed in the Far East trade, “Captain Dirk” now presides over Kingsport Harbor with the same easygoing charm that made him a favorite in the Canton Factories. Although he misses the “good old days” of fast clippers, Chinese flower boats, and endless bachelor parties, Hussey seems content to spend his twilight years “working for the Queen.” Occasionally he patrols the coast on his sloop Hippocampus. Kingsport’s captains frequently show their affection for Hussey with small gifts—old books and the occasional bottle of brandy are always welcome, and are certainly not considered “bribes.” That would be wrong.

D) Office of the Whale Fishery
This spacious office is located on the second floor. It’s managed by T. “Dogwatch” Grohe, a Quaker clerk who shipped on a Kingsport whaler and lost his left hand to a shark.

A.T. “Dogwatch” Grohe
Age 26, Nationality: Kingsport, Birthplace: Colestown, New Jersey, 1818

*Note: Obviously, having a hook for a left hand modifies his DEX!

Combat

Skills
Accounting 65%, Appraise 70%, Charm 25%, Credit Rating 25%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Fast Talk 20%, History 80%, Kingsport Cult 10%, Law 45%, Library Use 65%, Listen 40%, Occult 5%, Persuade 35%, Psychology 40%, Religion 20%, Renown 5%, Seamanship 40%, Sea Lore 70%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth 20%, Whalecraft 45%.

Description
Armed with a steel hook courtesy of the late Dr. Adrian Talbot, Dogwatch Grohe keeps tabs on the whaling activities of Kingsport from his land-bound cabin, the files neatly organized by a complicated system only he can understand. Grohe is officious but friendly, and desperate for companionship­—he tries to get outside whenever he can, and relishes whatever duties take him onboard the ships themselves. He eagerly helps anyone who treats him with simple decency, and his effusive good nature forbids him from thinking ill of anybody’s intentions.

Research at the Custom House

There are three important documents that may be obtained at the Custom House: Handout: Voyages of Joab, Handout: Voyages of Pynchon, and Handout: Voyages of the Quiddity. If player characters inquire about any of these subjects, Grohe heaps piles of information on them: ship’s articles, financial statistics on sperm oil, harbor records, duplicates of log-books, letters from Sag Harbor; he’ll even produce a whale-stamp used on the Quiddity’s first voyage! None of this material may leave the office, but any character willing to spend two hours sorting through the heap is entitled to make a Library Useroll for each handout. A failed roll may be repeated after another hour of research.

If anyone were to­—gasp!­—invite Dogwatch for a drink, he’d be delighted to share his knowledge of Kingsport history, trade sea stories, and narrative his close encounter with a tiger shark in lurid detail, waving his hook cheerfully—“Just like Ol’ Puddinghead! Arrrr!” Grohe suggests the Three Haddocks, but would be amenable to the Knotted Iron. (He’s too timorous a fellow for the Cauldron.) Spending a couple hours socializing with Dogwatch earns two random rolls on the Kingsport Rumor Table and +1D4 percentiles in Sea Lore.

C) Programmed Event
For three of the player characters, the adventure begins in front of the Custom House, where the packet ship from Boston docks before its next stop in Portsmouth. Mr. Joseph Coffin and Quakaloo are coming from New Bedford, and Milton Redburn departed from New York City.

October 27, Noon: Arrival of the Getty Lee
The Getty Lee heaves into port just in time for its expected noon arrival. The Keeper should describe the approach to Kingsport Harbor as dramatically as possible, from Mr. Coffin spying Orchard Rise above Stratton Point to the dozens of fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and merchantmen floating on the blue waters of the harbor. As always, Kingsport Head is the most impressive feature, but other landmarks include the white church atop Central Hill, the burned hospital ruins on Hog Island, and the distant smokestacks of the paint and glue factories over Prospect Hill. The two largest ships occupying the harbor are the Argus Blaine, an armed revenue cutter moored along the South Shore, and the Duchess D’Orsino, an Pickering trader preparing for its voyage to Alexandretta. A Seamanship or Whalecraft roll allows one to spot the Quiddity, moored at the Tuttle docks and having its whaleboats repainted.

The Getty Lee disembarks its passengers and cargo with routine efficiency just as the clock on the Custom House strikes twelve. The chimes are echoed by the distant ringing of church bells. The scent of roasting chestnuts wafts across the pier, mingling with the odor of fresh fish, brackish seawater, rotting wood, and the warm, beery smell of the nearby Three Haddocks Publick House. A sailor carrying a mailbag down the gangplank glances at Quakaloo’s harpoon and smiles—“Good luck, mate!” He points northwest towards Whipple Street, “The Knotted Iron’s that way. You’ll find plenty of whalers there. Tell Roland that Spanish Joe sent you!”

Mr. Coffin’s Ride
Parked in front of the Three Haddocks is a polished yellow phaeton, a liveried African American brushing the horses. As the passengers disembark, he’ll walk to the gangplank and greet Mr. Coffin—“Mr. Coffin, I presume? Good day to you, sir. My name is Pompey. The good doctor has instructed me to bring you to Orchard Rise.” He’ll glance at the tavern before adding, “I can wait if you need a few moments, sir.” (See Encounter 32 to continue with Coffin’s first Adventure Hook.)

White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
[Back to “The Wharves” | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 11, Quiddity Dock]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 9 March 2024
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]