Castine organization acquires document signed by Thomas Jefferson

Document was in family estate of the late poet Philip Booth, whose ancestor was named by President Jefferson to oversee America’s northernmost ‘Port of Penobscot’

The document appointing Josiah Hooke to run what was then America’s northernmost customs house. Photo courtesy of the Castine Historical Society.

Jan. 30, 2026

By John Boit

CASTINE—The Castine Historical Society has acquired a federal document signed by President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison appointing Josiah Hooke as revenue inspector for the “Port of Penobscot,” a post that covered Castine and surrounding coastal communities during the early years of the American republic.

The document was purchased from a Castine family estate for $4,400 with financial support from 14 individual donors, according to the society’s executive director, Kate McMahon.

“It tells such an incredible story of how important and strategic Castine was for the early American republic at the mouth of the Penobscot River,” McMahon said in an interview with The Rising Tide.

McMahon declined to identify the local family that had owned the historic document. However, a Jan. 17 auction by the Rockland-based company Bruce Gamage Antiques listed “historic items from the Philip Booth estate in Castine” that included “Josiah Hook's original appointment signed by President Thomas Jefferson” and dated 1802.

Booth, a poet and  college professor, owned a house in Castine that had been in his family for several generations.

“The Booth estate housed several important American history items,” the antiques dealer stated on its website promoting the auction. “Booth being a descendent of Josiah Hook (1774-1827) the Main St. Castine house was home to several Josiah Hook items including…Hook’s original 1802 appointment as Inspector of Revenue for the Port of Penobscot, signed by President Thomas Jefferson.”

Hooke, born in Salisbury, Massachusetts, in 1744, was the first of his family to settle in Castine in the late 18th century. Appointed collector of customs in 1802, he served with some interruptions until 1817. In that role, he enforced customs duties on ships entering local ports, at times personally boarding vessels to search for smuggled goods, according to the historical society.

Those efforts occasionally turned violent. In 1808, one of Hooke’s assistants was killed during a gunfight on Isle au Haut. Some seizures led to lengthy court disputes. During the War of 1812, Hooke fled British-occupied Castine, burying customs funds and records in the woods near Hampden for later recovery.

McMahon said the document highlights Castine’s place in early global commerce.

“This document shows how connected Castine was to the rest of the world,” McMahon said. “This was one of only a small number of custom houses in the country, and it was also the northernmost custom house.”

She said the appointment also reflects broader economic trends of the period.

“It really tells the story not only of Castine and the role of Josiah Hooke, but it also gives us a clue as to what was happening in the early American republic,” McMahon said. “It tells the story of the very beginning of the 19th century explosion of the shipping industry, and before the country hit its zenith in the Industrial Revolution.”

The society plans to conserve the document and display it publicly as part of an exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the Penobscot Expedition and its aftermath, scheduled for 2028 and 2029. McMahon said the document is expected to arrive in Castine next week.

Because of the document’s age, it will likely be kept most of the time in a dark and temperature-controlled environment. The public will also be able to view the document as early as March by request, she said, with other brief showings after the historical society opens for its summer season on Memorial Day.

The Castine Historical Society preserves local history through exhibitions, lectures, educational programs and walking tours. Its offices and research library are open year-round by appointment.