James Cook Historical Museum

The James Cook Historical Museum was built as St Mary’s Convent for the Sisters of Mercy during 1888-9. At the time, the Cooktown economy was buoyant due to the town’s role as a port for the mineral wealth of the region, dominated by the Palmer River gold mines. The local Catholic priest was appointed bishop in 1887, and the establishment of a convent, day school and boarding school for girls became his priority. The convent was designed by former colonial architect FDG Stanley. As gold production declined, so did Cooktown. The cyclone of 1907 led to further recession with many failing businesses not rebuilding. St Mary’s continued to operate until the 1930s. It was occupied by the US military during WWII and then abandoned and earmarked for demolition. The building was saved and donated to the National Trust for use as the James Cook Historical Museum. The museum includes many items related to the large Chinese population that came to Cooktown during the Palmer River gold rush. The grounds have been landscaped as the Joseph Banks Memorial Garden, and planted with species identified by Banks and Dr Solander during their seven week stay at the Endeavour River in 1770.