Eric Pape was a summer resident of Cape Ann and a close neighbor and friend to the Hammond family, often attending dinners at the Hammond estate at Lookout Hill dining with the crème of American financial and political life. He was "Master of Pageant" for the city-wide celebrations held in 1909 for President Taft in Gloucester, sponsored by John Hays Hammond Sr., and he designed the grounds at the Hammond estate for many charity events sponsored by Mrs. John Hays Hammond, including the Women ́s Titanic Memorial in 1912. After the death of his first wife Alice Monroe in 1911, Eric suffered a nervous breakdown and the Hammonds "adopted" his eight-year old son Moritz. Eric Pape painted many portraits of the Hammonds, and in 1918 Pape painted the massive mural "Wireless Naval Battle on Gloucester Bay" for Jack Hammond, first installed in his "bungalow" at Radio Point and later moved to his "castle" upon its completion.