FALL 2023 | VOLUME 73, NO. 3
Looking Back and Looking Forward FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT AND GOSNELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
As we near the end of this year, we want to recognize our visitors, members, and donors. It is your support that has enabled the Nantucket Historical Association to accomplish so much in 2023. From expertly curated exhibitions, to engaging new community programs, exciting educational projects, and important work to our historic structures, so much has taken place in a seemingly short period of time. Thank you! We hope you had the chance to see “Summer on Nantucket, A History of the Island Resort” at the museum. This was a popular show featuring hundreds of artifacts and historic photos from our collection, many of which hadn’t been on view in a long time, if ever. One of the most compelling components to the exhibition revealed how long Nantucket has been shaping itself as a summer destination…longer than it was a leading whaling port. The exhibition helped shine a light on the fact that we have so many stories to tell about this island and that in many cases, past is prologue…we can inform much of our thinking around current challenges in the community by what has come before and how Nantucket has been willing to adapt to change. We were also proud to introduce a number of new programs this year. Among them were the “Summer Site Series” which brought hands-on activities and family-friendly programs to several of our historic properties; and the collaborative “Sea Shanties” concerts done in conjunction with the Egan Maritime Institute, the American Troubadour Project, and with support from the Town of Nantucket’s Cultural Council. These new programs delighted thousands of people throughout the summer months. And speaking of programs, we were glad to continue Nantucket By Design and Baskets and Bubbly, two fun and educational special events which raised critically important funds for the NHA’s mission-related activities. While all of this was going on, work began on a complete overhaul of the Research Library on Fair Street and continued on schedule thanks to the generous support of a Community Preservation Committee grant. This important preservation work will continue through the early winter and we look forward to re-opening this important structure to members, researchers, students, and the public in the Spring of 2024. The NHA is committed to continuing this kind of investment in our historic properties, and in an effort to better document the structures and understand their conditions, we began an innovative new program that explores the building fabric of our historic structures and how they are undergoing rapid change due to increasing impacts from climate (you can learn more about this initiative in this issue). This exciting work will expand in the new year. Throughout the year, the board and staff have been hard at work on a strategic plan as well as updates to our bylaws, governance policies, procedures, and exhibition and interpretive plans. We are eager to launch our new strategic plan in 2024, focusing on community engagement, expanded education programs, caring for historic properties, our collections, and the organization in general. Looking ahead to next summer, we are excited to welcome a major exhibition about Tony Sarg to the museum. Developed by the Norman Rockwell Museum and in partnership with the NHA, the exhibition has received excellent reviews in Stockbridge and our staff has been hard at work conceiving of ways in which to put more of a Nantucket stamp on it while it is here. The article about Sarg which follows, will whet your appetite for the exhibition and the re-
Board of Trustees 2023–24 lated programs we are developing. For many islanders, Sarg is a familiar character dating to his time on the island from 1920-1940. Others will be surprised to learn of his many talents, varied creative output, and his wide-ranging impact on early animation, puppetry, marionettes, illustration and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Tony Sarg, Genius at Play” is sure to delight audience of all ages next year. In the meantime, as we head into the holiday season, we hope you will join us for some of the most beloved island events and traditions which take place at the museum. We look forward to once again hosting the Festival of Wreaths, Festival of Trees, and our treasured community program, Night of Holiday Magic. In closing, thank you for your interest in the history of this island and its people. Your generous support of the Nantucket Historical Association allows us to both look back and look forward, preserving the stories, artifacts, and buildings--touchstones from the past--so that we might share them with others and better shape the future.
Annabelle Fowlkes, President Susan Blount, Vice President Carla McDonald, Vice President John Flannery, Treasurer Sarah Alger, Clerk Nancy Abbey Patricia Anathan Lucinda Ballard Stacey Bewkes Amanda Cross Cam Gammill Graham Goldsmith Ashley Gosnell Mody Robert Greenspon Wendy Hudson Kathryn Ketelsen, Friends of the NHA Representative Valerie Paley Marla Sanford Denise Saul, Friends of the NHA Representative Sara Schwartz
Annabelle Fowlkes, President, Board of Trustees
Niles Parker, Gosnell Executive Director
Janet Sherlund, Trustee Emerita Carter Stewart Melinda Sullivan Michael Sweeney Jason Tilroe Ex Officio Niles D. Parker, Gosnell Executive Director
Editor: Ashley Santos Designer: Amanda Quintin Design all photos by nha staff unless otherwise noted.
Table of Contents 4
Who is Tony Sarg?
10
Civic Participation on Nantucket, 1865-1900
16
New Light on the South Indian Ocean
24
Digitization Update
27
New Acquisitions Highlights
28
Gathering Lightship Basket Stories
30
News, Notes & Highlights Cover: Tony Sarg balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, circa 1930s. NHA Collection, PH8-110-5.
We preserve and interpret the history of Nantucket through our programs, collections, and properties, in order to promote the island's significance and foster an appreciation of it among all audiences.
@ackhistory
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The NHA celebrates community with programs, exhibit, events, and scholary lectures aimed to entertain and foster the many groups it serves. Gifts to the Annual Fund support every aspect of the NHA and allow the organization to fulfill its mission through outreach and collaborations.
Support the NHA with a gift to the Annual Fund today. Visit NHA.ORG or call (508) 228-1894
Photo credit: Katie Kaizer Photography
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WHO IS
TONY
SARG?
T
ony Sarg: Genius at Play is a new exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in partnership with the Nantucket Historical Association that will come to the Whaling Museum in May 2024. But who is Tony Sarg? Known as the father of modern puppetry in North America, Sarg was an accomplished illustrator, animator, designer, and nimble entrepreneur who summered on, and took inspiration from, Nantucket for over twenty years.
Tony Sarg, 1930s Photographer unidentified PH8-25-3.
Excerpts from exhibition text written by Lenore D. Miller, Curator Emerita of the George Washington University, and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Norman Rockwell Museum. Adapted by Deborah Sorensen, Robyn & John Davis Curator of Exhibitions.
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The first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg (1880–1942), Genius at Play includes nearly 200 objects and images from the NHA collections. Highlighting Sarg’s tremendous talent and legacy within the fields of puppetry and illustration, the exhibition will also reveal how Nantucket’s historic sites and colorful characters came to inspire his work and the many ways that this influential artist gave back to the island he loved so much.
WHO IS TONY SARG?
AN OFFICER AND AN ARTIST Anthony Frederick Sarg was born in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, on April 21, 1880, to a diplomatic family of German and English descent. His family returned to Germany in 1887 and, after a brief stint in the military, twenty-five-year-old Sarg chose to resign his post as lieutenant and move to England to pursue a career as a professional artist.
Despite the demands of his military training, Sarg was determined to forge a career as an artist and used his personal time to fill sketchbooks and paint scenes like this watercolor from a 1902 trip to the Netherlands. Gift of Mary Sarg Murphy, 1984.137.19e.
COMMERCIAL ILLUSTRATION FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK Though he was self-trained as an artist, Tony Sarg possessed a keen wit and a natural ability to draw. In 1905, he launched his professional career in London, where he worked as an illustrator, cartoonist, and theatrical artist. Freelance opportunities were plentiful, as the publishing industry boomed during illustration’s Golden Age. With the outbreak of World War I and the spread of anti-German sentiment, Tony Sarg made the decision to emigrate to the United States with his wife, Bertha, and baby daughter, Mary, in 1915. They settled
This 1915 cover illustration was one of Sarg’s first assignments for The Saturday Evening Post after moving from London to New York, where he quickly secured additional commissions from the country’s leading publications, including Life, Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and Vanity Fair. MS485-9.
in Greenwich Village, New York, and Sarg quickly established himself as a sought-after commercial artist and popular figure in creative circles.
A PASSION FOR PUPPETS Tony Sarg considered himself an illustrator first, but it was marionettes that brought him widespread fame. Sarg began designing marionettes and holding small performances while supporting himself as a commercial artist in London. This practice of parallel work as an illustrator and puppeteer continued in New York, where, in 1920, he established a national traveling troupe, Tony
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Above: Instead of creating the hundreds of drawings needed to produce traditional cel animation, Sarg used hinged puppets that could be easily manipulated and photographed as individual frames in films like The Tooth Carpenter from 1921 (aka The First Dentist). PH8-39-2. Left: Tony Sarg conducting a 1927 rehearsal with his crew. Many hundreds of puppeteers, sculptors, wood carvers and carpenters, scenic painters, costumers, and stagehands worked to bring his productions to life for audiences around the country. PH8-34-3.
Sarg’s Marionettes. The next two decades brought steady publicity and a diverse output of instructional books and articles, vocational courses, and widely circulated toy puppets and theaters, which firmly established Sarg’s reputation as the person responsible for reviving the marionette artform in America.
focus on original stories and in the way they combined puppets and stop-motion technology. The use of Sarg’s name in the films as a stamp of quality foreshadowed the Walt Disney approach to marketing in the sound era that followed.
EXPERIMENTS IN ANIMATION
Tony Sarg’s visionary work established the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as an icon of American culture and a unique and important aspect of the company’s professional brand. In 1924, Macy’s in New York City commissioned him to create animated window displays to support the department store’s new holiday parade. Three years later, the parade added its first gi-
Never one to let a flourishing career keep him from launching another, Sarg built upon his name recognition as a puppeteer to create “Tony Sarg’s Almanac,” a series of animated silhouette films or “shadowgraphs” released between 1921 and 1923 that remained in circulation for many years. The films were unique in their
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BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY
WHO IS TONY SARG?
ant balloons, designed by Tony Sarg. For more than ten years, he introduced new balloons to the parade every year—works that puppeteer Bil Baird described as “giant upside-down marionettes.” Baird worked with Sarg to supervise construction of the balloons by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.
THE SARG BRAND
Developed from sketches and drawings, Sarg’s balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took shape using a combination of cylindrical and spherical shapes, like this 1931 cat design. PH8-69-2.
Charismatic and driven, Tony Sarg skillfully translated his personal interests in comic illustration and puppetry into marketable products. His decorative decoupage storage boxes, clocks, ceramics, furnishings, wallpapers, linens, and fabrics reflected the prevailing taste for “Americana” and a romanticized view of white colonial culture during the first half of the twentieth century. Sarg worked with publishers to produce illustrated puzzles, storybooks, games, and toy marionettes, while his name and likeness were used to endorse an array of products including automotive parts, butter, and whiskey.
SARG ON NANTUCKET After visiting Nantucket with friends in 1920, Tony Sarg purchased a house on North Liberty Street in 1921 and became one of the island’s most beloved summer residents. Traveling around the island to sketch and paint, he participated avidly in the island’s just-emerging art colony and consistently drew inspiration from the island’s landmarks, history, and folklore for his art and commercial designs. Many of Sarg’s colorful products were sold in a series of shops his wife ran on island. A natural booster and showman, Sarg contributed work to fundraisers Several of Sarg’s playful designs, like this 1937 “Ye Olden Times” pattern, were produced by the Thomas Strahan Company of Chelsea, Massachusetts, the oldest surviving wallpaper company in America, founded in 1866. Gift of George F. Korn and Richard Kemble, 1992.46.1.
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WHO IS TONY SARG?
In this 1927 painting, Sarg captures the picturesque Bon-Ton Fish Market on Easy Street at the head of Old North Wharf, established in the early 1920s by Nantucket fisherman John P. Tabor. Gift of Marion and Dorothy Rawson from the estate of Florence L. Schepp, 1964.357.1.
In 1937, Sarg brought his Macy's sea serpent balloon to Nantucket during the summer season. After stirring up interest with initial monster footprint sightings on the beach, Sarg and his crew inflated the balloon’s head on the beach at Coatue and floated it on the harbor. The next day, they assembled the massive sea serpent at South Beach on Washington Street, and large crowds turned out to enjoy the spectacle. P21725.
for the Nantucket Cottage Hospital and is especially well-remembered for his “Sea Monster” hoax of 1937, which brought positive publicity to the summer resort during the Great Depression.
puppets were sold or distributed as a means of settling his debts. The artist died from complications following surgery for a ruptured appendix on February 17, 1942, at the age of 61.
WHO WAS TONY SARG? Throughout his career, Tony Sarg took financial risks in pursuit of creative challenges. By 1939, his workload— and related expenditures—stretched far beyond annual marionette productions, Macy’s balloons, and illustration jobs to include supplying several bricks-and-mortar Tony Sarg Shops; promoting a new radio program; fulfilling high-profile interior design commissions; and creating exhibits, souvenirs, and the official map and guide for the New York World’s Fair. Overextended, Tony Sarg declared bankruptcy in late 1939 and his
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Maker, influencer, brand ambassador: Tony Sarg was many things, but his unselfish desire to motivate, educate, and mentor others is his greatest legacy. Drawn from public and private collections of art and material culture, Tony Sarg: Genius at Play will explore Sarg’s prolific career and offer a window into the creative process and achievements of this visionary artist. A life-long genius at play, Sarg is remembered for his enduring impact on American popular culture, and, most especially, for the sense of joy and delight that he so freely embraced and shared through his art.
A 2024 MAJOR EXHIBITION
Opening at the Whaling Museum Memorial Day Weekend We invite you to be an integral part of our exhibition by supporting us as generously as you can. For more information or any questions, please contact Laura Barnes, Director of Development, at (508) 228-1894 Ext. 125 or lbarnes@nha.org. Gifts are fully tax-deductible according to federal guidelines. Tony Sarg: Genius at Play has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts In partnership with the Nantucket Historical Association. This exhibition is sponsored in part with generous funding from National Endowment for the Arts.
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CIVIC PARTICIPATION On Nantucket, 1865–1900 By Barbara Ann White
Ballot box by the Perfection Ballot Box Co., Worcester, Mass., used on Nantucket after about 1905. Gift of the Town of Nantucket, 1996.6.1.
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CIVIC PARTICIPATION
T
here is a perception on Nantucket that the island was virtually a ghost town in the decades between the Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century, a town comprised, as William F. Macy wrote, of “women and old men.” The island’s economy certainly declined and lack of work opportunities led many people to leave the island, but it is a mistake to assume that the island slept through those years. By examining the record books of the annual town meetings and the Board of Selectmen’s regular meetings, a picture emerges of a community committed to progress and civic engagement. In line with national norms of the time, it is no surprise to see that town government was firmly in the control of white men during this period. Nevertheless, people who had been activists in pre-Civil War days jostled for seats at the table, including both women and the few non-whites who lived on the island. The non-white population plummeted from a high of almost 600 in the 1840s to a mere 27 according to the 1880 Federal census.
Nine women, however, were elected to public office between 1874 and 1900, joining several town committees, primarily the school committee. Men elected three women to the school committee before women were granted the limited right to vote for school committee members in 1880. In fact, Judith J. Fish, Elizabeth C. Crosby, and Helen B. Worth comprised half the committee in 1876. Women Judith J. Fish (left) and Helen B. Worth (right), two of the first also put forth their names to serve as town treasurer, on the Board three women to hold elected public office on Nantucket. of Selectmen, and as overseers of the poor. Malinda S. Barney and P1129, P1553. Susan P. Jones were elected in the 1890s to the five-member board that oversaw what was called the Poor Department. Nine other women ran for office but were not elected. Women’s participation in the voting process was spotty. Suffragists, optimistic during Reconstruction that women would be granted the right to vote, saw their hopes vanish. From 1880 until 1920, women in Massachusetts could only vote for members of their local school committees. As the years dragged, women’s enthusiasm to vote declined. Between 1880 and 1900, there were several years on Nantucket when only a few women bothered to vote. In 1895, ten women voted and, in the last year of the century, only three women made the effort.
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Periodically, the Annual Town Meetings, then held in February, considered women’s suffrage. In 1881, a warrant article was voted down that would have asked the state legislature to “extend to women, who are citizens, the right to hold Town offices and to vote in Town affairs on the same terms as male citizens” despite the fact that women already held town offices. The same article was considered the following year, and it passed. The men also voted that “the ladies be granted the privilege of speaking at this meeting” but did not list their names. A three-man committee was given the task to inform the legislature of the town’s vote. In the state election of November 1895, there was a ballot question about municipal suffrage for women. Town records note that 690 Nantucketers voted, including 137 women. The turnout indicates that women were more than willing to vote if their voting rights were expanded. But, Nantucket men overwhelmingly voted against granting women’s suffrage by a vote of 316 to 182. Unsurprisingly, women voted 131 to 4 in favor of their suffrage with two ballots left blank. With the disappointing vote by their male counterparts, it is not surprising that the next few years saw little turnout among the island’s women voters.
Civil War veteran Hiram Reed (standing, center) ran three
Town records reveal that two Black men attempted to hold public times for town offices—the school committee, town constable, and town treasurer—without success. P1574. office. Wesley Berry, an activist and abolitionist who spoke in the 1840s on behalf of integrating the Nantucket public schools, ran to be a town constable in 1878 and a member of the school committee in 1880. Civil War veteran Hiram Reed ran for three different offices in three different years—the school committee, town constable, and town treasurer. No Black men are listed as jurors, although able-bodied Black men are listed in the various Militia lists. Reverend James Crawford’s name appears in the records for nine years because he was the chaplain of the Almshouse, later called Our Island Home. Reading through warrant articles and Board of Selectmen meeting minutes reveals many issues the town continues to deal with today, including granting of licenses for liquor and shell fishing. Much time was spent discussing road improvements and public lighting. The amount of money and attention paid to the poor is striking, and for a number of years the town spent more money on the poor than on any other town department. The numbers of people taken care of were carefully reported, and records show the town provided support both for residents of the Almshouse, also called the Asylum, and for people in their own homes. In 1885, a typical year, the records count 41 people at the Almshouse at the beginning of the fiscal year, but 33 by the time of the Annual Town Meeting. Ten people between the ages of 60 and 70 made up the largest portion of these residents. The occupancy of the Almshouse fluctuated a good deal; more people were ministered to than might at first meet the eye. For example, in 1885, 11 were discharged, 9 were admitted, and 6 people died, suggesting a fairly consistent rate of turnover among the residents.
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CIVIC PARTICIPATION
“ Another example of how much Nantucket spent to help those in need is revealed by the stream of money sent to other towns in New England for the care of paupers.”
The town also provided aid to poor people in their homes. For example, in 1883, the highest count in the selected time period, “69 families, consisting of 142 persons” were provided with supplies such as wood and groceries, as well as “board and nursing” care. The town’s expenditures for the poor are indicative not just of the island’s economic downturn after the Civil War but of the nation’s as a whole: the U.S. suffered a recession from 1873 to 1879 as well as the Panic of 1893. The town consistently supported veterans of the “War of the Rebellion.” Every year after 1879, the Annual Town Meetings allocated money for “indigent soldiers and sailors.” For several years, the town voted for money at a Special Town Meeting because the needs exceeded their original allocation. By 1890, widows were included in town support. The largest expenditure was in 1890 when the town spent $1,224 on indigent sailors and soldiers. The town also purchased headstones for veterans’ graves. Nantucket sent money off-island every year to support islanders housed in state institutions. The bulk was sent to the Taunton Hospital for the Insane, which received between $438 and $1,431 during this period; smaller amounts went to similar hospitals in Worcester and Danvers. The town also paid to transport patients off island, with an unusually high expense in 1887 when $2000 was allocated for “women from Taunton Hospital.” We do not know the number of patients or their names, but assuredly there are tragic stories hidden behind the facts and figures.
Robert Ratliff (1794–1882), a veteran mariner, was shipwrecked on Nantucket in 1820 and remained to build a life here. After his wife’s death in 1871, poverty obliged him to move into the Quaise Asylum, where town funds supported him. His real-life adventures attracted occasional interest in the press and brought Eastman Johnson to the Asylum to paint this portrait of him in 1879. Gift of Eastman Johnson, 1900.134.1.
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CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Another example of how much Nantucket spent to help those in need is revealed by the stream of money sent to other towns in New England for the care of paupers. It is never explained, but these sums probably supported the poor of Nantucket who had gone elsewhere. The largest amount, $7,790, was expended in 1883 “for the support of the poor/ insane” to a list of towns such as New Bedford, Boston, and Fall River. Town Records reveal concern about sanitation, public health, and epidemics. For example, in 1878, they note that contagious diseases had afflicted some school students. In 1885, they record that there were six cases of contagious diseases with four deaths from diphtheria and one from typhoid fever. They reported no cases of smallpox. The Board of Health worked that year to alleviate sources of contamination by emptying three privies and disinfecting 36 more, overseeing the construction of 79 cesspools, and burying three horses. Two years later, contagious diseases were on the rise again. Eight cases of rothelin (now known as rubella) were recorded, nonfatal. There were also two non-fatal cases of tonsillitis, which the board noted was “a new disease to Nantucket.” That year there were also 16 cases of scarlet fever. The town doctor pointed out that these cases had come from “Brockton where it had become epidemic.” Nantucket recorded only one death but noted that “a great many children were prostrated by it.” The Board of Health noted that quick action on their part had averted disaster. Its members had made house-to-house inspections of cesspools and privies. The following year, the town’s doctor, J. Alban Kite, reported that the poor had had “remarkable freedom” from contagious diseases. The doctor conveyed that he had made 49 visits to the Almshouse and 73 visits to the “poor at their homes.” In 1894, the town appropriated $100 to vaccinate students at public expense and gave the school committee “full power” over the money. No follow-up report tells us to how many students were vaccinated. The town spent about the same amount each year on the public schools as it spent on the poor. In 1882, the town built two new schools–one in Polpis to replace one that had burned, and one in Madaket. In 1885, money was spent to create an “industrial” curriculum. Academy Hill received a new roof in 1887, and, in 1890, kindergarten was added to the classes offered. The town continued to support a school on Tuckernuck where, for example, there
“ Town records reveal an ever-growing interest in promoting a tourist economy. Money began to be spent on beautification projects, such as the repair of Main Street in 1887 with cobblestones instead of block stone, as well as $250 spent in 1891 on trees.”
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were seven students in 1890. And, to promote overall education for all citizens, the Town collaborated in 1895 with the Trustees of the Atheneum “whereby all citizens could use the library for free.”
The Polpis schoolhouse, built in 1882 to replace one destroyed by fire. F4000.
Town records reveal an ever-growing interest in promoting a tourist economy. Money began to be spent on beautification projects, such as the repair of Main Street in 1887 with cobblestones instead of block stone, as well as $250 spent in 1891 on trees. Money was also spent to build and repair bicycle paths. In 1898, the Annual Town Meeting created a committee to consider whether the island should be advertised as a “health resort” and then followed up the next year by spending $1,000 to “advertis[e] the great merits of Nantucket as a health resort throughout the United States and Canada.” Thus, the island began to emerge into the twentieth century redesigning itself as a tourist destination.
Barbara Ann White is a local historian and retired educator. She extends a tremendous thank you to town clerk Nancy Holmes, assistant town clerk Laura Raimo, and now-retired administrative assistant Gail Holdgate for allowing her to read the town records across three years, even during the Pandemic.
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NEW LIGHT
Ship Washington of New Bedford hunting and trying out right whales in the Indian Ocean on its 1842–44 voyage. Watercolor by Captain James G. Coffin, from his logbook (Ms. 220, log 252).
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NEW LIGHT
ON THE SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN By Jeff Rubin
Although whaleships from the United States ranged widely across the world’s oceans throughout the nineteenth century, one area of their activity, the southern Indian Ocean, has not yet been studied in detail. Thanks to ongoing annual support by Connie and Thomas Cigarran, the NHA has been digitizing its manuscript collections, including its substantial logbook and journal holdings, to make them more widely available to researchers. These books provide an irreplaceable window into the history of the remote, harsh, and hauntingly beautiful islands the whalers encountered in that part of the world.
A
mong the more than four hundred logbooks and journals in the association’s collections are some treasures that offer rare early glimpses of the Kerguelen, Crozet, Amsterdam, and Saint-Paul islands, now possessions of France, along with their far-southerly neighbor, Heard Island, which belongs to Australia. Of special interest are the journals kept by women who sailed with their whaling husbands, as they often provide more personal and detailed descriptions than are found in logbooks, which are usually dry business records.
er ships and barks in sight, a relatively rare confluence occasioned by the islands themselves. In the 1840s, the Crozets were justly famous for their abundance of whales. By 1852, when Herman Melville wrote in Moby-Dick of “the distant Crozetts, a good cruising ground for Right Whalemen,” their bounty had been depleted. After years when more than a dozen ships might each take several right whales in a single week near these islands, the population had been hunted to near-extinction and the islands given over to an isolation they still enjoy today.1
Most American whalers who crossed the south Indian Ocean were headed to the west coast of Australia, and their first stop was often the Crozet Islands. The logkeeper aboard the ship Washington of New Bedford, cruising among the Crozets in January 1843, remarked on a peculiar problem: “We have seen 6 or 8 whales this 24 hours, and the water so clear that it is allmost impossible to get on to them.” The log entry noted sixteen oth-
Nevertheless, whalers still occasionally tried their luck, as the New Bedford bark Pacific did early in 1871. Boatsteerer William Murray Cash of Nantucket (1851– 1914) recorded, “Land in sight saw the Stamboul she run down to game [gam] I went on board had a very pleasant time good weather all well so ends this day.” He took a moment to sketch a rough pencil drawing of 1 Log 252, ship Washington 1842–44, Jan. 15, 1843. All logbook quotations are from the NHA Ships’ Logs Collection, Ms. 220, and have been transcribed verbatim with their original spelling, capitalization, and punctuation irregularities.
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Left: Boatsteerer William Murray Cash’s drawing of Apostle and Hog islands, two of the westernmost islands in the Crozet archipelago. From the log of the bark Pacific, 1870–72 (Ms. 220, log 206).
Right: Table of islands and shoals to the southward and eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, from the 1802 edition of Nathaniel Bowditch’s New American Practical Navigator. By modern measurement, the locations of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam islands are 38º43’ S, 77º31’ E and 37º50’ S, 77º33’ E.
Apostle and Hog islands, two of the westernmost in the Crozet archipelago.2 Amsterdam and Saint-Paul islands were also once home to many southern right whales. After whalers also overhunted them, the islands remained popular with captains as a place to reprovision, or “recruit” as they sometimes called it. The waters around these islands are rich in fish, and a tiny settlement on Saint-Paul, though it was occupied only irregularly, sometimes offered the opportunity to trade for fresh vegetables, fowl, and eggs.
2 Log 206, bark Pacific 1870–72, Jan. 15, 1871.
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One of the islands’ earliest whaleship visitors was the Hannah and Eliza of New Bedford, which called at Amsterdam Island on October 10, 1804. Like many mariners of the time, Captain Micajah Gardner of Nantucket (1760–1844) mixed up whether he was at Amsterdam or its neighbor Saint-Paul, sixty miles to the south, because of inaccurate locations for these islands given in the standard nautical references of the time. Thinking he was describing Saint-Paul, Gardner wrote, “[I]t is Vary high & Barron with a few Bushes On it But No appearance of a landing Place On Either Side—Saw Many Streams of water Running Down the Mountains Saw Nothing More then the Common Sea Berds Round it.”3 3 Log 104, ship Hannah and Eliza 1804–06, Oct. 10, 1804.
NEW LIGHT
ships company for 14 months left in a ship bound for Batavia—Wm Hergert’ They no dout meant that they remained on the Iland 14 months before they were taken off; at a little distance from the houses were three graves which by the Inscriptions on a board at the head of Each I found they belonged to the ship Olive of London [sic] beneath each was written a piece expressive of the age of each when they died & of the families of each but for want of time I could take nothing down except thier names which were Henry Barton, John Geal & Robert Moran. after taking all that was usefull we caught live penguins and rowed about 20 fathoms from the shore where we fished until the wind & sea rose so we dare not stay any longer our boats being heavy loaded with the skins. Conversely, when the Nantucket merchant ship Rose stopped at Saint-Paul Island on January 4, 1806, bound to Canton, Captain James Cary (1777–1812) thought he was at Amsterdam Island. Cary and his crew rowed their boats into Saint-Paul’s circular basin, formed millenia ago when the island’s volcanic caldera collapsed and the sea eventually entered. On the shore of this natural harbor, surrounded by cliffs hundreds of feet high, they found two stone houses and a cook house built by castaways from a shipwrecked vessel. Inside one house were 170 “pickled seal skins,” several knives, and a number of cooking articles—all of which “we brought away.”4 More important, Silvanus Hussey (1782–1815) wrote in the logbook that they had found “a paper wrote on it with a lead pencil as follows:” The ship Olive of Salem S Williams master touch’d here Nr 28 1805 found here a paper wrote as follows: ‘The Lively lost here the 9th August 1804
Despite this evidence of a shipwreck, what attracted our attention the most was a great natural curiosity the boiling springs which lies round the edge of the pool the ferst you perceive before you get to them is a smoke like the smoke of a chimney they are continually boiling up & the heat is sufficient to boil a fish. I put my finger in one but could not bear it in an instant the heat appeared to me to be as hot as water just before it boils . . . . Overall, Hussey opined, Rose’s stop at Saint-Paul “after being at sea and out [of] sight of land 84 days the sight of land and to go on shore was rewarding.” The next morning, upon departure, “we had an excellent chouder made of the heads & back bones.” As the London whaleship Emily, commanded by Laban Russell of Nantucket (1780–1842), made Saint-Paul in June 1823, it was greeted by a small sloop. “It was evident from the number of Men they were Pirates,” Cap-
4 Log 394, Silvanus Hussey journal, Jan. 4, 1806.
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tain Russell’s wife, Mary Hayden Russell (1784–1855), wrote in a “sea letter” diary to their daughter, Mary Ann. They pass’d close under the Stern, the Capn. called to them to keep off or he would fire into them, not content with this, they took another turn and pass’d so near that we could distinguish their features and countenances, which bore the stamp of villians. They appear’d loth to give up their intention but seeing so many men all arm’d with muskets they bore away.5 The crew’s fishing, meanwhile, was a success: “The two boats returned loaded with some of the finest fish I ever saw, they resemble the American Shad, but fatter.” In early 1838, Captain Nathan H. Cook of the ship Portland from Newburgh, New York, stopped at Saint-Paul to fish “& to let the men have a run on land after being to sea eight months.” The next morning, Cook himself went on Shore at St Pauls with the intention of trying to ascend the mountain & finally succeeded. I traveled all around the edge of the Crater at an elevation of about 1000 feet from the level of the sea. Saw no signs of any living animal, probably if there are any on the Island they are on the lower parts of it We found fresh Water on the Mountains but not plentifull. The whole Island seems fraught with subterraneous fire; in some places on the mountains in the crevices of the rocks I could not bear my hand it being so hot—At the waters edge in the Crater there are boiling springs, at one of which I boiled some fresh fish in a short time, which would have eaten very well after our jaunt on the Mountain, but unfortunately we had neither Salt nor bread. The Soil on this Island is very rich & in some places deep, There is a little vegetation, consisting of parsley, wild carrots & a kind of wild cabbage which latter makes excellent pot greens, we gathered enough for the whole ships company in a very short time— just as we were about leaving, we saw two goats half way up the Mountain & there may be plenty of them, & also hogs.6
Portland’s crew caught 14 barrels of fish, a respectable and useful haul, even as the captain admitted in a candid aside, “Myself nearly sick with my jaunt up the mountain of St. Pauls.” In 1849, the Nantucket whaler Richard Mitchell stopped at Saint-Paul. Captain Robert McCleave (1809–1878) noted, “found 2 Frenchman here with ther wifes fishermen Curing fish,” and obtained two bushels of potatoes, “a few Moor fish Capbage & french Turnips.”7 Three years later, William Fitch, master of the New London ship Mogul, poured out his feelings in a letter to his wife, availing himself of Saint-Paul’s function as an unofficial mid-ocean post office. I shall stop at St Pauls Island to catch some fish & leave letters etc and from there go to New Zealand . . . . O Lucy I should like to get home once more with my family time seems long when I am absent but I hope that I shall be spared to meet you again.8 When the ship Harvest of Nantucket visited Saint-Paul on December 13 and 14, 1853, hoping to reprovision, Captain Benjamin Franklin Riddell (1804–1862) got only partial satisfaction. After Riddell’s crew returned from fishing with “indiferent luck,” the island’s selfstyled ‘Governor,’ chief of the small fishing station, told Harvest’s mate “if I would give one of his men a pr shoes he would go in the boat & tell them where there was plenty.” After the pair was provided, Harvest’s boats “got on board with over two hundred fine fish one of them weighed over one hundred pounds.” But the fresh vegetables they so desired had nearly all been taken by two ships that had visited the previous day, leaving only “2 Bbls [barrels] small potatoes, 2 domestic fowl & some grass for the Goat.”9 One of the two ships that forestalled the Harvest was another Nantucket whaler, Phoenix, commanded by Israel Morey (1812–1860). By a fortunate coincidence, a journal from that voyage by Elizabeth H. Morey (1810–1893) also survives in the NHA collection. Remarkably rich in detail, her record of her December 12, 1853, stop at Saint-Paul is a rare find. 7 Log 307, ship Richard Mitchell 1848–52, Jan. 3, 1849.
5 Letter-Journal of Mary Hayden Russell, 1823–24, Jun. 2, 1823, Ms. 83, folder 1.
8 Letter from William Fitch to Lucy A. Fitch, Dec. 4, 1851, Ms. 335, folder 1002.
6 Log 218, ship Portland 1837–39), Feb. 21, 1838.
9 Log 345, ship Harvest 1853–57, Dec. 13–14, 1853.
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NEW LIGHT
Elizabeth H. Morey’s sketch of Saint-Paul Island, copied from a map drawn on a penguin egg and given to her as a gift. From her journal kept aboard the ship Phoenix, 1853–56 (Ms. 220, log 207).
Here husband and I went on Shore and this was A Great Curiosity to me where we landed it was A verry prety harbour when we first approched the landing we saw A small staff Raised near the landing to shew that Some soliteary being lived there, and directly we saw A Man and also heard A Dog bark and this Gentleman was A Frenchman he came down to the Boat and took us by the hand and invited us into his Humble Abode he had two young lads with him and one African A Slave. he informed us that he had lived here six years and he was about tired of it. and thought he should leave soon. husband got some verry nice new Potatoes of him and some Dried fish and A few turnips and few fowl.
I tried to Assend the Mountain but soon found that I was to weak to Reach the top of it. And was Glad to retreat. and here I will Write the Frenchmans name as he gave it to me. Frederick Rowva. he Presented me with a Penguin’s eggshell with A sketch of the Island appon it. on the next page I will Draw it from the Same.10 Nantucket whaler Norman came to Saint-Paul in January 1856 and got no fish, but “Saw a Shoal of Sperm Whales. lowered three Boats and caught two. took them alongside and Commenced Cutting.”11 10 Log 207, Elizabeth Morey whaling journal, Dec. 12, 1853. 11 Log 165, ship Norman 1855–60, Jan. 29, 1856.
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Sketch of Heard Island by William H. Macy, 1858, from the log of the brig Homer, 1858–59 (Ms. 220, log 116).
Lydia Abby Beebe (1838–1910) visited Amsterdam Island for a day in January 1864 with her husband John (1830–1907), captain of the New Bedford ship Brewster.
(1818–1891), lowered all four boats for fishing; he and his crew “left the Island with about 25 bbls of the best fish a going.”13
About 12 Oclock last night Mr. Weeks came and called John, saying that the land was all in sight we kept off and on till morning and at 5 Oclock all on board eat Breakfast and three boats went close in shore fishing and they caught a great many, the fish are very fat so that they fry in their own fat, they are very good. there are two islands here in the same longitude which is 77º.26m. E. and about 60 m. difference in this latitude we went to the one farthest north which is called Amsterdam and the other is called St. Paul’s. It was the first land we had seen since leaving N. Bedford [three months prior] but it was a dreary looking island the clouds covered the tops of the rocks which are said to be over 2,000 ft. high, there were a great many birds flying all round, more I think than I had ever seen at one time. John caught one of them for me to see and let it go again the name of it was Maullimock—they are a beautiful looking bird.12
Another major find in the NHA collection records the visit to Heard Island by the Nantucket brig Homer, commanded by Captain George Haggerty (1808–1885), in 1858—just five years after the island’s discovery by Captain John J. Heard of the Boston bark Oriental. The “blubber rush” to slaughter the elephant seals that swarmed Heard’s shores was still underway. With the massive seals putting up little or no resistance, men could quickly fill their ships’ holds with high-quality oil rendered from the seals’ insulating fat.
When the Sea Queen of Westport, Mass., visited Amsterdam three years later, its captain, Charles C. Mooers
The first mate on Homer was William Hussey Macy (1826–1891). His record of the Homer’s four-month stay at Heard Island gives a first-hand account of “elephanting” operations on the crowded, bloody beaches. Within a week of arrival, the brig landed twelve crewmen, who built a shanty ashore. Competition with elephanters from nearly a dozen other vessels was fierce, so the men were merciless. Macy’s entry in the log for November 15 reads, “Killing & skinning pups & anything we can find to make blubber.”14 On the day after
13 Log 221, bark Sea Queen 1866–67, Jan. 3, 1867. 12 Log 294A, Lydia Abby Beebe whaling journal, Jan. 22, 1864.
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14 Log 116, brig Homer 1858–59, Nov. 15, 1858.
NEW LIGHT
Lydia Beebe and her daughter Alice, oil on canvas by an unidentified artist, ca. 1874. Anonymous gift, 2008.33.1.
William Hussey Macy, ca. 1865. After his voyage in the brig Homer, W. H. Macy went on to a productive writing career. In several stories, including “Phantom Island” and “Beyond Desolation,” he depicted elephanting at Heard Island more fully than he could in any logbook. P14411.
Christmas, Macy wrote, “Killed nothing through the night & only 3 elephants the day the beaches are deserted by elephants & Heard Island is about worked out.” An aside in another hand notes succinctly: “secundum artem,” i.e., in accordance with the standard procedure of a trade.15
ters with the islands of the southern Indian Ocean. Idiosyncratic spelling, barely-decipherable handwriting, oil stains, fading ink, and missing or damaged sections often mean that a large investment of time and effort is required to extract the invaluable data and anecdotes they preserve. Nevertheless, thanks to the NHA’s ongoing digitization efforts, researchers around the world now have greater access to these manuscripts than ever before, while at the same time handling of these fragile treasures has been lessened.
With a “furious Norther” blowing on January 20, 1859, Macy wrote that “the schooner R. B. Coleman of NLondon parted chains & drove foul of schooner Frank of Mystic & then drifted down abreast of the point & Came ashore abreast of the Romulus’ shanty where she lies bilged—a wreck—Schooner Frank lost her bowsprit & all her headgear.” Less than two months later, it was Frank’s turn: “Schooner Frank of Mystic was lost on Friday 4th inst. . . . The mate lost & all the rest saved.” As the foregoing demonstrates, whaling logbooks and journals like those in the NHA’s collection contain a wealth of information about Yankee whalers’ encoun-
Visit nantuckethistory.org to explore these manuscripts for yourself.
Jeff Rubin is writing a book about the island of the South Indian Ocean.
15 Log 116, brig Homer 1858–59, Dec. 26, 1858.
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COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION UPDATE Research Library
Preservation Institute Nantucket class of 1981, P22003.
Digitization of the Preservation Institute Nantucket Reports As the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, Nantucket is a strong example of a late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century New England seaport town. The economic decline following the collapse of the whaling industry slowed development on the island and saved buildings that might have otherwise been sacrificed in the name of progress. As Nantucket transitioned to a resort economy, business and civic leaders began making a concerted effort to preserve historic buildings in decline. In 1955, Nantucket became one of the first local historic districts in the nation. Historic preservation began to gain traction in the field of architecture through New Deal legislation to provide employment to architects and artists during the Great Depression. One of those initiatives was the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), which brought students from various disciplines together with history and architecture scholars to evaluate historic buildings around the country. One such scholar, Frank Blair Reeves, joined HABS in 1958. A professor at the University of Florida, he advocated for historical preservation as an economic asset to local communities. In 1970, Blair Reeves and his HABS team were assigned to Nantucket, where he met Walter Beinecke Jr., a wealthy businessman who had created various organizations, trusts, and companies to buy and improve declining historic buildings. Together, they received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and in 1972, they established a historic preservation program operated by the University of Florida named the Preservation Institute: Nantucket (PI:N). The interdisciplinary program has brought students from a variety of fields to Nantucket to analyze, define, and preserve the architecture of Nantucket. This knowledge is shared with the public through lectures, educational outreach programs, and the students’ academic reports. These reports have been deposited with the NHA. This summer, digitization of the 261 reports was completed, and they can now be viewed online through the collections catalog.
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Transcription This year, the NHA has held a number of transcription events as part of the NHA Volunteer Transcription Program, providing volunteers with tips and guidelines for interpreting historic handwriting and the opportunity to practice transcribing with others. The two transcribe-a-thons included artifacts tables displaying letters and photographs from the collections being transcribed, as well as a hands-on calligraphy station. Weekly transcription mornings with research associate Peggi Godwin offered volunteers an opportunity to transcribe in a social environment and help each other with tricky words. Following our first transcribea-thon, there has been a surge in both the number of volunteers and completed projects: 72 volunteers have worked over 1,400 hours to transcribe 3,491 pages
(247 letters, 1 letterbook, and 6 ships’ logs) across the three collections available for transcription. These collections contain valuable insights into Nantucket history. The journals and letterbooks of Quaker merchant and writer Obed Macy capture daily details of island life, as well as his personal opinions on national and international events. The Marshall-Pinkham-Farrier Family Papers includes correspondence between family members and include accounts of daily occurrences, events, and Nantucket gossip. Finally, the Ships’ Logs Collection contain records of location, weather, and ports visited, as well as personal observations such as pastimes, accidents, and illnesses. Thanks to the dedication of so many volunteers, these collections are more accessible for researchers. From the Page makes it possible for volunteers to transcribe from anywhere. Pictured here is the transcription of a page from a Silvanus and Obed Macy letterbook (MS96).
TRANSCRIBE THE COLLECTION! Help make the collection more accessible by volunteering to transcribe. Drop into one of our in-person transcription sessions, or transcribe from the comfort of your own home. Every page is appreciated. To learn more, reach out to Ashley Miller, Assistant Archivist, at amiller@nha.org.
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COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION UPDATE
Artifact Digitization Project In 2018, the NHA committed to digitizing 100 percent of its collection. For the first five years, digitization efforts were focused on the Research Library’s archival collections. In 2023, the project’s capacity expanded to include the artifact collections. As part of the digitization process, the collections team reviews an artifact’s record for consistency and accuracy, ensures appropriate housing, and photographs the object using a newly upgraded photography studio. In 2023, nearly 2,000 artifacts were digitized, including materials from the South Seas collection, architectural fragments, paintings, broadsides, and business ephemera. This item-level review of the collection has revealed previously uncataloged materials, including works by artists George Murphy and C. Robert Perrin. While many objects had catalog records, there wasn’t always an accompanying photograph, critical both for staff to track objects and for the collection to be available digitally to the public. The NHA holds more than 120 matchbooks from local businesses in its collection, now completely digitized and available online. Photographing the matchbooks came with a few challenges, including photographing the inside without harming the object. The exhibits team and the photographer worked together to create a mount that allowed the inside to be photographed. The matchbook collection provides a unique history of the island, showcasing businesses no longer in operation and the evolving logos for longtime local favorites.
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Matchbooks from Henry's Beer & Wine (1), Cy's Green Coffee Pot (2), the Club Car (3), and Air New England (4). Gift of H. Flint Ranney, 1997.23.
Digitization and transcription are a strategic part of making the NHA’s collections accessible to all. This work is supported by visionary gifts from Connie and Tom Cigarran and the H.L. Brown Jr. Family Foundation.
NEW ACQUISITIONS HIGHLIGHTS
McCleave Family items, 1820s–50s Gift of the Edward W. Hussey family, 2023.26.1–.10 This summer the NHA received a donation of important Nantucket artifacts from the Edward W. Hussey family of North Carolina and West Virginia. The Husseys are descendants of a number of historic island families, including the whaling captain Robert McCleave and his wife Eliza, who famously ran her own private museum on Main Street in the late nineteenth century. A dozen members of the family came to island and personally hand-delivered eight whale-ivory pieces and a spyglass that belonged to Captain McCleave, McCleave’s logbook from two voyages in the ship Loper of Nantucket in the 1820s, and the doorknocker from his son Henry’s house. The ivory pieces include four remarkable scrimshaw napkin rings and a scrimshaw spreader, part of a set given to McCleave by a crewman in the 1850s. The NHA already holds other rings and cutlery from this set, which were a gift from a member of the family in the 1950s. We are thrilled to have received these additional examples and are grateful for the family’s pilgrimage to present them. Visit the Whaling Museum in 2024 to see these items in the Scrimshaw Gallery.
Silhouette of Hannah Macy, 1833 NHA purchase, 2023.31.1 This beautiful painted silhouette of Hannah Macy (1794–1859) is part of a set of recently acquired family portraits. It depicts Macy at age 38 in 1833, attired in a plain but fashionably cut dress with sheer shawl and bonnet—clear indications of her Quaker background. At the time the silhouette was made, Macy had been married for 17 years to Dr. Reuben Macy, an island physician and one of the sons of Obed and Abigail Macy. The couple had four children.
Schooner Phebe lantern slide, July or August 1917 NHA purchase, RL2023.9 The schooner Phebe was built in Noank, Connecticut, in 1876. The vessel was employed as a fisherman until about 1915, when it was purchased by Albert S. Chadwick of Nantucket for use in Chadwick’s business selling gasoline to the island’s fishing fleet. The schooner sank at its mooring inside Brant Point in late December 1917 and was broken up on the spot in November 1918. It is pictured here on the north side of Steamboat Wharf for bottom repairs.
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GATHERING LIGHTSHIP BASKET
Stories
By Karen T. Butler
For the last number of years, Sandie Owen and myself have worked with Mary and Al Novissimo and videographer Joanna Hay to record oral histories from Nantucket basketmakers. Our goal has been to preserve these makers’ stories for research and exhibition, and creating these videos has given us insight into what Nantucket lightship basketmaking is all about.
F
or example, because few books on how to make Nantucket baskets have been written, island makers told us how they have largely learned from each other. At the same time, they have competed, for they are entrepreneurs as well as artists and need to make a living from their work. All of this fosters a high level of skill mixed with many individually refined ways of doing things. Kathleen Myers, for example, told us how she set out to make Nantucket baskets as a summer break from her teaching career. She took lessons from a variety of island makers, each of whom taught her something different, and she progressed from apprentice to master basketmaker herself. Among the people Myers worked with was Alan Reed, who told us he only went to one basket class in his life and was otherwise self-taught. She also worked with Nap Plank, who, with his jeweler’s loupe and magnifying glasses, became a master of the miniature basket, having developed the special set of skills, dexterity, and ingenuity needed to make these little gems. Karl and Susan Ottison talked about coming from longtime Nantucket families where basketmaking was practiced. LeeAnn Papale, who has partnered over the years with many of the island’s basketmakers to provide scrimshaw work, told us, “I love my job; I love the creative process.” Tim Parsons, who spoke about his career as a basket teacher, similarly said, “I love doing this, and I love the craft.” Paul Johnson, whose forte is making the molds on which lightship baskets are woven, discussed how a gracefully shaped mold is essential to creating a beautiful final basket. Our interview with Janet Carreau revealed her love of the design process, which has led her to create innovative baskets, particularly many unique “minis” that blend classic and contemporary style. Micheal Kane told us he has made baskets since he was fourteen, learning from his grandparents. He spoke about his decision to make baskets like “no one before him had made,” baskets that were works of art—statements full of artistic freedom. Karol Lindquist, on the other hand, considers herself a “traditionalist” and feels that modern adornments and additions to baskets detract from the quiet charm and simplicity to be found in the work of nineteenth-century makers. In this oral history project, we set out to capture something of the spirit of island basketmaking. Our work is still in progress, with more interviews planned for next year. The interviews already completed will soon be added to the NHA’s online collections portal, nantuckethistory.org, where they will be available for anyone to watch and learn from.
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Karol Linquist
Kathleen Meyers
Lee Ann Papale
Susan and Karl Ottison
Janet Carreau
Nap Plank
Photos by Karen Butler. NHA.org | Nantucket Historical Association
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NEWS, NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS Properties
Preserving Nantucket's Historic Architecture in the Face of Climate Change: A Visionary Approach Nantucket is renowned for its well-preserved historic architecture. Part of the island's charm lies in its cobblestone streets, colonial-era buildings, and whaling history. However, as climate change intensifies, Nantucket faces rising sea levels, more frequent and severe storms, and erosion. These threats jeopardize the island's architectural legacy, making the need for proactive preservation measures all the more urgent. NHA has long been a guardian of Nantucket's rich cultural heritage. In the face of climate change and natural disasters, the organization has embarked on an ambitious program to ensure the sustainable future of Nantucket's built heritage. In partnership with ICR-ICC, ICCROM, the University of Pennsylvania Weitzman School of Design, ReMain Nantucket, and the Osceola Foundation, "A Sustainable Future for Nantucket's Built Heritage: Disaster and Climate Risk Assessment for Built Heritage Conservation & Management," represents a crucial step in safeguarding the island's historic structures and their stories for generations to come. This multi-year program involves public and private partners and graduate student interns who will design and implement a risk and vulnerability analysis for Nantucket’s most iconic cultural properties in the face of rising sea levels and climate change. Phase 1, which began this year, will assemble baseline building information and condition assessment surveys along with the installation of monitoring stations in order to track the changes taking place to the fabric of various buildings. Student teams will undertake a rapid risk assessment of important historic properties on the island including each of the NHA’s buildings in terms of existing conditions, vulnerabilities, and exposure to climate hazards or threats. The recent 2023 summer work required the students to design and perform a rapid assessment survey (RAS) of the major properties and then select four of those sites to intensively document and analyze. The four properties chosen in the first year were: Greater Light; the Oldest House; the Thomas Macy Warehouse; and the candle factory at the Whaling Museum. 30 Historic Nantucket | Fall 2023
In successive phases, micro-climate weather stations and building monitoring systems will be installed to collect site-specific data over time. More detailed investigations will be conducted to understand the underlying causes of vulnerabilities and risks to heritage properties. This will inform specific site analyses which will then be used to develop conservation and management plans for each property. By identifying the most at-risk buildings and areas, and better understanding
the changes happening to the building materials, the NHA can prioritize its conservation efforts effectively. In addition, the program emphasizes community engagement and education. The NHA recognizes that preserving Nantucket's built heritage is not solely its responsibility but a shared endeavor. Through outreach initiatives, workshops, and educational programs, the NHA aims to raise awareness about the island's vulnerability and encourages community involvement in conservation efforts. Collaboration is a central tenet of the NHA's strategic plan. The organization works closely with local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other stakeholders to create a unified approach to heritage conservation and disaster resilience. This collaborative spirit ensures that Nantucket can tap into a broader pool of resources and expertise. Funding is a critical aspect of the program's success. To implement these ambitious initiatives, the NHA actively seeks grants, donations, and partnerships with organizations that share its commitment to preserving Nantucket's landscape and cultural heritage. These financial resources are essential for conducting vulnerability assessments, implementing conservation measures, and developing educational programs. As this work progresses, the NHA will continually monitor its effectiveness and adapt its strategies as needed. Climate change is a dynamic and evolving challenge, and the organization recognizes the need for ongoing assessment and adaptation. "A Sustainable Future for Nantucket's Built Heritage: Disaster and Climate Risk Assessment for Built Heritage Conservation & Management" is a visionary and proactive approach to safeguarding the island's unique historic architecture in the face of climate change and natural disasters. Ultimately, we hope this initiative will provide a constructive model for other heritage communities around the world grappling with similar risks. By combining heritage conservation with climate resilience, the NHA is taking concrete steps to ensure that Nantucket's built heritage remains a source of pride and inspiration for generations to come. For more information, you may visit www.nantucketheritage-resilience.net/ NHA.org | Nantucket Historical Association
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NEWS, NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS Properties
Research Library Restoration Project Update We are excited to share an update on the major restoration project at the Research Library that has been underway since this past May and is funded by the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The team working on the restoration project is ensuring the utmost attention to their work to keep physically compatible with this important historic building and guaranteeing the conservation and security of the collection housed within the building.
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The project includes conservation and stabilization of the historic concrete façade to ensure the building is structurally sound, as well as replacement of windows, doors, and entryway roof, installation of a new HVAC control system, fire suppression system, and water and drainage system, as well as some electrical relocation work. As of early November, the masonry work was completed, and the team was thrilled to take down scaffolding to reveal the wonderful work that has been done.
All new windows have been installed with finishing touches on interior window trim carpentry and painting taking place. A new rubber membrane and metal flashing has been installed on the roof over the entryway. As exterior work finishes up heading into the winter, interior work including HVAC and other electrical updates will take place this winter, with final exterior landscaping projects taking place in early spring. We look forward to welcoming back visitors in 2024 and celebrating the completion of this important project on this building, one of the first poured-in-place concrete buildings built in Massachusetts.
NOTICE The Research Library and Friends Meeting House will be closed to the public through April 2024–stay tuned for reopening announcements! For research inquiries and appointments please continue to reach out to library@nha.org. To learn more about the history of the Research Library, please visit www.NHA.org
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NEWS, NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS Staff Updates
Meet familiar faces in new roles here at the NHA!
Adam Delogu, Visitor Operations, A/V Coordinator
Jamie Gretz, Visitor Operations Assistant and Research Associate
Adam's earliest memories of summer are of life on Nantucket. A native Virginian, Adam's family ties to the island meant that as a child, every summer he grew up around stories of whaling captains, lighthouse keepers, and island legends like 'Madaket Millie'. Since those formative years on the island, he has cultivated his love for history, working first for the NHA as an intern while in college. He recently graduated from St. Olaf College, in Northfield, Minnesota, earning his degree in history, with a particular focus on public history. In his new role at the NHA, Adam brings his love of island history and his education in new methods of presenting history not only to Visitor Operations, but also fulfills the role of Audio/Visual Coordinator. He believes that the best type of island history is one that is truly accessible to everyone.
Jamie has summered on Nantucket every year of his life but has grown up north of Chicago. In 2022, he graduated from Kenyon College with a bachelor's in history focusing on imperial and colonial history. He began volunteering at the NHA Research Library in 2015, working on the crew list and transcription projects. In 2022, he began working part time in the Visitor Operations department, where he served as a museum guide. In his new full-time role as Visitor Operations Assistant and Research Associate, Jamie is looking forward to researching and sharing Nantucket’s rich history to the people the NHA serves. He deeply enjoys working at the NHA, and when not in the Whaling Museum or the Gosnold Collections Center, he enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with friends from college and going on hikes to Altar Rock.
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Fall Programs
NHA on the Road NHA on the Road was relaunched in October to further deepen NHA's commitment to the Nantucket community. The program takes signature NHA programs "on the road" to various Nantucket elder services groups and residences, including the Salt Marsh Senior Center, the Homestead, Sherburne Commons, the Landmark House, and Our Island Home. This season, attendees will learn fun facts about the Oldest House as NHA celebrates the hundredth anniversary of the acquisition of the property, but they will also have the opportunity to engage with artifacts from the collection for a hands-on experience. Additionally, NHA on the Road will feature Decorative Arts demonstrations to teach historic crafts. The NHA aims to connect with the island community through this program, opening up access to our history. We look forward to engaging with this segment of the community and sharing our passion for history.
Oldest House Anniversary Program This past October, the NHA celebrated one hundred years of stewardship of the Oldest House. Over 600 attendees, including both local families and off-island visitors, joined NHA staff and members from Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to engage in an array of activities. Visitors learned about the Oldest House on guided tours and read excerpts from 17th-century horticultural texts installed throughout the Oldest House’s historic kitchen garden. Stations featuring artifacts from the NHA collection and weaving interactives demonstrated activities tied to the site, which once was occupied by a weaver named Nathaniel Paddock. Wampanoag participants shared indigenous cultural traditions, including a plant fiber weaving demonstration and a corn husk doll-making station.
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NEWS, NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS Programs & Events
Summer Programs Recap Highlighting an amazing summer of programs and events as we close out 2023. Thank you for joining and supporting us this season!
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1894 Founders Society Through this Society, the Board of Trustees recognizes the cumulative giving by individuals who assist with the NHA’s annual operating needs. 1894 Founders Society members contribute $3,000 and up toward the annual fund, membership, and fundraising events, as well as to exhibitions and collections, plus scholarship and educational programs. Their generous support is greatly appreciated and welcomed by the community. $50,000 and above Connie & Tom Cigarran Annabelle & Gregory Fowlkes Jason A. Tilroe $25,000 to $49,999 Anonymous Nancy & Douglas Abbey Susan Blount & Richard Bard Amanda B. Cross Deborah & Bruce Duncan Barbara & Graham Goldsmith Mark H. Gottwald Kaaren & Charles Hale Diane & Art Kelly Jean Doyen de Montaillou & Michael Kovner Franci Neely Ella W. Prichard Melinda & Paul Sullivan Kim & Finn Wentworth $10,000 to $24,999 Elizabeth & Lee Ainslie Janet & Sam Bailey Mary-Randolph Ballinger Carol & Harold Baxter Stacey & Robert Bewkes Patricia Nilles & C. Hunter Boll Maureen & Edward Bousa Anne Marie & Doug Bratton Laurie & Bob Champion Olivia & Felix Charney Martha W. Cox Robyn & John Davis John M. DeCiccio Tracy & John Flannery Kelly Williams & Andrew Forsyth Connie Anne & Jeremiah Harris Barbara & Amos Hostetter Susanne & Zenas Hutcheson Cecelia Joyce Johnson
Ann & Charlie Johnson Diane & Mitch Karlin Jill & Stephen Karp Frances Karttunen Anne & Todd Knutson Rena & Josh Kopelman Margaret Hallowell & Stephen Langer Helen & Will Little Miriam Mandell Bonnie & Peter McCausland Ashley & Jeff McDermott Carla & Jack McDonald Ashley Gosnell Mody & Darshan Mody Diane & Britt Newhouse Mary & Al Novissimo Laura & Bob Reynolds Crystal & Rich Richardson Denise & Andrew Saul Helen & Chuck Schwab Janet & Richard Sherlund Kathleen & Robert Stansky Harriet & Warren Stephens Wendy & Colin Sykes Kathryn Wagner Paul E. Willer Alisa & Alastair Wood Kirsten & Peter Zaffino $5,000 to $9,999 Patricia & Thomas Anathan Lindsey & Merrick Axel Victoria Sears-Bahnsen & Walter Bahnsen Dinah & Barry Barksdale Carole & Gary Beller Pam & Max Berry Jennifer & Jonathan Blum Carter & Henry Boughner Christina Lee Brown
Julie Jensen Bryan & Robert Bryan Laura & Bill Buck† Lisa & Nathan Cressman Beth A. Dempsey Elizabeth Miller & James Dinan Jennifer & Stephen Dolente Ana & Michael Ericksen Olamaie & Randall Fojtasek Elizabeth & Peter Georgantas Nan Geschke Claire & Robert Greenspon Gordon Gund Catherine & Richard Herbst Wendy Hubbell Wendy & Randy Hudson Joy H. Ingham Carl Jelleme Cynthia & Evan Jones Mary Ann & Paul Judy Coco & Arie Kopelman Lucy Dillon & Kevin Kuester Paula & Bruce Lilly Sharon & Frank Lorenzo Helen Lynch Alice & J. Thomas Macy Debra & Vincent Maffeo Ronay & Richard Menschel Ann & Craig Muhlhauser Carter & Chris Norton Liz & Jeff Peek Maria & George Roach Sharon & Frank Robinson Janet L. Robinson Linda T. Saligman Marla & Terry Sanford Maureen Searle Mary Farland & Don Shockey Georgia A. Snell Laura & Gregory Spivy Brooke & Michael Stanton
Kate Lubin & Glendon Sutton Merrielou Symes Ann & Peter Taylor Garrett Thornburg Sigrid & Ladd Thorne Liz & Geoff Verney Dorothy & Richard Verney Suzy Welch Mary & John West $3,000 to $4,999 Susan D. Akers Liz & Ben Barnes Elizabeth Bauer Susan & Bill Boardman Anne DeLaney & Chip Carver Beth K. Clyne Beth & Andy Corry Cynthia† & Joseph Freeman Julie & Cam Gammill Marybeth Gilmartin Sara Schwartz & Will Hannum Amy & Brett Harsch Gloria & Jeffrey Holtman Stephanie & Daniel Janis Martha Dippell & Daniel Korengold Holly & Mark Maisto Sally & Peter† Nash Laura & William Paulsen Ann & Chris Quick Margaret & John Ruttenberg Alison & Tom Schneider Christine & Stephen Schwarzman Phoebe & Bobby Tudor Denise & Bill Welsh Harry W. Wilcox This list represents donations from January–December 2022. † deceased
To learn more or become a member of the Society, call (508) 228-1894 ext. 125 or email giving@nha.org 38 Historic Nantucket | Fall 2023
Take a decorative arts class inspired by Nantucket history! Get creative and enjoy a hands-on experience at one of the NHA’s historic properties.
SIGN UP FOR A WORKSHOP TODAY AT NHA.ORG Looking for a unique experience to do with your family and friends? Book a private workshop by emailing decoarts@nha.org
NHA Decorative Arts are generously supported by
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THE MUSEUM SHOP IS OPEN Instore and online at NantucketMuseumShop.org Members receive 10% off every purchase
FIND A UNIQUE GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
NHA Exclusive Nantucket Transferware Platter
NHA Exclusive Canvas Tote Moby-Dick Whale Foot Stool
Nantucket Christmas Tree Dingy Ornament
Suzanne Dietsch Sailor’s Valentine Kit, Style 101
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3D Wooden Ship Puzzle
Saturday, December 16 4 - 7 pm
Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street Join us for a festive community event featuring music, dance performances, and crafts among the Festival of Trees!
FREe & Family-Friendly
Learn more at NHA.org
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Brockton, MA Permit # 601
P.O. BOX 1016, NANTUCKET, MA 02554–1016
FESTIVAL OF TREES The NHA's largest community-focused event of the holiday season!
On display: December 1–30 at the Whaling Museum Closed Christmas Day
Learn more at NHA.org Generously sponsored by