Historic Nantucket, October 1965, Vol. 13 No. 2

Historic Nantucket

The New "Uncatena" OCTOBER, 1965

ANNUAL REPORTS NUMBER

Published Quarterly by NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS

NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President, George W. Jones.

Vice Presidents, Miss Grace Brown Gardner, W. Ripley Nelson, Albert F. Egan Jr., Mrs. William L. Mather, Alcon Chadwick, Henry B. Coleman.

Treasurer, Norman P. Giffin.

Secretary, Miss Ethel Anderson.

Councillors, George W. Jones, Chairman; Mrs. Nancy S. Adams, A. Morris Crosby, term expires 1966: Miss Helen Powell, Albert G. Brock, term ex­ pires 1967; Mrs. Ernest H. Menges, Walter Beinecke, Jr., term expires 1968; Leroy H. True, Herbert I. Terry, term expires 1969.

Advertising and Publications, W. Ripley Nelson and H. Errol Coffin.

Honorary Curator, Mrs. Nancy S. Adams.

Curator, Mrs. William L. Mather.

Finance Committee, Albert F. Egan Jr. and Alcon Chadwick.

Editor, Historic Nantucket, A. Morris Crosby; Assistant Editors, Mrs. Mar­ garet Fawcett Barnes, Mrs. R. A. Orleans.

Chairmen of Exhibits, Historical Museum, Mrs. William L. Mather; Whaling Museum, W. Ripley Nelson; Hadwen House — Satler Memorial, Albert F. Egan, Jr.: Old Mill, Henry B. Coleman: Old Jail, Albert G. Brock; 1800 House, Miss Ethel Clark; Fire Hose Cart House, Irving T. Bartlett: Oldest House, Mrs. J. Clinton Andrews.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION filed with Postmaster, Nantucket, Massachusetts, according to Act of October 23, 1962; section 4369, title 39, United States Code. DATE OF FILING: September 23, 1965. TITLE OF PUBLICATION: HISTORIC NANTUCKET. FREQUENCY OF ISSUE: Quarterly.

LOCATION OF KNOWN OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: Nantucket Historical Association, Fair Street, Nantucket, County of Nantucket, Massachusetts, 02554.

LOCATION OF THE HEADQUARTERS OR GENERAL BUSINESS OFFICES OF THE PUBLISHERS: Fair Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF PUBLISHER, EDITOR AND MANAGING EDITOR: PUBLISHER: Nantucket Historical Association, Fair Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts. EDITOR : A. Morris Crosby, 6 Step Lane, Nantucket, Massachusetts. MANAGING-EDITOR: None.

OWNER: Nantucket Historical Association, Fair Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

OFFICERS: President, George W. Jones, Nantucket, Massachusetts; Vice-Presidents, Miss Grace Brown Gardner, W. Ripley Nelson, Albert F. Egan Jr., Mrs. William L. Mather, Alcon Chadwick, Henry B. Coleman, all of Nantucket, Massachusetts. TREAS­ URER, Norman P. Giffin. SECRETARY, Miss Ethel Anderson, both of Nantucket, Massachusetts. KNOWN BONDHOLDERS, MORTGAGEES, AND OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS OWNING OR HOLDING 1 PERCENT OR MORE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS, MORTGAGES OR OTHER SECURITIES: None (Non-Profit Corporation).

I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete, (signed) A. Morris Crosby, Editor.

HISTORIC NANTUCKET Published, quarterly and devoted to the preservation of Nantucket's antiquity, its famed heritage and its illustrious past as a whaling port.

VOLUME 13

October, 1965

No. 2

CONTENTS

Nantucket Historical Association Officers

2

Annual Report of the President

5

Secretary's Report of the Annual Meeting

5

Index for Five Years of the Nantucket Historical Assocoation — 1960 - 1964

14

The Oldest House, by Myles Reis, Jr

19

Nantucke Waterfront, by Charles O'Neill

21

Horse and Buggy Days, A Suggestion

23

Recent Events

26

Diary of William C. Folger, Edited by Nancy C. Adams

28

Legacies and Bequests

31

Historic Nantucket is published quarterly at Nantucket, Massachusetts, by the Nantucket Historical Association. It is sent to Association Members. Extra copies $.50 each.

Membership dues are — Annual-Active $3.00 ; Sustaining $10.00 ; Life—one payment $50.00.

Second-class postage paid at Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Copyright, 1965, Nantucket Historical Association.

Communications pertaining to the Publication should be addressed to the Editor, Historic Nantucket, Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket, Massachusetts, 02554.

5

President's Annual Report FELLOW MEMBERS of the Nantucket Historical Association: Seventy-one years ago this organization was founded and we are entering our seventysecond year and nearing three quarters of a century of service to this com­ munity. Our growth has been steady and continuous. Starting with a member­ ship of 130 and a bank balance at the end of the first year of $192.56 plus capital holdings of the Friends Meeting House bought for $1,000.00 and upon which was a mortgage to be paid off, and having received 295 donations and 120 loans, we have expanded our membership to nearly 1,200, our assets are now recorded as $189,992.06 and our exhibit items number in the many thousands.

From one piece of reai estate we have acquired others to a total of nine, many of them of very considerable intrinsic value and all of great historic value.

This speaks well for the foresight of the founding few and continuous work of several thousand others who have joined our ranks and worked diligently over the years. A list of these workers would be long and imposing.

Our attendance grows from year to year showing public interest which has now become world-wide. The exhibited items increase in number each year and our quarterly publication, "Historic Nantucket," has international as well as national subscriptions and stands high in quality due to efforts of its past editors and the fine work being carried on by its present editor, Mr. A. Morris Crosby. It has done much to create interest in the history of this Island.

All these facts are most encouraging and should stimulate us to further endeavors.

During the past year our attendance records reached a new high, totaling 54,813.

Our paid personnel now stands at nineteen all of whom are very inter­ ested in our objectives.

As the purpose of the President's annual report is to inform all members of what has transpired during the past twelve months, let us look at the record.

Your Council which consists of the olficers and eight councillors, a total of seventeen, have held regular monthly meetings, at all of which matters pertaining to the operation and well-being of the Association have been discussed and decisions made. Attendance at all these meetings has been good and I express my appreciation for the work done and the support and cooperation furnished to the President.

Our secretary, Miss Ethel Anderson, continues to work hard for new members and we have very little "dead wood" in our files, practically no members in arrears. This she accomplishes in addition to her secretarial duties which at times are very pressing. A new typewriter and another desk and chair which were donated have helped her in her work.

Mr. Norman Giffin has now been our Treasurer for over a year and has introduced several new ideas which have been of help in keeping the financial records easier to maintain. Wages, withholding taxes, financial reports to State and Federal Governments, membership monies, attendance monies and other details make this work somewhat complicated. I assure you it is being well cared for.

6

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

We have acquired a number of new exhibit items and Mrs. Ida Mather, our Curator, has cared for cataloguing them and acknowledging receipts to the donors.

As Chairman of the MUSEUM Committee (Fair Street), she has also given much attention to proper cleaning and arrangement of some of our most historically valuable Nantucket items. She has been assisted in this by the Honorary Curator, one always ready to help, our Past President Nancy Adams.

Mrs. Elizabeth Worth and Miss Marjorie Burgess were on hand as Custodian and Librarian respectively during the 1964 season. Miss Burgess by reason of other employment was unable to be with us this year and her place is being filled by Mrs. Clara Block. All have been valued and interested workers.

Mr. John Greene, who for some years has been our attendant at the OLD MILL, doing fine work in that capacity, died earlier this year. We regret the passing of so conscientious an employee, one who had been known to many visitors there. Mr. Frank Ramsdell now has charge of this exhibit under the able Chairmanship of Mr. Henry Coleman. His report has de­ scribed more fully some of the maintenance problems there.

At the OLDEST HOUSE we are fortunate in again having Mrs. Edith Andrews as the Chairman of this exhibit. She has been most competent and with the help of the hostesses, Miss Ida Parker and Mrs. Louise Hussey, both now continuing the good work of past years, has continued to make this a popular historic show piece.

Mr. W. Ripley Nelson, Chairman of the WHALING MUSEUM Com­ mittee with the other members, Mr. Albert Egan, Jr., Mr. Charles Sayle and Mrs. Marriott King, has been busily engaged as his complete report indi­ cates. Here again we have lost the services of a valued custodian, Mr. Everett Chapel who while recuperating from surgery was unable to assume his duties here this season. His past performance in this position is appreciated by all who worked with him as well as by the visitors who profited by contact with him, and we trust he will drop in frequently to look things over. Mr. John Kittila, who last year was our relief man, had planned to take over the po­ sition of custodian but was forced by recent surgery to postpone this assign­ ment. We wish him a speedy recovery.

To fill these two positions we were able to obtain the services of Mr. Walter Lindquist and Mr. Earle Weatherbee as a relief man and they are now performing in those capacities.

Mrs. Bernice Foye, Mrs. Ellen D. Chace, and Mr. Bertram Morris are again at their regular stations and doing their usual good work at the admis­ sion desk, the library, and the craft shops respectively.

At the 1800 HOUSE we are pleased to report that Miss Ethel Clark is again acting in the dual capacity of Chairman and hostess. She has worked faithfully for us for years; first at the Oldest House and now in her present office.

Our OLD JAIL, after some repairs to chimney and other parts of the structure seems in good condition and receiving interested visitors who profit from the lectures presented by the attendant Mr. William Garnett.

Mr. Norman Giffin, our Treasurer, has acted as Chairman of this exhibit and, besides caring for the maintenance, has presently carried out the instal­ lation of toilet facilities there which have been planned for some time.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

7

THE FOLGER-FRANKLTN MEMORIAL continues to draw people who enjoy sitting and allowing their imaginations to take them back 300 years to the time when Peter Folger and his wife Mary (Morrils) Folger lived here and brought up a family one member of which became the mother of Benjamin Franklin.

Although this exhibit brings in no revenue it has particular historic signifiance and is well worth the monetary outlay required to care for it.

THE GARDNER STREET FIRE HOSE CART HOUSE, one of our more recent acquisitions, although unattended offers a look at the fire equip­ ment of the past and is under the care of our Council member Mr. Albert G. Brock, who lives near by and as Chairman of this exhibit keeps his eye on things there.

THE HADWEN HOUSE-SATLER MEMORIAL, our newest and very desirable acquisition which saw its first season last summer, has been very popular and we believe will become more so as time goes on. Although our income here did not equal our expenses last year and we were unable to do as much maintenance work as we would have liked the interior is most attractive and the exterior has been made presentable. Mr. Albert Egan, Jr., is doing a fine job with strong support from his committee, Mr. Alcon Chadwick, Mr. H. Errol Coffin and Mr. Henry B. Coleman. They have been ably aided in their work by the three ladies who originally set it up: Mrs. Marie Coffin, Mrs. Helen Congdon and the Chairman's wife, Mrs. Dorothy Egan.

The report of Mr. Egan treats more fully on their activities. Mrs. Katherine Folger, Mrs. Helen Soverino, Mrs. Lucille Bell and Mrs. Genieve Gorman, the hostesses here, received many compliments for their efforts by persons visiting this exhibit and are with us again for the present season to continue their fine work. The grounds are receiving the attention of Mr. David Carson, an expert in this work. It is interesting to note that the donor of this fine exhibit, Mrs. Jean Satler Knopf, lives in the house (the "West Brick") where this organization had its birth.

Thus we see that all of our nine exhibits are successfully performing their function of educating the interested visitor in the history of this famous Island which fills a special place in the hearts of all our members.

Letting the public know what we are doing is a very important assign­ ment and Mr. W. Ripley Nelson has done just that in news items and advertisements in the three newspapers covering the local scene and in sum­ mer weekly magazines. In addition the magazine sponsored by the New England Council carries information on all our several properties.

The publications issued by us and describing these attractions are edited by Mr. H. Errol Coffin, a former member of the Council, in con­ junction with Mr. Nelson.

During the past year additional activities have engaged our energies.

Our annual "Gam," held at the Maria Mitchell Association Library, by courtesy of that organization, in March, was well attended and I believe enjoyed by those present.

Your president has had the pleasure of showing our historic picture slides on several occasions for other organizations.

Four lectures were given to the Nantucket High School students which touched the following subjects: Mr. Bernard H. Stockley, Research Director of the Shawkemo Chapter of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society,

8

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

spoke on the inhabitants of Nantucket before recorded history from material gleaned from the "digs" made by that group. Our Past President, Mr. Edouard A. Stackpole, Curator at Marine Historical Association of Mystic, Connec­ ticut, furnished a description of Nantucket waterfront and the changes which have occurred there over the years.

Mr. Norman P. Giffln gave an interesting account of the growth and history of the numerous steamboat companies and boats which have served the Island.

Your President attempted to give a picture of the shore activities that supported the whaling industry during its prime years.

Certificates of Merit were awarded to the two winners in the historic essays contest held at the Nantucket High School and the Vocational School.

These were won by Sandra Smith and Myles Reis respectively and honorable mention was given Charles O'Neil. Subjects were Quakerism in Nantucket, Oldest House and Nantucket Waterfront, in that order.

Judges for these papers were Past President Mrs. Adams; Editor of "Historic Nantucket" Mr. A. Morris Crosby; and Mr. Albert G. Brock who is well versed in many aspects of Nantucket History.

Plans were set up for the four lectures to be presented at the Friends Meeting House during the summer, one of which was given last week. An­ other will be given next Tuesday afternoon and two more in August.

Opportunity was given your President to speak to a Rotary meeting and before a group of Bankers who, with their wives, came here from all over the country, some as far away as the west coast to hold a meeting here last month. Both these audiences were interested in what has taken place here in years past.

On several occasions the Whaling Museum, Fair Street Museum, and the Hadwen House were opened for groups coming to the Island off-season.

This was done by the willing cooperation of those having these exhibits in their charge.

As Mr. Nelson has mentioned in his report, the logs and journals at the Whaling Museum have been microfilmed as a step in protecting these ex­ tremely valuable documents from loss and deterioration.

We were pleased to have the Meeting House used by the Friends again last summer for their religious services, a function for which this structure was used during its earlier existence before being acquired by our Associa­ tion. This summer again sees these services being carried on.

We have had the opportunity to serve this community in another man­ ner, in addition to our normal functions: During the construction of the new Town Building the offices formerly in the Sanford House have been transferred to our building on the corner of North Water Street and Whaler's Lane. We were pleased to offer this accommodation without charge to the town.

The Nantucket Historical Trust continues to give us substantial help which, besides increasing our valuable exhibit material, has made it possible to have the microfilming, mentioned earlier, completed.

Each year, as we meet, we are saddened by the loss of some of our old and valued members and this year we note the loss of one who has given much of his time and energy to sustain the work being carried on here.

Dr. William E. Gardner passed away in April while a patient at the Nan­ tucket Cottage Hospital. He was one of Nantucket's recognized historians

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

9

who had written several historical and genealogical narratives. He had since his retirement and return to the Island been a staunch supporter and worker for this Association, serving as Chairman of the Whaling Museum Commit­ tee and later as Chairman of the Council. He did much to stimulate interest in Nantucket history and initiated our annual "gams." He was instrumental in obtaining the land and creating the Franklin-Folger Memorial and in the placing of a memorial stone, plaque, and carved seat.

He was also the prime mover in rebuilding the Baptist Church Steeple, damaged by a hurricane and it was by his efforts that money to complete this project was raised. He holds a place in our hearts and will be fondly remembered by those who knew him and the memory of his good works will be with us for many years.

And now I express my thanks and appreciation to all those throughout the organization who by their interest and work have made possible all these activities and without whose assistance little would have been accomplished.

Thank you for your attention, may you all be here to continue to show your interest at our meeting a year from now.

Respectfully submitted, George W. Jones, President

10

Secretary's Report of Annual Meeting THE SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING of the Association was held in the Friends Meeting House, Tuesday, July 20th, at 2:30 p.m. The house was filled almost to its capacity with an estimate of about eighty members and friends.

The Meeting was called to order by President George W. Jones.

The report of the Secretary was read and accepted as read.

The report of the Treasurer was accepted as printed in the July issue of HISTORIC NANTUCKET. The President gave his annual report on the functions of the Association and what had been accomplished during the past year. He also expressed his appreciation to each and every one, who by their cooperation and help, had aided in carrying on the work during the past year. He also reported on the growth of the Association which now includes nine exhibits under its control. Lectures were given to the High School and Vocational School as well as several lectures given by the President to different groups and visiting groups to the Island; all of which stimulates interest and proves that this is an active and progressive organization.

The death of Mr. John Greene, for many years custodian of the Old Mill, was noted with regret for the loss of a valuable member. Also the resignations of Mr. Everett Chapel and Mr. John Kittila due to ill health were accepted with regret.

An expression of deep regret was felt by the death of one of our out­ standing members. Dr. William E. Gardner.

After the President's Report, Mr. Herbert I. Terry read the following resolution: Whereas almighty God has called his faithful servant, Will Gardner, to his eternal home, and, Whereas Will Gardner, both by precept and example, has long served this Association, and, Whereas he guided it well as Chairman of the Council, as Chairman of the Whaling Museum, and as leader in the creation of the Folger Memorial, and.

Whereas at all times he has both served and led us in our joint efforts to better serve Nantucket; Be it therefore resolved, that we recognize our indebtedness for his wise counsel, and that we express our gratitude for his unfailing service.

Be it further resolved, that this resolution be spread upon the min­ utes of this Association, as a humble and sincere testimonial of our awareness and our gratitude that such a man as he walked among us.

Mr. Terry made the motion that the resolution be incorporated in the minutes of this meeting, the vote to be signified by those in favor giving a standing ovation. The vote was unanimous.

The report of the Nominating Committee for the slate of officers for the next year was read as follows:

ANNUAL MEETING

11

June 17, 1965 The Nominating Committee submits the following nominations to fill the various offices: President: George W. Jones; Vice Presidents: Grace Brown Gardner, Henry B. Coleman, Alcon Chadwick, W. Ripley Nelson, Albert Egan, Jr., Mrs. William Mather; Treasurer: Norman P. Giffin: Secre­ tary: Miss Ethel Anderson: Councillors: Mr. Leroy H. True, Mr. Herbert I. Terry.

Nominating Committee Henry B. Coleman Albert G. Brock Marie Coffin Mr. Jones then resigned the chair to Mr. Ripley Nelson who proceeded with the election of the President.

Motion was made, seconded and voted that nominations be closed.

Vote was taken and Mr. George W. Jones was duly elected President.

Motion was made, seconded and voted, that further nominations be dispensed with, and that the Secretary be instructed to cast one ballot for the election of the slate of Officers and Council Members as presented by the Nominating Committee.

Mr. Jones then introduced the speaker, Mr. Paul Morris, who gave a most interesting talk on the "History of Shipping on the East Coast of U. S. A." The display of his beautiful water color pictures of ships was very revealing to the layman. Beginning with the development of east coast ship­ ping in 1607, Sloops, Clipper Ships. Packets, five masted Schooners, and many others were illustrated and their history explained, with many inter­ esting anecdotes throughout the lecture. That the audience was interested was evidenced in the rapt attention given the speaker and the applause which followed.

There being no further business, the Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Ethel Anderson, Secretary

12

13

Traders Lane toward Main Street

14

Five Years of the Nantucket Historical Association 1960 1964 FIVE VOLUMES of the quarterly magazine HISTORIC NANTUCKET have been indexed, bound, and donated to the Historical Association Museum, the Whaling Museum Library, the Atheneum Library, the Maria Mitchell Library, and the High School Library.

This is the twelfth volume of the bound "Proceedings" and HISTORIC NANTUCKET. These contain material on the work of the Nantucket Historical Association from its beginning in 1894 to the present. The preparation of the bound volumes is financed by the Will Gardner Fund. The index was pre­ pared by Miss Helen Powell. It is printed here for the convenience of mem­ bers who may not have kept back issues.

INDEX Items located by year, month, and page number. For example: '60 (the year), J (January), Ju (July) 20 (page). The Annual Reports are to be found in the July issues. The President's and Secretary's Annual Reports are in the October issues. Nearly every issue contains a section entitled "Recent Events." These items have not been included in this INDEX. ACTORS ON THE ISLAND DURING 'SCONSET'S HEYDAY, by Robert VanArsdale, '62 0-29.

Amey, Mrs. Alice Payne, LETTERS OF ANNIE MARIA MITCHELL, '61, Ju-83, '61 0-133, '62 J-23.

ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY, by Bernard H. Stockley, '64 0-13.

ARMCHAIR WHALING VOYAGE, by A.M.C.(rosby), '64 J-12.

Baker, Russell, TOURISTS NEEDED TO REWIND ISLAND, '64 J-10.

BAPTIST CHURCH STEEPLE, DEDICATION OF, by Merle T. Orleans, '62 Ju-5.

Barnes, Margaret Fawcett, THE NAVY ON NANTUCKET, '64 J-5; LOR AN C, '62 0-15; NANTUCKET SURREYS, '60 0-127.

BEAR, CINNAMON CUB, '64 A-ll.

BOXING THE COMPASS, '64 J-25.

BUNKER, CLARENCE ALFRED OBITUARY, '62 A-70.

CARLISLE'S HENRY COFFIN, HISTORY RECORDING PROJECT, by W. Ripley Nelson, '63 A-15.

CARLISLE, HENRY COFFIN, by W. Ripley Nelson, '64 Ju-17.

CARTWRIGHT, ARCHIBALD, '62 A-69.

Chambers, Arthur, TYPICAL NANTUCKET HOUSES, '63 J-24.

CHASE, CHARLOTTE BUNKER, '62 A-71.

CINNAMON BEAR CUB, '64 A-ll.

CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL, '61 A-47.

CIVIL WAR MEMORANDA, '61 0-146.

Clements, Elizabeth, THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF THE NANTUCKET RAILROAD, '63 J-21.

THE CLOVE SHIP, by Stokeley Williams Morgan, '61, Ju-91.

COATUE, by Everett U. Crosby, '60 A-45.

COFFIN GENEALOGY, REMARKS ON, WITH A TABLE OF CON­ TENTS, '62 Ju-16.

FIVE YEARS OF N. H. A,

15

COFFIN FAMILY GENEALOGY, '62 0-32.

Coffin, H. Errol, 65-67-69 MAIN STREET, '64 A-5.

THE JARED COFFIN HOUSE, '62 A-41.

THE SATLER MEMORIAL, '64 Ju-19.

Coffin, Marie M„ EVERETT U. CROSBY — IN MEMORIAM, .60 Ju-85.

COMMONS, THE SHEEP COMMONS FIGHT, by Emil F. Guba, '64 Ju-5.

COMPASS, BOXING THE, '64 J-25.

Crosby, A. Morris, A TALE OF TWO ORGANS, '63 A-5.

THE 1963 WINTER GAM, '63 A-34.

TWO EDITORS AND A DECENNIAL, '63 Ju-19.

MIDSUMMER FANTASY, '63 0-14.

GARDNER STREET HOSE CART HOUSE, '63 0-15.

THE GREAT GALE OF FEB. 13, 1913, '64 A-9.

THE OLD FALL RIVER LINE, '64 J-21.

SANTA CATALINA — A COMPARISON, '64 0-12.

THE FIRST NANTUCKET TEA PARTY, '64 0-21.

AN ARMCHAIR WHALING VOYAGE (VIOLA), '64 J-12.

NANTUCKET'S BIG STORM, '64 J-13.

Crosby, Everett U., COATUE, '60 A-45.

CROSBY EVERETT U. IN MEMORIAM, by M. M. Coffin, '60 Ju-85.

Crosby-Lowden, Susan Barnard, OUR NATIVE ISLE, '60 Ju-82.

CROSS RIP, THE NINE LIVES OF, by Wendy Lawrence, '63 0-12.

Dell, Burnham N„ REPORT OF THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE, '62 A-67.

DIARY OF WILLIAM C. FOLGER, edited by Nancy S. Adams, '60 0-141; '61 J-30; '61 A-70; '61 Ju-110; '61 0-152; '62 J-30; '62 A-72; '62 0-38; '63 J-32; '63 A-39; '63 Ju-35; '63 O-30; '64 J-26; '64 A-27, '64 Ju-35; '64 0-26.

DARTMOUTH, LETTER FROM THE MAYOR OF, '64 0-132.

DELL, BURNHAM N., IN MEMORIAM, '63 0-27.

DESK, THE STORY OF A (Mrs. Lucius Potter's Winthrop Desk now in the 1800 House), '63 J-27.

Dudley, Rev. Myron S., SILK INDUSTRY IN NANTUCKET, '63 0-19.

EDUCATION, ISLAND EDUCATION THAT WAS, by Franklin Folger Webster, '64 0-19.

EDUCATION — NANTUCKET'S SCHOOLS, by W. D. Perkins, '60 J-ll, '60 A-63.

FALL RIVER LINE, THE OLD, by A.M.C.(rosby, '64 J-21.

FAUNCE, ARTHUR CHESTER OBITUARY, '62 Ju-38.

FOLGER, WILLIAM C., DIARY OF, edited by Nancy S. Adams: See DIARY. FOLGER, WILLIAM M. AND THE PRENTISS HOUSE, by Edgar L. McCormick, '62 0-18.

FORBES, THE ALLAN FORBES COLLECTION OF WHALING PRINTS,

by George W. Jones, '61 A-45.

Forman H. Chandlee, SWAIN'S BURNT-OUT POLPIS LEAN-TO, '62 J-5.

FRIENDS MEETING, 1963, By Katherine Seeler, '64 Ju-23.

GALE, THE GREAT GALE OF FEB. 13, 1913, by A.M.C.(rosby), '64 A-9.

GAM, THE ANNUAL, '60 A-75; '61 A-50; '62 Ju-8; '63 A-34. '64 A-21.

Gardner, William E., SAVE THE STEEPLE, '61 J-6.

16

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

GIFT TO NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION — HADWENSATLER HOUSE, '64 J-14.

GOUIN, MARCEL E. A. OBITUARY, '60 Ju-109.

Giffin, Norman P., A 20TH CENTURY SKETCH OF THE ISLAND STEAMBOAT LINE, '60 J-30.

Guba, Emil Frederick, THE SHEEP'S COMMON FIGHT, '64 Ju-5.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE ROLL, '63 Ju-5.

HADWEN-SATLER HOUSE — Outstanding Gift to the Nantucket His­ torical Association, '64 J-14.

THE SATLER MEMORIAL, by H. Errol Coffin, '64 Ju-19.

Ham, David S„ WRECKS AROUND NANTUCKET, '60 0-135.

Hamilton, Dina, THE JETHRO COFFIN HOUSE, '60 0-137.

Hammond, THE UNITARIAN CHURCH CELEBRATES 150 YEARS, '60 J-28.

Hardy, Elizabeth, NANTUCKET TOURIST INDUSTRY, '64 J-19.

HEART, THE NANTUCKET, by Wendy Lawrence, '63 O-10.

HOSE CART HOUSE, GARDNER STREET, by A.M.C.(rosby), '63 0-15.

HOUSES, TYPICAL NANTUCKET, by Arthur Chambers, '63 J-24.

JARED COFFIN HOUSE — FORMERLY THE OCEAN HOUSE, by H. Errol Coffin, '62 A-41.

JETHRO COFFIN HOUSE, by Dina Hamilton, '60 0-137.

Jones, George W„ THE 1963 HISTORICAL LECTURES, '63 Ju-21.

THE ALLAN FORBES COLLECTION OF WHALING PRINTS, '61 A-45.

KENDAL. OHIO, NANTUCKET QUAKERS AND THE FOUNDING OF,

by Katherine Seeler, '64 A-13.

King, Clarence, WHAT BECAME OF THE FIRST BOOK OF NAN­ TUCKET TOWN RECORDS HIDDEN IN 1677, '63 0-24.

LAHAINA ANCHORAGE, by Jane Litten, '61 J-13.

Lawrence, Wendy, MYSTERIES AND SHIPWRECKS OF NANTUCKET THE NANTUCKET HEART, '63 O-ll.

"T. B. WITHERSPOON," '63 O-ll.

THE NINE LIVES OF "CROSS RIP," '63 0-12.

LECTURES, THE 1963 HISTORICAL, by George W. Jones, '63 Ju-21.

Litten, Jane, LAHAINA ANCHORAGE, '61 J-13.

LORAN C, by Margaret Fawcett Barnes, '62 0-15.

MAIN STREET, 65-67-69, by H. Errol Coffin, '64 A-5.

MAPPLE'S, FATHER MAPPLE'S HYMN from "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, '61 J-10.

McCormick, Edgar, MELVILLE'S THIRD CAPTAIN, '62 A-61.

WILLIAM C. FOLGER AND THE PRENTISS HOUSE, '62 0-18.

NANTUCKET IN PORTAGE COUNTY, OHIO, '63 J-5.

Melville, Herman, FATHER MAPPLE'S HYMN, '61 J-10.

MELVILLE'S THIRD CAPTAIN, by Edgar L. McCormick, '62 A-61.

MITCHELL, FREDERICK HOUSE, 69 MAIN STREET, by H. Errol Coffin, '64 A-5.

MITCHELL, LETTERS OF ANNIE MARIA, by Mrs. Alice Payne Amey, '61 Ju-83; '61 0-133; '62 J-23.

Monaghan, Hanna D., QUAKER MEETING — 1961, 62 Ju-14.

FIVE YEARS OF N. H. A.

17

Morgan, Stokeley Williams, THE CLOVE SHIP, '61 Ju-91.

STOKELEY W. MORGAN, IN MEMORIAM, '63 0-27.

MUSKEGET. THE GRAY SEALS OF, '64 A-27.

MYSTERIES AND SHIPWRECKS OF NANTUCKET, by Wendy Lawrence, '63 O-IO. NAPOLEON WILLOWS, '61 A-48.

NAVY ON NANTUCKET, by Margaret Fawcett Barnes, '64 J-5.

Nelson, W. Ripley, HENRY COFFIN CARLISLE, '64 Ju-17.

HENRY COFFIN CARLISLE'S HISTORY RECORDING PROJECT, '63 A-15.

EXHIBITION OF OLD SLIDES, '63 0-23.

OCEAN HOUSE, see JARED COFFIN HOUSE. ORGANS, A TALE OF TWO (Unitarian and Methodist), by Barbara J. Owen, '63 A-7.

Orleans, Merle T„ DEDICATION OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH STEEPLE, '62 Ju-5.

OUR NATIVE ISLE, by Susan Barnard Crosby-Lowden, '60 J-82.

Owen, Barbara J., A TALE OF TWO ORGANS, '63 A-7.

Parsons, Robert, THE TELEGRAPH TO THE RESCUE, '60 0-130.

Perkins, W. D., EDUCATION — NANTUCKET'S SCHOOLS, *60 J-ll, '60 A-63.

PHYSICAL TRAINING CLASSES, THE OLD, '63 J-19.

PORTAGE COUNTY, OHIO, NANTUCKET IN, by Edgar L. McCormick, Part 1, '63 J-5, Part 2, '63 A-18.

PRENTISS HOUSE, WILLIAM M. FOLGER AND THE, by Edgar L. McCormick, '62 0-18.

PRINT, THE HISTORIC NANTUCKET, by Ruth Haviland Sutton, '60 Ju-95.

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE, REPORT OF THE, by Burnham N. Dell, '62 A-67.

QUAKER MEETING, 1961, by Hanna D. Monaghan, '62 Ju-14.

QUAKERS, NANTUCKET AND THE FOUNDING OF KENDAL. OHIO,

by Katherine Seeler, '64 A-13.

RAILROAD. THE BIRTH AND DEATH OF THE NANTUCKET, by Elizabeth Clements, '63 J-21.

Ranney, H. Flint, WHALING AND NANTUCKET — THE DECLINE, '61 A-56.

RAWLINGS, DR. ARTHUR L.. OBITUARY, '60 A-78.

"RELIEF TO THE DISTRESSED," THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE, '61 J-17.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR SERVICE ROLL, by Emil Frederick Guba, '63 Ju-5.

Robbins, Alma P., THE WINTER GAM, 1962, '62 Ju-8.

SANTA CATALINA — A COMPARISON, by A.M.C.(rosby), '64 0-12.

SEALS, THE GRAY SEALS OF MUSKEGET, '64 A-27.

Seeler, Katherine, NANTUCKET QUAKERS AND THE FOUNDING OF KENDAL, OHIO, '64 A-13.

FRIENDS MEETING, 1963, '64 Ju-23.

SHEEP'S COMMON FIGHT, by Emil Frederick Guba, '64 Ju-5.

SHIPWRECKS, MYSTERIES, AND SHIPWRECKS OF NANTUCKET,

by Wendy Lawrence, '63 O-IO.

18

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

SILK INDUSTRY IN NANTUCKET, by Rev. Myron S. Dudley, '62 0-19.

65-67-69 MAIN STREET, by H. Errol Coffin, '64 A-5.

SLIDES, EXHIBITION OF OLD, by W. Ripley Nelson, '63 0-23.

STEAMBOAT LINE, A TWENTIETH CENTURY SKETCH OF THE ISLAND STEAMBOAT LINE, by Norman P. Giffin, '60 J-30.

STEEPLE, SAVE THE, by William E. Gardner, '61 J-6.

Stockley, Bernard H„ ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY, '64 0-13.

SURREYS, NANTUCKET, by Margaret Fawcett Barnes, '60 0-127.

Sutton, Ruth Haviland, THE HISTORIC PRINT, '60 Ju-95.

SUTTON, RUTH HAVILAND IN MEMORIAM, '61 J-5.

SWAIN'S BURNT-OUT POLPIS LEAN-TO, by H. Chandlee Forman, '62 J-5.

Sylvia, Eileen, WOMEN AND WHALES, '62 0-26.

TEA PARTY, THAT "FIRST" NANTUCKET, A.M.C.(rosby), '64 0-21.

TELEGRAPH TO THE RESCUE, by Robert Parsons, '60 0-130.

THAIN HOUSE, 65-67 MAIN STREET, by H. Errol Coffin, '64 A-5.

TOURIST INDUSTRY, NANTUCKET, by Elizabeth Hardy, '64 J-19.

TOURISTS NEEDED TO REWIND ISLANDS, by Russell Baker, '64 J-10.

TOWN RECORDS, WHAT BECAME OF THE FIRST BOOK OF NAN­ TUCKET RECORDS HIDDEN 1677, by Clarence King, '63 0-24.

TRADE, JONATHAN TRUMBULL AND THE NANTUCKET TRADE,

by Glenn Weaver. '60 J-20.

TRIPP, WILLIAM H. OBITUARY, '60 J-35.

TRUMBULL, JONATHAN AND THE NANTUCKET TRADE, by Glenn Weaver, '60 J-20.

UNITARIAN CHURCH CELEBRATES 150 YEARS, by Rev. James Ham­ mond, '60 J-28.

VanArsdale, Robert, ACTORS ON THE ISLAND DURING 'SCONSET'S HEYDAY, '62 0-29.

"VIOLA," BRIG, Film Shown by Morgan J. Levine, by A.M.C.(rosby), '64 J-12.

Weaver, Glenn, JONATHAN TRUMBULL AND THE NANTUCKET TRADE, '60 J-20.

Webster, Franklin Folger, ISLAND EDUCATION THAT WAS, '64 0-19.

WHALES, WOMEN AND, by Eileen Sylvia, '62 0-26.

WHALING AND NANTUCKET, THE DECLINE, by H. Flint Ranney, '61 A-56.

WHALING — EXTRACTS, '61 J-ll.

WHALING PRINTS, THE ALLAN FORBES COLLECTION OF, by George W. Jones, '61 A-45.

WILLOWS, THE NAPOLEON, '61 A-48.

"WITHERSPOON, T. B.," by Wendy Lawrence, '63 0-11.

WOMEN AND WHALES, by Eileen Sylvia, '62 0-26.

WRECKS AROUND NANTUCKET, by David S. Ham. '60 0-135.

19

The Oldest House

By Myles Reis Jr. Nantucket Vocational School First Prize, Historical Essay Contest, 1965 NANTUCKET'S OLDEST HOUSE is known by several names. It is some­ times called the "Jethro Coffin House" or the "Horse Shoe House." In recent years it has become known as "The Oldest House."

This house was built in 1686 for Jethro and Mary Coffin. It was a bridal present. The bride's father, John Gardner, gave the plot of land and the groom's father, Peter Coffin, gave the lumber, which he brought to the island on his own ships. The groom built the house before he was married. It is doubtful if, after their wedding, they went on a trip. They moved right into their new home which in those days was elegant and more comfortable than homes of that day.

The Oldest House stands on ground that is high and open with land sloping downward to the south. This location has been given the name of "Sunset Hill."

Like most of the early houses in New England the Jethro Coffin House faces south with its longer lines running east and west. The north roof slopes to within six feet of the ground forming the "lean to" so called. It is a perfect rectangle shape and is built out of oak with massive beams of pine and girts of oak. The plaster was thick and made mostly of shells.

The chimney was built on the ground and measures about eight feet by fourteen feet at the bottom. The bricks were brought to the island as ballast in some of the Nantucket ships. These bricks were laid in clay up as far as the roof. It is thought that the clay for this purpose was gotten from the nearby clay banks. Above the roof a shell-mortar was used. There are four fireplaces.

The largest one is seven feet wide by five feet high and three feet deep. On the front side of the chimney there is an inverted U or horseshoe in raised bricks. This symbol was to keep away the witches.

Also on the front by the U are the initials "J C" in mortar which stand for Jethro Coffin.

The walls of the house were filled with clay to act as an insulation.

In 1708 this house was sold to Nathaniel Paddock and remained in this family for over 100 years. In 1881, it was again back in the Coffin family, belonging to Mr. Tristram Coffin, an heir of the original family. It was in a state of disrepair and had been used for the storage of hay.

Mr. Coffin, who was the last purchaser, spent money to make the neces­ sary repairs to restore the house. Before he died in 1924, he sold the old house to the Nantucket Historical Association for a moderate price. It was in very poor condition and presented a real problem on how to get enough money to fix it. However, another descendant, a Mr. Winthrop Coffin, came forth and offered to finance the complete restoration of this house. This was done under the directorship of architect Mr. Alfred Shurrocks.

New sills had to be put in. The chimney had to be lifted up and blocked as it was leaning badly. The original diamond-shaped casement windows were put back. Many boards which had rotted were replaced with boards from a house near by which was being taken down.

20

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

In the Oldest House there is what is known as the "Indian Closet."

The story goes that one night while Jethro Coffin was in Boston on business, his young wife, Mary, was startled by a noise over her bedroom. The noise came from the garret which had only loose boards, not nailed, as a flooring.

As she lay listening a still louder noise and crash came. The form of an Indian fell through into her closet close to the foot of her bed. Mary sum­ moned all her courage, took her new born baby, Peter, and ran from the house to her father's. The Indian was captured and was duly punished.

This closet, therefore, has been known as "The Indian Closet."

Inside the front door is a square vestibule, on the right is the parlor also known as the "keeping room," and on the left is the living room. In front of the vestibule is a large chimney and a winding stairway goes to the second floor. The floors of the house are of planks some as wide as twenty-two inches. It has a low ceiling with beams showing through. Behind the living room is the sink room and at one side a small bed room. Behind the parlor is another small room. All cooking was done over the open fire­ places and the hooks for the pots and kettles still remain. In the upstairs are three rooms. The most important is a large bedroom called the "bridal chamber." It has an open fireplace and the so-called Indian Closet. This room is eighteen feet long and it has only eleven boards to cover this width.

In this old house are worn pestle and mortar which were to grind the meal and hominy. There are pots and kettles on exhibit like the ones used in the early days.

On the walls are hung the names of famous ships of the early whaling days. As much as possible, old pieces of furniture and dishes typical of the date and age of the house have been installed.

Today this fine old house is close to 300 years old.

Nantucket Waterfront

By CHARLES O'NEILL Nantucket High School, Class of 1965 Honorable Mention, Historical Essay Contest, 1965 THE WATERFRONT of the Island has been a source of information for many authors. The wharves and docks of Nantucket have served as the setting for many a tale about the whaling era, and about the men who created the legends which are so typical of the history of this beautiful Island. One of the best examples of the use of the wharves of the Island for the setting of a sea story is found in that classic of literature, "Moby Dick." In this adventure-packed novel, the waterfront of Nantucket plays a large part in setting the mood.

The waterfront of this Island has always been of the greatest interest to me. Having been raised on the Island, I have had the good fortune of owning two boats. When I owned these boats, I was too young to realize that the harbor in which I was rowing and motoring, was the same one that gave shelter to so many of the famous ships in history. Among these famous ships were three which dealt with the packing house of William Rotch. These were the Dartmouth, Beaver, and Eleanor. The three ships, bearing a load of goods, were sent to England. After unloading the cargo they had brought, they were forced to take aboard a cargo of tea to take back to the colonies.

When the tea arrived at Boston harbor, it was dumped over the side, in one of the most famous protest movements of all time. This event was, of course, the Boston Tea Party.

Often, I stop to think that I, at one time or another in my travels around the harbor, have crossed the spot where one of these three famous vessels had been moored. Sometimes when thinking about the tremendous amount of heritage which is attached to this Island and its waterfront, I realize that I am fortunate to have been given the opportunity to grow up in such a place. How many young people are so endowed as to be surrounded by the reflections of the past, as seen on Nantucket? When I was younger I could not have recognized the great privilege which was given me. Now that I have gained a few years, the heritage which surrounds me has taken a new meaning.

When I stroll along the wharves of Nantucket and watch the modern luxury yachts come in and unload, I sometimes think, "If this were a hun­ dred years ago, these yachts might be whaling ships. If this were a hundred years ago. the people clad in tee shirts and shorts, stepping off these yachts, may well have been sailors and seamen, coming back from a two, three, or even six years voyage. The people who line the wharves today could well have been the wives and widows of the sailors, who risked their lives to carry on the business of whaling."

Soon my mind starts to wander, and my imagination begins to run wild.

I think of the brave breed of men who tempted death and embarked on long and dangerous voyages which are described in the sea stories of some of our great authors. To think that there were men who were willing and even enthusiastic about going on a whaling voyage which might last a year, or two, or as long as six. This was indeed a different breed of men than is

22

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

commonly found today. This was a breed of men different from any in the world.

Stop and think for a moment, if you will, about the risk involved in a whaling voyage. There was the danger of a storm sinking the ship, and the danger of pirates, who numbered many, and who were famous for the brutal way in which they dealt with their captives. There was also the danger that when the ship stopped at an island to get water, it might be at­ tacked by a hostile group of people living there. There was another danger, that of the ship's running into a calm. The ships, all being sail powered, had to have wind: the fate of a ship which became becalmed was not one to be desired. A constant danger was that of being sunk by a whale, though this was not too common. Another and perhaps the biggest risk taken by those on whaling voyages was that of diseases aboard ship. Because of the lack of fresh food and fruit, there were many deficiency diseases. There were also many instances where the plague was carried aboard a ship and a good part of the crew died from it. These are just a few of the dangers that faced the men who went on the whaling voyages that brought the Island its fame and its fortune.

The old wharves are mostly gone now, that is, they have been renewed and tarred, but the quaint and fascinating atmosphere still prevails. Although the whale ships no longer exist, and no longer make their famous voyages, if one frees his imagination he can go down to the dock one afternoon in the year, and watch the whaling ships. Any observer can see them come in and go out; he can watch the whalemen walking up and down the wharves, and experience the excitement of ships getting ready to make a long voyage: all the adventure and grandeur in the history of the waterfront of Nantucket, and it will always be there for those who seek it

23

Horse and Buggy Days A SUGGESTION "YOU wouldn't want to go back to the horse-and-buggy days, would you?"

This question, put with the proper inflection, was a complete silencer of the frustrated grumbler; the fellow who complained when caught in a traffic jam; when the automatic top of his convertible stuck in a sudden downpour; or when, perhaps, the ice cubes had melted in his refrigerator just before the arrival of guests to whom he wanted to serve his favorite drink. The inanity of the idiots who would devise such "improvements" on the old order of things! — "Well, you wouldn't want to . .

But this question isn t so devastating today. There are many people, and their number increases, who not only would like to go back to the horse-and-buggy days but are actually doing it.

Take, for instance, antique automobiles. Not exactly of the horse-andbuggy days, they nevertheless represent an age that is past, and almost for­ gotten, which is coming to life again. At first, museum pieces, then status symbols, they are now prized modes of pleasurable locomotion. Restored by a growing number of experts who search the fields and ransack barns for these ancient derelicts, they are dragged out of oblivion, cleaned, fitted with new parts either original or perfect facsimiles, painted, polished, and, looking as new and fit as the day they were made, delivered to the eagerly awaiting customers, who bundle their families in, sometimes with linen dust­ ers, vei's, goggles and all, and take off into the country, down side roads and a.ong quiet byways at a delightful fifteen or twenty miles an hour, for an afternoon s ride the like of which they had never experienced before.

Horse-and-buggy days. Yes, indeed. Certainly the horses are coming back — the stout little Morgan, bless him, never did disappear — and now there are some sixty or so horses on Nantucket, with harness racing intro­ duced last year attracting an enthusiastic following of participants and spec­ tators. "The world," sang the poet, "is too much with us, sooner or later, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers." And so, more and more people today are reaching into the past for the solution and an antidote.

Nantucket has a golden opportunity to do just this.

Why not, either through private enterprise or through the Steamship Authority, recreate one of the fine, old side-wheel steamboats 'hat served the Island so staunchly and so regularly? Let's say the "Nantucket" or the "Uncatena." Their successors of the same names serve too, of course; but how unlovely they are and how completely lacking in sheer, romantic appeal.

There are not many persons today who have thrilled to the mighty tug of the great paddle-wheels as they slowly moved the steamer out of her wharfbound inertia. Thud, thud, thud — the buckets ponderously strike the water in a welter of white foam, the while the walking-beam strains and tugs like an oarsman, pulling hard on his oars to get his heavy skiff started. Then, as with the oarsman, the steamer picks up speed, the whole mechanism of the craft settles down into an easy, effortless rhythm, the walking-beam now moving methodically, almost jauntily, up and down, up and down, while the paddle-wheels respond to its giant thrust with a quick slap-swish, slapswish that sends the steamer easily forward, a double line of foam trailing

24

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

from the paddle-boxes far astern. There was excitement in all of this and a sense of living power that the quiet, almost sneaky, departure of a pro­ peller-driven craft can never achieve.

And there would be nothing novel in a re-creation of one of Nan­ tucket's side-wheelers. Consider, for example, historic vessels that have been reborn: the "Mayflower," afloat and visible at Plimoth Plantation; U.S.S. "Constitution" — "Old Ironsides" — actively commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard, actually rebuilt, since there is not an original bit of the famous old frigate in her. Nelson's "Victory," still afloat in British waters, is no doubt in the same category. And in New Zealand a sea captain has painstakingly built a replica of Captain Joshua Slocum's famous sloop "Spray," heroine of his "Sailing Alone Around the World."

The Old "Uncatena" Was the First of the Vessels of the Steamboat Line To Have a Steel Hull and the Last to Have Paddle-wheels.

Notice Her Beautiful Lines What tingling experience it would be to sail the Sound again in an authentic "paddle-wheel" steamboat! If put on a regular summer run from Woods Hole to Nantucket, she would, we warrant, attract more passengers than any other boat, even at a special higher fare. No automobiles, of course, and no freight. Her freight deck could be fitted up with a restaurant and a dance floor, to be used by charter parties or on special, short cruises. How the small fry would clamor to sail on her, and those oldsters, too, with nostalgic memories. Day cruises, occasionally an over-night trip to, say, Edgartown, or New Bedford, or even to New York City. Shades of the Old Fall River

HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS

25

Line! What a stirring sight it would be to see the gallant little vessel pad­ dling down Long Island Sound, pennants streaming, through Hell Gate and easing proudly into a special berth below Brooklyn Bridge — Robert Fulton and the "Little Grey Lady" hand in hand, as it were, together.

Well, there's the idea. We submit it is sound and practical and more consistent with the nature and purpose of Nantucket — for Nantucket has a purpose — than some other which might involve a look into the "future."

As we like to emphasize, and shall emphasize over and over again, Nan­ tucket's "future" — her very economic survival —• lies in her past, to pre­ serve it and if necessary, to restore it. There is no other place in the whole wide world — how many times must it be said? — like Nantucket or even approaching it. Her unique quality and nothing else is what draws people to this "sand spit" thirty miles out in the Atlantic. We don't need the gimcracks and tinsel of many "modern" resorts; they are not for us. Those who want them will find them elsewhere. On the other hand, neither should Nan­ tucket be a privileged Shangri-La, where the simple vacationist seeking rest and quiet and healthy pleasure will feel uncomfortable and out of place.

Here, then, are the Scylla and Charybdis between which well-meaning people who hold the future of Nantucket in their hands must, with prudence and foresight, steer a hard course. Perhaps a return to the Horse-and-Buggy Days, in part at least, could be for them a guiding light. — A.M.C. (Editor's Note: Since going to press, we have learned of the re­ creation of another famous vessel. "Bluenose II" is the exact replica of New Brunswick's famous racing fishing schooner of some years ago. "Bluenose II" cruised the New England coast during the sum­ mer, putting into Boston Harbor last month.)

26

Recent Events FOREMOST AMONG the Town's official activities of the past summer was the laying of the granite corner-stone of the new Town and County building at the corners of Broad, Federal and South Water Streets. A gold plated trowel was used at the simple ceremony, attended by several Town officers and the president and superintendent of the firm which is constructing the building. The copper box inserted with the stone contained, in addition to the last October, January and April numbers of HISTORIC NANTUCKET, copies of the two local newspapers and copies of the two weekly souvenir guides; also copies of the 1964 Town Meeting warrant and the annual Town Report: a copy of the specifications of the building; together with a copy of the Street Listing of residents, pictures of the new ferry "Uncatena," the ferry "Nantucket," plowing through ice at Brant Point, and photographs of the Whaling Museum, and of the old Sanford and Killen houses which were razed to make way for the new building. The gold plated trowel was pre­ sented to President George Jones to be preserved by the Nantucket Historical Association in its Museum. *

*

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*

*

Four well-attended and very interesting talks were offered to the mem­ bers and the general public last July and August by the Association at the Friends Meeting House in Fair Street: Bernard H. Stockley, Research Di­ rector of the Shawkemo Chapter, Massachusetts Archeological Society, pre­ sented an account of the prehistoric Indians on Nantucket; the second talk,

by R. Lorren Graham, an official of the Steamship Historical Society of America, concerned the passenger ships of the east coast of America; the third, an entertaining, reminiscence-filled account of Island steamboats by Norman P. Giffin, long associated with the Steamship Line, was followed

by President Jones' brief history of whaleship building on the Island, with a description of all the manifold trades and crafts which developed with and supported it. *

*

*

sjc

An observant member points out a historical error in one of the state­ ments in the "Gam" of last March as reported in July HISTORIC NANTUCKET, namely that the Steamer "Sankaty" burned at Fairhaven, whereas she was berthed as usual in New Bedford when the fire broke out. Our correspondent, a resident of Fairhaven at the time and an eye witness to the disaster, writes that "Sankaty's" hawsers burned away letting her drift out, "afire from stem to stern," almost across the river, where she came up against the "Charles W. Morgan," which fortunately suffered only a bit of scorching to her hull.

Fairhaven does enter the picture at this point, because the fire department of that town took over and pumped "Sankaty" so full of water that she sank on the spot. The loss of this fine relatively new vessel was a tragedy of the first order and did much to hasten the end of private ownership of the Steamship Line. *

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*

Three changes in the chairmanships of the Association have been made, to wit: Norman P. Giffin, now Treasurer, has been relieved of his duties as Chairman of the Old Jail because of the extra demands of his new post, the Old Jail now being under the supervision of Albert G. Brock; in turn,

27

RECENT EVENTS

Mr. Brock's chairmanship of the Fire Hose Cart House in Gardner Street has been filled by (quite appropriately) Fire Chief Irving Bartlett; a new chairmanship, that of the Folger Franklin Seat and Memorial Boulder off Madaket Road, has been created to which Herbert I. Terry has been named.

All other Chairmen have been continued in their respective offices. *

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Coincidentally with the growing fad of going about the Town without shoes and stockings, "No Bare Feet" signs were observed last summer in at least two doorways in the business district. It is, perhaps, odd that with the growing affluence of "The Affluent Society' its accoutrements seem to be progressively discarded.

S}: * * * The motor scooter nuisance was almost non-existent last season as a result of an order passed by the Board of Selectmen, empowered by an Act of the Legislature, prohibiting the operation of motor cycles and motor scooters within the Historic Districts between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Exceptions were made, and permits issued, in the case of persons using these vehicles solely for transportation to and from their jobs. Several offenders were prosecuted and fined under this order. *

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Art in Nantucket continues to flourish.

There is, naturally, a certain ebb and flow. The artist colony is not static. But interest is high, and a hard core of resident and vacationing painters sees to it that it does not flag.

As a matter of fact, some dozen art galleries and studio galleries were open the past summer with a varied assortment of wares to appeal to the most "choosey" of patrons. All these establishments flourished in their particular ways and we wish that the season might have been longer, for they were a lot of fun. In fact, we can see no reason why Nantucket could not have a permanent, year round, art gallery, open to the public, offering a program of exhibitions which should include one or more "visiting" shows. It makes little sense, really, to end a cultural activity of this sort with Labor Day. *

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Overheard as we passed two ladies chatting together on Main Street: "First the Scissors-Grinder, next the Organ Grinder and his monkey, and then it's Labor Day" — a novel way, we think, to mark the passage of the summer season.

,

28

Diary of William C. Folger EDITED BY NANCY S. ADAMS

(Continued from July, 1965. issue of "Historic Nantucket")

1840 Sept. 2—I went down to Guinea to survey the homestead of the late Samuel Harris.

Sept. 3—I went up to Daniel Allen's and got the Genealogy & took tea there.

George A. Lawrence paid me 2 dollars being what he owed me for Websters Diet.

Sept. 4—Capt. Potter delivered me a check for $45 to take up Bapt. Soc. note to Jesse Crosby, for money paid towards deed of land.

Sept. 5—Went to hear a discussion of Slavery at Town Hall.

Sept. 7—Meeting of the Bapt. Soc. this evening. I was chosen to act as Treasurer during Capt. Potter's absences. Prepared three notes for the Soc. to take up the building Comm. Notes to Thomas Macy, Philip H. Folger & Timothy Hussey, Trustees of Phoenix Bank, for their Deed of 9/10ths. of Joseph Chase Settlement.

Sept. 8—A great number of people went off in the steamboat to visit the Bunker Hill Convention.

Sept. 9—-Received this morning a letter from Zenas D. Bassett of Hyannis enclosing $50 for his share in the Bap. Meeting house now erecting, hereby the Bap. Soc. Gave Peleg Mitchell a Genealogical chart of his and his wife's ancestors.

Sept. 11—Sent receipt to Zenas Bassett for the $50 for Nantucket Bap­ tist Society. I paid Francis B. Coffin for Soc. for labor done also from Nan. Bap. Soc. to John Smith (colored), mason for labor in building basement of M.H. $8.00; Stephen Easton had paid him $2 before. To Amos Wood for masonry on basement $8.00; to Hiram Andrews $16.56; Sept. 12—Jonathan Paddack settled his school bill — his two boys came one quarter ending July 11 at $2.50 ea. and I charged him $1 for the three weeks each came from that time till Aug. 1, 1840 — $6.00.

Sept. 13—Mr. — Boomer of Holmes Hole church was here (exchanged for the day with Mr. Round).

Sept. 14—Capt. Owen Chase paid me his school bill for William H. nine weeks $3.00 and 12 weeks for George — $4.00; 50cts for books.

Sept. 15—The masons finished building the foundation of the Bap. Meet.

House. Meeting of the Build. Comm. this evening.

Sept. 16—I spent considerable time to-day looking over Stephen Easton's account of sales of stuff for Bap. Soc. Got my umbrella which Susan Gardner widow of Roland has covered for me, paid her 50cts for work. Paid Cyrus Tirrell for tapping boots & mending heels — 83cts. Thomas H. Furney paid me his school bill of $2.00 — we are square. Paid James Tooney for tending mason for Nan. Bap. Soc. 6lA days at $1.25 — $7.81.

Sept. 23—I went this afternoon with Mr. Ira Leland of Osterville to the Atheneum and also to the silk factory.

DIARY OF WILLIAM C. FOLGER

29

Sept. 25—I went to the South Grammar school and to Thompsons Academy with Ira Leland.

Sept. 26—I went out to Polpis with Obed Bunker took tea there, lodged at Capt. Barna Coffin's & dined at Capt. Macy's, came down in afternoon.

Bought two Harrison Medals and a Harrison song book. Sent one medal and songbook out to Capt. Barna Coffin.

Sept. 27—Heard Mr. Ira Leland speak at Franklin Hall to-day.

Sept. 28—I went with Mr. Leland this afternoon to the High School and the Coffin School. In the evening I went to the Atheneum with Mr. Leland to hear a discourse on Grammar by O. B. Pierce the author of the New Grammar of the English Language. I paid on the 26th. to Jesse Eldridge $2 on acct. labor for N.B.Soc. Sept. 29—I bot 2 chairs of George G. Folger @ 25cts. each, and paid carman 614 cts to take them to the school house. I gave Capt. Ben. Folger my Har­ rison medal. Barzilla R. Burdett paid me $2 to balance his bill. The bill for waggon was $6 & labor on school room $1 & on forms $2. He had had a hog of me at $7 and one quarters schooling in evening $4.

Oct. 1—I rec'd. by mail a letter from David W. Campbell of Cherryfield, Maine, about the frame of the Baptist Meeting House.

Oct. 2— I heard John H. Clifford's lecture before the Whig party this eve­ ning. Frederick C. Swain fitted out building to School House to-day. I got some house paper and some small nails of George Barrett so as to paper over cracks in board partition at School House. Got of Susan G. Gardner 7 rolls of flowered paper to paper over that partition.

Oct. 3—I attended last evening a meeting of the Building Comm. and also went to Abolition meeting to hear Bradburn tell of the World's Convention.

Bought of David Joy, Esq., 1 gal of whitened oil for $1. I got some days ago at Lawrence & Cobbs some black silk velvet for a vest and to-day I got that vest of Cromwell Barnard who had made it for me for $1.50 which I paid him.

Oct. 4—Peleg Mitchell fitted a piece of iron pipe to hold mortar so as to prevent it from emitting the smoke — also let me have shaving cup. I paid Allen Gibbs 70c for setting 6 panes of glass in windows of school house — he furnished all the squares but one. I bot of B. B. Thayer a walking stick or cane for 62Vic cash.

Oct. 5—Commenced my school this morning, had five scholars in forenoon and six in afternoon. Attended a lecture on Grammar by O. B. Pierce this evening. Edward R. Folger paid me three dollars on account of Frederick Bunker's school bill of four dollars which he had assumed to pay, the other dollar he kept towards what ! owed him for paint & wood for a wagon, last year.

Oct. 6—Roland Folger wished me to credit him the three dollars I borrowed in September and had not paid back to him to his acct. towards Benjamin's school bill.

Oct. 7—I got a chain and two staples of James M. Bassett to put on gate at school. Nabby Bailey and Eliza — papered the partition in school house this afternoon.

Oct. 8—Stephen Easton fitted the chain to the gate and put some pieces of board up under the school house. Made two new plats of the Ceeley piece

30

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

of land belonging to the heirs of Peter Coffin. I heard the lecture delivered before the Whig Association this evening by Hon. Caleb Cushing of Newburyport.

Oct. 10—I went down to Newtown Gate with George R. Gardner to survey but we could not determine about the bounds so deferred it to another time.

I paid George W. Barrett 42 cents for paper & nails, we are now square.

Attended a Whig meeting at Town Hall.

Oct. 11—Attended at Baptism at Brant Point at 11:30 a.m.

Oct. 12—Charles L. Morse came to school this day also Thomas Ames.

Rec'd this evening of Capt. A. H. Robinson check for $25 on acct. his share in the Baptist Meeting House now erecting. I surveyed & fixed a boundary line or starting point on a survey made by the late William Coffin, Jr., Esq. for Capt. Peter Chase at the aunt Judith Barnard house. Bought cents worth of snuff and a cents worth of candy.

Oct. 13—1 paid Hiram B. Andrews $15 for labor done on Meeting House. I paid Lot Fisher $10 for labor on Meeting House. I paid C. C. Hazewell editor of the Islander two dollars that B. B. Thayer left with me to pay for him. Also paid C. C. Hazewell 6c for the number of the Islander which is to contain A. B. Pierce's reply to S. H. Jenks attack in the Inquirer.

Oct. 14—I handed into the Inquirer office yesterday an advertisement for an evening school to commence on the 19th. and ordered out the adv. for the day school. I took my olive Kersemere Pantaloons up to the Silk Factory to be dyed. Went round a piece of land belonging to H. Clapp with my measur­ ing tape.

Oct. 16—Asa G. Bunker handed me $8.25 being for surveying & dividing land near Capt. Potters and surveying homestead of Zophar Hayden and surveying & dividing a piece of land near the residence of Capt. Ceeley and copying plot of E. McGaranders survey.

Oct. 16—I handed Capt. Handy a bundle of old clothes for father for patches also a letter to delivered to him. I gave $2.62p2 for half a cord of wood & paid Andrew Bunker 25c for carting to school house.

Oct. 17—I paid Lydia G. Bunker 62V5c for A. Hall's sawing & splitting half a cord of pine wood for school. Paid 62V5c at the silk factory for coloring my olive pantaloons black. Bought snuff, chestnuts, candy, and honey for six cents. The Building Comm. met at School House, the frame for meeting house having arrived last evening.

Oct. 19—I commenced this evening my school but had but one scholar, A. J. Sansbury. The carpenters began to frame the Baptist Meeting House.

Oct. 21—1 copied my plot of the survey of the land near Capt. Ceeley's for Asa to put on C. Wood's deed. Meeting of the building Comm. at 6 p.m. at school house. I heard the Hon. John Reed of Yarmouth lecture before the Whig Assoc. this even at Washington Hall.

Oct. 22—Amos H. Wood fitted a piece of pipe into the chimney at the School house this forenoon. His charges were as follows: for labor $1.00 for stone jar which he broke in trying to fit 37c. for bricks & mortar 16c. which I paid him at once.

(To Be Continued)

Legacies and Bequests Membership in our Association proves that you are interested in its program for the preservation of Nantucket's famed heritage and its illustrious past, which so profoundly affected the development of our country. You can perpetuate that interest by giving to the Association a legacy under your will, which will help to insure the Association's carrying on. Counsel advises that legacies to the Nantucket Historical Association are allowable deductions under the Federal Estate Tax law.

Legacies will be used for general or specific purposes as directed by the donor. A sample form may read as follows: "I give, devise, and bequeath to the Nantucket Historical Association, a corporation duly or­ ganized under the law of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and located in the Town of Nantucket, in said Commonwealth, the sum of Dollars."

Legacies may be made also in real estate, bonds, stocks, books, paint­ ings, or any objects having historical value, in which event a brief descrip­ tion of the same should be inserted instead of a sum of money.

Please send all communications to Miss Ethel Anderson, Secretary, Box 1016, Nantucket, Massachusetts, 02554. Office, Fair Street Museum.

Hopeful Nimrods at the Madaket Breakthrough.