Historic Nantucket, January 1968, Vol. 15 No. 3

Historic Nantucket

Winter Briefly Relents

JANUARY, 1968

Published Quarterly by NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION NANTUCKET, MASSACHUSETTS

NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President, Edouard A. Stackpole.

Vice Presidents, Miss Grace Brown Gardner, W. Ripley Nelson, Albert F. Egan, Jr., Alcon Chadwick, Henry B. Coleman, George W. Jones.

Honorary Vice President. Mrs. William L. Mather.

Treasurer, Leonard W. Giles.

Secretary, Mrs. Austin Tyrer.

Councillors, Edouard A. Stackpole, Chairman; Mrs. Ernest H. Menges, Walter Beinecke, Jr., terms expire 1968; Leroy H. True, Herbert I. Terry, terms expire 1969; Mrs. J. Clinton Andrews, Richard F. Swain, terms expire 1970; Mrs. Albert F. Egan, Jr., H. Errol Coffin, terms expire 1971.

Executive Committee, W. Ripley Nelson, Chairman; Alcon Chadwick, Henry B. Coleman, Albert F. Egan, Jr., George W. Jones, Edouard A. Stackpole, ex officio.

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

Curator Emeritus, Mrs. Nancy S. Adams.

Honorary Curator, Mrs. William L. Mather.

Curator, Miss Dorothy Gardner.

Editor, "Historic Nantucket", A. Morris Crosby; Margaret Fawcett Barnes, Mrs. R. A. Orleans.

Assistant Editors, Mrs.

Chairmen of Exhibits, Historical Museum, Mrs. Elizabeth Worth; 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, Mrs. Herbert Foye; Fire Hose Cart House, Irving T. Bartlett; Oldest House, Mrs. J. Clinton Andrews; Franklin-Folger Seat and Memorial Boulder, Herbert I. Terry.

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 15

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January, 1968

No. 3

CONTENTS

Nantucket Historical Association Officers

2

An Introduction to the Prehistory of Nantucket

By Bernard H. Stockley

5

A Trip to Lahaina in the Sandwich Islands

By George W. Jones

17

Recent Events

22

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

25

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, 1968, Nantucket Historical Association.

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

5

An Introduction To The Prehistory Of Nantucket

BY BERNARD H. STOCKLEY

Formerly Research Director of Shawkemo Chapter of Massachusetts Archaeological Society PREFACE

T

HIS article is essentially the text of a lecture given under sponsorship of the Nantucket Historical Association at Friends Meeting House in July of 1965, under the Title "The Prehistory of Nantucket." Because it was necessary to limit the lecture to about 45 minutes, it was necessarily only a short and superficial treatment of a long and complex period in the development of Nantucket — the 15,000 years or so before the arrival of the "first settlers."

Therefore the decision was made to present this paper not as the prehistory of Nantucket but as only an introduction thereto, to be followed by a series of articles which are intended to go a little further into the subject.

This is not intended, therefore, to be the "final word" on the prehistory of the Island. What appears today to be an obvious fact may turn out tomorrow to be utter fallacy. Such is the nature of the study of the misty and dim past. Some of what will be re­ lated in this series has been gained directly from the experience of myself and my colleagues in the Shawkemo Chapter of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society. Other portions represent information which can be reasonably and logically inferred from the work of archaeologists, historians, and explorers both on the Island and on the nearby mainland.

Probably everyone is aware that Nantucket was formed by the action of several glaciers. But there still seems to be a great deal of misconception about how this happened. The story is told about one old hack driver around the turn of the century who was asked how the boulders came to be on top of the hills.

His reply was, "Well, the Glaziers put them there, leastwise that's what the Glaziers say." This was the extreme in misconceptions, but it is still difficult for most people to picture what took place.

Perhaps I should try to paint a picture of Nantucket at this time because it is against this backdrop that man first appears in this area.

Let's say that the date is about 15,000 years ago. We have been transported backward in time and we now stand atop one of the hills near the east end of what is now Nantucket Island.

6

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

At this time it is just a ridge of stone, sand and gravel, with a wall of ice to the north and a barren plain of sand and gravel to the south. Across this sandy plain run several swiftflowing rivers which carry a great volume of water away from the glacier as it melts. These rivers carry a heavy load of mud, silt, sand, and gravel, and this material is deposited in the form of sand and gravel bars. The rivers widen as they get farther from the glacier, and as they widen the speed of the flow decreases.

This causes even the sand and gravel to be deposited. As the rivers build up bars in one place, they cut through older deposits in another. But the overall effect is gradually to build up the plain by depositing sand and gravel first in one place and then in another.

This process has been going on for a long time, probably for several thousand years. So at the time that we see it, about 15,000 years ago, the' land has taken much the same form that it has today. From our perch atop a hill we can see rivers flow­ ing down the Maddequecham Valley, Forked Pond Valley, Nobadeer Valley. Farther west, out of our sight flow the rivers of Weweeder, Miacomet, Hummock Pond and Long Pond Valleys.

There is no ocean in sight. These rivers flow south and southwest to the horizon. So much of the world's total supply of water is locked up in the great glaciers on land that there is not enough left to fill the oceans to their usual level. So, the shoreline now lies far off to the south and east of the ridge of hills which will become Nantucket. For the moment this ridge is just part of a larger formation that extends through Martha's Vineyard and Long Island to the mainland and across the continent. The front of the glacier has been in one position here for a very long time.

Although the glacier continued to push forward, the melting rate at the front balanced the forward movement, causing the front to remain in a static position and resulting in the deposit of large amounts of glacial debris along this particular line. This is known as a "terminal moraine," and the surface of Nantucket is part of the great terminal moraine of the last glacier.

But now the glacier begins to melt faster than new ice is pushed forward. The ice front begins to retreat a few feet a year to the northward. Where the melting waters were once discharged over the tops of the ridge of hills and into rivers, they are now trapped between the melting ice and the ridge. A lake forms in front of the ice and builds up until it finds an outlet to the south.

By this time all the river valleys had dried up and all the meltwaters flowed into a lake where the great harbor of Nantucket is today. Eventually the lake level rose high enough to find an out­ let. There was a low spot in the ridge near where the Old Spouter Pottery Shop stands today, and the rising waters poured over this gap and down a winding valley to the bed of the old Miacomet River and thence on to the sea. But the new river was to be short­ lived. Before long the continued retreat of the ice front to the

THE PREHISTORY OF NANTUCKET

7

north opened another escape route for the lake, probably to the west as far as the gap between Muskeget and Chappaquiddick, and then to the south. This drained the lake completely.

At this time we can consider that the ice age of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard has ended. But the rest of New England has still a long time to go. The glacier will retreat for a time, perhaps a few hundred years, then halt again while it forms the surface of Cape Cod before again retreating to the northward.

No land, no matter how barren it may appear to men, is left devoid of life for very long. Plants and insects are soon followed by birds and reptiles and the higher animals. Exactly how this process took place on Nantucket we do not know. But not long ago the remains of an old beaver dam was found on Martha's Vineyard. Some chunks of wood with beaver tooth marks on them were dated by the carbon-14 process at about 13,000 years ago (Kaye, 1962). This shows that not only trees but also animals were present at that early time. And, since Nantucket and Mar­ tha's Vineyard were still connected we can sssume that the same process took place here.

At this time the stage was set for the arrival of man; the climate must have been tolerable, animals were present for food, and wood for fires. But just when he did appear is uncertain. A conservative estimate would probably be about 10,000 years ago.

Nantucket at this time was probably well covered with vegetation, possibly much as it is today, with trees in the protected valleys and swamps; and grasses, lichens, and sedges in the exposed areas. Nantucket Sound was dry land and the seashore still stood far off to the south and east.

The first man to enter the area was a primitive hunter. He had only spears, clubs, and stones for weapons. Yet the skill with which he made his stone weapons has never been equalled by any of the people to follow. The spear points were made with a shallow groove or flute up each surface, and are very easy to distinguish from the work of any other group. Since these spears are almost always made of stone which cannot be found in New England, it is assumed that they were made by nomads who followed herds of large animals into New England in the summer months and then went southward again with the herds in the winter. They definitely preferred flint or similar material for their weapons.

A campsite of these people is now being excavated in Middleboro, Mass., by members of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, and for some time the source of the stone material was a mystery. But, at last, a probable source of flint-like material was found near Gay Head on Martha's Vineyard.

These people, whom we call Paleo-Indians, probably trav­ eled in small family groups, camping in one place as long as the animal herds stayed, and then moving on with the herds.

We don't know what sort of animals were hunted here, be­ cause bone is not well-preserved in a moist, temperate climate.

8

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

But we know their living habits in other parts of North America better, and they seem always to have specialized in large animals.

Even the great mammoths and the giant bison of the western U. S. were taken by these highly skilled hunters.

About 6,500 years ago some new people moved into the area.

Where they came from is not known, and it is also uncertain whether the Paleo Indians were absorbed by them or forced out of the area. While the new people, known as the Early Archaic people, were primarily hunters like their predecessors, they prob­ ably led only a semi-nomadic life. By this time the large herds of game animals may have been gone and the Early Archaic peo­ ple may have adapted to hunting smaller game within a certain area. They seem to have fished with a harpoon which is startlingly similar to those used by the Nantucket whalemen more than 6,000 years later. Either the spears or harpoons or both may have been thrown with a spear-throwing stick. This device, known as an atl-atl, is quite effective in increasing the penetrating power of a spear or harpoon but doesn't seem to increase accuracy or range. Evidence of the use of dugout canoes by these people is found in the use of axes and gouges. One tool used by them was a peculiar sort of knife. It is a flat half-circle of slate, sharpened all around the outer edge. The straight edge is either thickened to form a handle or perforated for the attachment of a bone or wood handle. This particular tool is interesting, not only because it was used by no other group in New England, before or since, but it is used to this very day by the Eskimo women. It is known as a woman's knife or "ulu." This fact is usually taken as evidence that the Early Archaic people of New England were the ancestors of the modern Eskimo.

During the time that the Early Archaic People occupied this area the great glaciers continued to melt back to the north, re­ leasing their waters into the sea. This caused a rise in sea level which eventually made islands of this ridge of hills. It is believed that sea level in southern New England reached its present height at the end of the Early Archaic period, about 5,000 years ago.

The next group to occupy this area — the Late Archaic peo­ ple — brought with them a much more complicated culture than their predecessors had developed. One of the most important tools that these people introduced was the bow and arrow. The spear and harpoon may have continued in use, and the spear-throwing stick may have been used for special purposes, but large numbers of small arrowpoints in the village remains of these people seem to indicate that the bow and arrow was the principal weapon.

And this is not at all surprising, considering the much higher accuracy and longer range of the bow and arrow in comparison to the spear.

The late Archaic people lived in permanent or semi-perma­ nent villages. One of these villages was found in Middleboro, Mas­ sachusetts, in 1957. The dwellings were large, round structures,

9

Photo by Bernard H. Stockley Indian skeleton found at Tuckernuck dig.

10

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

capable of housing a "family-clan" of twelve or more people. In addition to the dwellings there was a large structure, presumably a ceremonial center of some sort, 66 feet in diameter (Robbins, 1959).

We know a great deal more about the Late Archaic people than about either of the groups that preceded them. Charred wooden utensils were found at one living site of these people (Robbins, 1959) and at another site the wood had rotted away leaving empty spaces in a clay-like soil. These voids later filled with soluble iron compounds, leaving fossil replicas of wooden bowls (Dodge, 1965).

Another interesting thing about the Late Archaic people was that they did not use shellfish for food. There is evidence that shellfish were available to them (Robbins, 1959) but that they just did not use them. Probably this was a result of a dietary taboo, the same sort of irrational prohibition that prevents us from using many things that are perfectly edible.

At some time during the Late Archaic period, that is between about 5,000 years ago and 2,000 years ago, these people discovered how to make pots out of soft stones. Soapstone, chlorite, and ser­ pentine were the favorite types and were found as veins in bed­ rock in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and in central and western Massachusetts. Several of these quarries have been found. Us­ ually, when the debris has been cleaned out of the quarries, unfin­ ished pots are found in quarries still attached to the bedrock.

But, where bedrock was not available, these people also seem to have used any sort of soft stone present in boulders. These pots were heavy and cumbersome. But capacity for cooking directly over the fire was apparently an advantage that made their use worthwhile. With wooden, bark, or skin containers, boiling over fire could not have been done without the risk of destroying the vessel.

Also, at this period, the smoking pipe makes its first appear­ ance. It is possible that it was used earlier by the medicine men.

The first stone pipes are straight tubes known as "shaman's tubes," that could be stone copies of earlier pipes made of a hollow reed. Later versions of the stone pipe have the bowl set at an angle to the stem, and some are at right angles to the stem.

At about the beginning of the Late Archaic period —that is, about 5,000 years ago — Nantucket became separated from the mainland of New England by the rising sea level (Ogden, 1958). It was at this point that the Island started its evolution along its own lines, which is partially responsible for making this the unique place that it is. During these 5,000 years certain plants and animals of the Island have evolved in ways that are slightly different from the way in which their mainland counter­ parts developed (Starrett, 1958) (Waters, 1964).

Similarly, the cultural development of the Island differed also. This was less a matter of evolution, however, than a matter of adaption to a different environment. Physically, the people of

THE PREHISTORY OF NANTUCKET

11

Nantucket probably were indistinguishable from those of the Mainland, but the special requirements of island-living must have caused modifications in the way of life. Just as an example, con­ sider the stone pottery. There are no stone quarries on the Island, of course. This leaves three choices open to the Late Archaic is­ lander. He can go to the mainland and make stone pots and bring them back. He can try making pots out of locally available soft stone boulders, or he can substitute wood, bark, and skin vessels and accept their disadvantages. There is evidence that on Nan­ tucket all three of these alternatives were tried, and that the use of non-durable vessels was probably the most common.

Up until this period we know absolutely nothing about how the dead were disposed of. No burials of the Paleo-Indian period or the Early Archaic period have been found. But during the Late Archaic period a burial practice developed which is very inter­ esting. A "Red Paint Burial Cult" appears on the mainland from Maine to Long Island with occasional appearances elsewhere.

However, even within this limited area it appears in several differ­ ent forms. In Maine it is known as the Maine Cemetery Complex, and there the bodies seem to have been simply buried along with powdered red ochre and many beautiful tools. Some of these tools are long, slim slate spear points which could not possibly have been used in hunting. They were apparently made only for use in the burials. No bones are found in these burials. Not only are the climatic conditions unfavorable for the preservation of bone, but red ochre in the presence of moisture contributes to the for­ mation of a mild sulphuric acid which destroys bone even more quickly.

Another form of the Red Paint Burial Cult was recognized first at the eastern tip of Long Island, N. Y., at Point Orient.

This form of the disposal of the dead has since been found at several sites in Connecticut and Massachusetts (Lord, 1962; Mansfield, 1961; Robbins, 1959; Robbins, 1963; Rose, 1953), in­ cluding one at Orleans on Cape Cod (Kremp, 1961). In this form the bodies were first cremated on a large stone hearth, along with stone, and probably other, tools and utensils. Then, after the crematory fire had subsided, some of the ashes of the departed, along with some of the burned and broken artifacts, were buried in a small pit nearby. More artifacts were placed in the burial pit, and these were frequently deliberately broken, presumably to "kill" the spirit of the artifact. Then the ashes and the burned and unburned tools were liberally covered with powdered hema­ tite or red ochre and the pit was refilled.

As yet no burial sites of the Late Archaic people are known to have been found on Nantucket. Several years ago a bulldozer uncovered parts of stone pots, a stone ornament, and several spear points, during construction of a driveway at the Nantucket High School (Roy 1956). This could have been a Late Archaic burial, but no scientifically controlled excavation was done in the area.

12

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

There is much more that could be said about the Late Archaic people. In many ways they were the most interesting group to occupy the area. But, if the bow and arrow and stone pottery caused a minor cultural revolution at the beginning of the Late Archaic, we can call the events of the beginning of the next period a major cultural revolution.

The last prehistoric period in southern New England and the whole of the northeastern United States is called the Woodland period. This begins, for southern New England, between the time of Christ and 500 A. D.; probably the latter date is about correct for Nantucket, but as yet we are not sure.

The people of the Woodland period are commonly called the Indians, and they were still present when the first Europeans arrived. They probably were direct descendants of the Late Ar­ chaic people; but it is possible that new people arrived in the area to mix with the Late Archaic inhabitants.

Three things of major importance were introduced into the area at the beginning of the Woodland period. The first of these was agriculture. The growing of Indian Maize, squashes, beans, and tobacco was started in this period. The raising of foodstuffs had the effect of making it possible for relatively large numbers of people to gather together into villages for companionship and mutual protection. The foods were all types that lent themselves to being stored for future use, and this made possible a stable food supply even through the winter months. Large holes, known as storage pits, were dug in the ground and lined with mats, skins or bark. These were then filled with baskets of food, covered with more mats, and then covered up with soil until used. It was one or more of these storage pits which the Pilgrims found on Corn Hill at Wellfleet in December of 1620.

Agriculture must also have provided welcome additions to the diet even in the growing season. Although wild vegetable foods were gathered during the Late Archaic period and contin­ ued to be used even during the Woodland period, the gathering of wild foods is never a very dependable source of food. There is abundance in some seasons and famine in others.

To some extent the wild foods were also stored for winter use. Some kinds of berries, fruits and nuts can be dried and stored when the conditions are right. But anyone who is familiar with the spells of foggy weather which this Island experiences several times during the summer and fall will understand how risky the drying of fruits and berries must have been.

Another introduction to this area by the Woodland Indians was clay pottery. By comparison with the stone pots of Late Ar­ chaic times it was pretty good pottery. Even the early English explorers frequently mentioned the "fine faire potts" which they said were as good as anything that the English had. They varied greatly in size. One which was found at the Ram Pasture Site here on Nantucket was the size of a tumbler. And one from Buzzards

THE PREHISTORY OF NANTUCKET

13

Bay, Massachusetts, which is now in the Bronson Museum in Attleboro, Massachusetts, is almost three feet high and thirty inches in diameter.

The use of clay pottery made it possible for pots to be made almost anywhere, since sources of clay are found within easy traveling distance of most campsites. The clay pottery had the advantage also of being easily portable. Where a large stone pot might weigh 50 or 60 pounds, a clay pot of equal volume might weigh as little as 10 or 15 pounds. This difference could be very important in a culture like that of the Woodland Indians, in which there were no domesticated beasts of burden.

The third idea of major importance introduced by the Wood­ land people was the use of shellfish as food. As mentioned earlier, the Late Archaic people of southern New England did not use shellfish for food. But this all changed with the arrival of the Woodland people. They used shellfish in great quantities. Not only the clams, quahaugs, oysters, and scallops that we relish, but also the mussels, whelks, razor clams, and even the surf clams.

Along the coastline the shellfish were a very important part of the diet. Not only were they eaten fresh, but they were also pre­ served for winter use by smoke-drying. And along the coast of the mainland the smoke-dried shellfish were used as trade goods for barter with the inland tribes.

Although hunting was still practiced by the Woodland people it was not as important a source of food as it had been in the preceding cultural periods. Deer were the most important game, and so far as we can determine at this time there were very few other animals on the Island which were hunted for food. Raccoon, muskrat, and fox,* field mouse, and Indian dog (Waters, 1965), are the only other land mammals which have been identified from bones found in Woodland period refuse deposits on Nantucket.

In addition to the land mammals, several species of sea mammals have been identified, including the blackfish (Waters, 1965), humpbacked whale (Bullen and Brooks, 1949) and the gray seal (Bullen and Brooks, 1947). * Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus). Raccoon (Procyon lotor), and Red Fox (Vulpes fulva) have all been identified by Dr. Joseph H. Waters among bones gathered from the surface of Indian sites after they had been dug over by unscientific relic hunters. Since any direct connection between the Indian remains and these bones had been destroyed, Dr. Waters quite correctly declined to conclude that any such connection existed. This demonstrates quite strongly the damage that can be done by untrained people digging up prehistoric sites. (As yet, none of these species of animals have been found in controlled scientific excavations.)

How much more important information has been lost to the science of archaeology and the history of Nantucket can only be guessed; but it is certain that every square yard of prehistoric site that is destroyed without being properly studied is another page of history lost forever.

Much of what we know about the Woodland people and their customs has been gleaned from the reports of the early explorers

14

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

of the New England coast. They described the dwellings of these people as frameworks of saplings bent over to form a roundtopped structure and covered with mats of woven rushes or with bark or skins. Each family apparently had several frames in dif­ ferent locations and, when a family moved, the mats were simply carried along and placed on the other frame.

The early explorers were almost unanimous in describing the Indians of the New England coast as the tallest and the most handsome to be found anywhere. Captain John Smith, for one, had travelled the whole coast from Georgia to Nova Scotia, but re­ marked on the stature and appearance of the Indians in this area.

This is at least partially borne out by the excavation of burials in which the males are usually over 5 feet, 8 inches.

Burial customs were simple. The body was buried on the side with the knees drawn up to the chest. Although legend always has it that they were buried sitting up and facing the east, this is just not so. Although the position of the body does resemble a sit­ ting or squatting position, it is on its side. And there is no con­ sistent pattern at all in which direction they are facing. In spite of other legends there are, almost never, any burial goods or offer­ ings in a prehistoric Indian burial.

Now, during the Woodland period — that is, from about 100 A.D. to 1600 A.D. — we seem to have had a peculiar situation on Nantucket. We don't have all the details worked out yet. In fact we just began to be aware of this possibility within the last few years. But the evidence that we do have so far points to a strong possibility that there were two distinct Indian cultures living on Nantucket at the same time (Stockley 1965). While they both fall within the general pattern of the Woodland Indian, there are so many differences in the types of tools, pottery, and many other things, that a real difference in cultural traditions seems to be indicated.

We of the Shawkemo Chapter, Massachusetts Archaeological Society, are accumulating more and more evidence all the time.

We were joined in 1965 in our work by a group of students and an instructor comprising the Summer Field School in Archaeology from the University of Massachusetts. With the very considerable contribution of time and effort by this group we can look forward to learning more about the prehistory of Nantucket in the years to come.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bullen, Ripley P. and Edward Brooks 1947 The Squam Pond Indian Site; Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 8 No. 4, 56-59.

Bullen, Ripley P. and Edward Brooks 1949.

The Herrecater Swamp Site, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 10, No. 4, 81-89.

THE PREHISTORY OF NANTUCKET

15

Dodge, Karl S. 1965 ^Wooden Bowls at an Archaic Site Associated With Steatite Bowl Sherds, Including Their Recognition, and the Technique Developed for Removing Them From the Ground for Preservation.

Bulletin of the Eastern States Archeological Federation No. 24, 10-11.

Kaye, Glifford A. 1962 Early Postglacial Beavers in Southeastern New England.

Science, Vol. 138, No. 3543, 906-907.

Kremp, Frank 1961 The Coburn Site: A Burial Complex on Cape Cod. Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 22 Nos. 3 & 4, 33-42.

Lord, Arthur C. Sr. 1962 The Hawes Site: A Stone Bowl Burial Complex Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 23 Nos. 3 & 4, 21-23.

Mansfield, J. A. 1961 The Mansion Inn Site — Maryland.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 23, No. 1, 1-5.

Ogden, James G. Ill, 1958.

Late Glacial Vegetation and Climate of Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

Doctoral Dissertation, Yale University.

Robbins, Maurice, 1959.

Wapanucket No. 6: An Archaic Village in Middleboro, Mass.

Cohannet Chapter, Mass. Arch. Soc.; Attleboro.

Robbins, Maurice, 1953.

Secondary Cremation Burial No. 2, The Hawes Site.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 24, No. 2, 30-33.

Rose, Edward F., 1953 Five Unusual Caches at the Boats Site.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 14, No. 4, 109-111.

Roy, Edward S., 1956.

A Steatite Vessel from Nantucket.

Bulletin of the Mass. Arch. Soc. Vol. 17, No. 3, 51.

Starret, A., 1958.

Insular Variation in Mice of the Microtus Pennsylvanicus Group in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan.

Stockley, Bernard H., 1965.

Preliminary Report, Ram Pasture I, a Stratified Site on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

Bulletin of the Eastern States Archaeological Federation, No. 24, 11.

Waters, Joseph H. 1965.

Animal Remains from some New England Woodland Sites.

Bulletin of the Arch. Soc. of Connecticut. No. 33, 5-11.

16

We like to camera-hunt for photogenic odds-and-ends, like this lovely winding road. Can anybody identify it? It lies hardly a mile from the center of the Town. Find the answer in "Recent Events."

17

A Trip To Lahaina In The Sandwich Islands

BY GEORGE W. JONES

ELL, they used to be the Sandwich Islands, now they are the Hawaiian Islands and constitute Hawaii, the 50th state of these United States.

Lahaina is a small town on the island of Maui, where our whaling forefathers made port after months of monotonous life at sea, hunting the elusive whale. It was one of the important places we had planned to visit when my wife, Rozelle, and I had decided on our trip to the Hawaiian Islands.

It had been only two days since we had left Nantucket on September 26th last year that we landed on Maui. Think of it, two days for a third of the way around the world, a distance that would have required months to cover in those days of sail.

We had spanned the continent, flying above those mountains and plains which had been crossed by the pioneers in wagon-trains with so much effort and courage and which had taken many of them a number of months to span. We flew the distance in four and three-quarter hours!

We had spent a night in Boston and after another night in Los Angeles we flew over the Pacific for four and a half hours, landing in Honolulu where we changed planes, taking the Ha­ waiian Airlines to Maui. We had left Nantucket Tuesday morn­ ing and we reached our destination Thursday afternoon.

Our visit to Lahaina had to wait until the next morning, when we took a bus from our hotel which was about four miles north of the town. The bus landed us on the harbor front near what is now a yacht basin and close beside it an attractive park laid out around a huge banyan tree.

This was the town where hundreds of whalemen from many ports in New England had visited well over a hundred years ago for rest and recreation. It was and still is a small town, being only about three blocks wide and extending along the shore for perhaps a mile, having a population very close to that of Nan­ tucket, between three and four thousand.

In front of the place where we debarked from the bus was a small pier and moored along side was the barque Carthaginian, a model of an old whale ship so common a sight here in the past.

Built for the sake of realism in the moving-picture "Hawaii,"

18

Photograph by George W. Jones Movie Whaleship "Carthaginian" is now a prime exhibit

Photograph by George W. Jones Old Whalers' Grog Shop — these days a sedate restaurant.

A TRIP TO LAHAINA

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which was based on James Michener's novel of the same name, this vessel has been taken over by the Lahaina Restoration Foun­ dation and is run as a museum.

A most interesting museum it is, with all the whaling equip­ ment and deck fittings to resemble the typical whaler. Fully rigged and having two try-pots in place (unfortunately without the brick-work around them) and whale-boats on the davits, it is open to the public for a fee of seventy-five cents. In the hold is shown a moving-picture depicting the history of whaling, with an accompanying sound-track furnishing a fine commentary. We saw in this space, displayed on the ceiling planking of the hold, an enlarged copy of a newspaper printed during those busy days of the 1830's, which listed the ship arrivals in the port of Lahaina.

We counted six Nantucket ships with their Nantucket captains listed among the vessels in port. The attendant was a young man who, when we told him of our Nantucket connections, was much interested in obtaining our reactions to the museum and anxious to obtain any suggestions which we might offer to improve this exhibit.

After spending some time on this, to us most attractive rep­ lica of an item of the past, we went ashore, walked around the business block close by, looking in at the Old Whalers' Grog Shop, now quite a respectable place, with pictures and memorabilia of the whaling days.

Passing across Front Street, the main street of the town, we visited the home of the early missionaries, built in 1834, now also a museum, fitted out with furnishings of this early period.

We walked through the old cemetery where several of the former members of the Hawaiian Royal Family are buried, a well kept and attractive spot with a number of granite monuments erected to the memory of these rulers. Alongside the cemetery is the Hawaiian church, a modern structure, neat and attractive, with the Rector's home close by.

Next we inspected the old prison compound, where some of our Nantucket boys may have spent the night from time to time.

It covers a small block and is surrounded by a seven or eight-foot wall built of lava rock. From the accounts we read it must at times have been filled to capacity with sailors who had given the local constabulary a rough time while celebrating a return to dry land which had places thereon not so dry.

We found this little town a most attractive place, neat and well kept, and stirring the imagination about the conditions, so closely allied with Nantucket, that existed here many years ago and which will never occur again.

THEN and NOW . . . Pease's Garage, and Pease's Stable before it, long were a landmark at the corner of Broad and South Water Streets. Bought last year by Sherburne Associates, it was completely remodelled.

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It now accommodates "The Wbaleshop," dealing in souvenirs and small objects, together with the making and sale of choice fabrics hand-imprinted with original patterns by the silk screen process.

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Recent Events

BY NOW it has become almost traditional to keep Open House at the Whaling Museum and the Hadwen House-Satler Memorial during the Thanksgiving Day week-end. Last November the pleas­ ant custom was continued, made all the more agreeable by the completion and operation of the new heating system in the Whal­ ing Museum. The Hadwen House came to the Association with the heating system that had served through the long ownership of the Satler family. The weather did not overly cooperate. Still, the at­ tendance (114 paid admissions at the Whaling Museum and 74 at the Hadwen House-Satler Memorial, with uncounted members of the Association enjoying the privilege of free admission) at­ tested to the interest shown in this off-season opportunity to enjoy these two outstanding exhibits. *

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Of two important books recently received by the Curator one is the "Genealogy of the Gordon-Macy, Huddleston-Curtis and allied families" by Jessie Gordon Flack and Maybelle Gordon Car­ man. This is a beautifully made book, with the coats of arms of the different families reproduced in full color, and illustrated with a number of photographs. On the fly-leaf is inscribed, "For the Nantucket Historical Association in honor of our many island forebears," and signed, Maybelle Gordon Carman, Jessie Olive Gordon Flack, Mildred Gordon Marsh. This book is a very wel­ come and useful addition to the Association's genealogical library.

The second book explains itself in the title "A Pictorial Treasury of the Marine Museums of the World by Brandt Aymar, a guide to the Maritime Collections, Restorations, Replicas, and Marine Museums in Twenty-three Countries." Made by Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1967, it contains three full pages devoted to Nantucket's Whaling Museum with five photographs, one a full page. *

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Of further interest to conservationists everywhere is an ar­ ticle by Peter T. Chew in the National Observer of November 20th, 1967. Mr. Chew considers the plight of Fairfax County, Virginia, faced by the growing blight of "Urbanization" which menaces the natural country terrain of all areas of the United States ad­ jacent to large urban centers. Titled "An Asphalt Ribbon Rolls On Over Virginia to Blue Ridge Mountains," Mr. Chew's on-thespot survey describes the spreading chaos of unregulated shop­ ping centers, hot dog stands, gasoline-filling stations, unlovely and cheap residential construction, neon lights, and all the rest of it, that developers are creating in the lust of quick profits in accommodating "the population explosion" in one of the richest

RECENT EVENTS

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and fairest parts of the "Old Dominion." To quote Mr. Chew: "As elsewhere in America, urban sprawl has raged unchecked. It is the same old pattern: a mushrooming population; fast-dollar de­ velopers; a local government prepared to make exception after exception to zoning regulations against trailer courts, gasoline stations, and the like. A strong whiff of scandal from time to time."

The County government has moved at last, albeit rather slowly, to meet the challenge, passing together with the legisla­ ture several conservation measures, including an $18,000,000 bond issue to acquire more park land and to protect the approaches to the county's historic sites. Most importantly, the county has made possible a model application of the "cluster" development at Reston, which has won nation-wide interest and approval. According to this principle, developers can put up the same number of houses but only on a portion of the tract, with the bulk of the land left for open space and recreation. Adds Mr. Chew: "A number of experts in the planning field, including Laurance Rockefeller, believe strongly that the solution of fast-growing counties like Fairfax lies in this concept." Supporting his belief, Laurence Rockefeller has written an introduction to a leading treatise on the subject, "Cluster Development," by William H. Whyte.

HS HS % H5 H* 5H Tourism is growing throughout the world by leaps and bounds. We hear that organized tours through the Antarctic regu­ larly start from New Zealand. Bermuda shorts, it seems, are not recommended. Still and all, we'll bet a couple of penguins that the barefoot people will be there just the same. They won't want to be charged with having cold feet! :J: HE # H5 % Scientists have long been interested in the dolphin, that small but lively member of the whale family. They have fully ap­ preciated its unusual intelligence; but continuing research and observation have convinced them that the dolphin is the most intelligent of all the creatures in the animal kingdom, not even excluding Man himself. Two scientists in South Africa have been studying and training a pair of dolphins for a number of years, gradually enlarging the dolphins' vocabulary to the point of their understanding abstractions. At the same time their mentors have established the fact that the dolphins can and do converse to­ gether. Their method of communication is by sound, not modu­ lated as with us, but of varying intensity and cadence much as in the speech of the Chinese. The two scientists have carried their research so far that they have isolated and identified the different "words" that the dolphins use and have actually re­ produced them electronically. One interesting difference between dolphin and man is "that, while the dolphin's brain works sixteen times as fast as man's, the dolphin is slower in learning new words. Presumably this handicap will be overcome in time.

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

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The Isle of Man, one of our sister resort islands, is in the news again. It appears that a "pirate" broadcasting station lo­ cated on a vessel a few miles off the coast of that quaint home of tailless cats and indomitable Calvinists, has been plugging tour­ ism to the island so successfully that the income of the Manxmen from that, their only source of revenue, has been greatly in­ creased. The islanders are very happy about it; but the station is the bane of the British Broadcasting Company, and a law has been passed making it a crime to supply the "pirate" with goods of any sort. The result is a loud and angry wail from the Manx­ men and, no doubt, from the Manx cats as well. :JC

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In St. Petersburg, Florida, the replica of H.M.S. Bounty, used in the film "Mutiny on the Bounty," has become a great tourist attraction. Why can't we have a replica of a vessel im­ portant to Nantucket? HISTORIC NANTUCKET has suggested the re­ creation of one of the old side-wheelers like the old Uncatena. For a more modest start, the replica of one of the stout sloops, manned partly by oarsmen, that initiated early ocean whaling from Nan­ tucket would measurably add interest to the summer season on the Island. Note, in this connection, the three-quarter scale re­ production of the famous clipper ship Flying Cloud, the most fa­ mous of Donald MacKay's wondrous vessels. Having no sails, she is powered by a tug-boat, but in all other respects is a faithful replica of the original Flying Cloud.

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Overheard in the "Hub" one day last summer: "I have to read 'Walden,' Bill. When you've finished 'The Grapes of Wrath,' will you let me know what you think of the last chapter?" Who says culture has gone the way of the Dodo? ^

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ANSWER to the "Mystery Picture": The road runs from Cliff Road through the jungle growth of Coffin Park to the build­ ing owned by the Department of Public Works.

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Happy New Year! With the earnest hope that it will bring a better Season than the last.

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Diary of William C. Folger EDITED BY NANCY S. ADAMS (Continued from the October, 1C67, issue of "Historic Nantucket")

WILLIAM C. FOLGER was a direct descendant from Peter the 1st. He was born in Nantucket June 8, 1806. After gaining his education, he taught school here and, later, on the Cape and in Ohio. He also was a land surveyor for 50 years. He commenced the work of genealogical research about 1842 and pursued it until his death on November 10, 1891.

He gathered his material first from his relative Benjamin Franklin Folger and from the public records, from family his­ tory and old family bibles, and by correspondents everywhere. He was quite an aid to Mr. Savage in compiling his Genealogical Dic­ tionary. It was entirely a labor of love and he left a worthy monu­ ment which has been carefully preserved. No one knew more about Nantucket land-holdings than did William C. Folger and, during the rest of his life, after returning to the Island, he was frequently called on to settle boundary disputes too vague and uncertain for any court to handle. His diary starts in the year 1835.

1842 May 5 — Got ticket the other day at A. M. Macy's for lectures on Ancient & Modern Jerusalem with transparent paintings, paid 75 cts admitting 3 persons. Went this evening to lecture with J. L. M. and P. R. Bunker.

May 10 — I went to a party at Uncle Gideon's this evening being Lydia Folger's party, present J. L. C. Abbot, Cyrus M. Allen & wife, and the teachers generally.

May 11 — Copied off the account of the Folger's from Spark's Life of Franklin (appendix).

May 15 — The news about Elisha — loss came out which was bad news to our folks.

May 14 — I plotted my survey of the Edward Creasey land for Sam. L. Woodward.

May 16 — I have been writing this day an account of Peter Folger and the other early Baptists of Nantucket in order to furnish an account for the history of the Baptists of Barnstable Association.

May 17 — Benjamin Holmes paid me $1.17 being for his son's school bill.

May 18 — Surveyed the Abisha Bunker house lot for Prince Gardner this afternoon.

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

May 21 — At Squire Isaac Coffin's a short time this evening.

Took a walk with Ma Chere.

May 24 — I surveyed the John Cartwright Candle House spot this afternoon for Capt. D. N. Edwards.

May 28 — I plotted the survey of Capt. D. N. Edwards purchase of the land.

May 27 — Engaged this day collecting names on paper for Reuben G. Folger's genealogy.

May 30 — 1 finished and delivered R. G. Folger's & wife's Ge­ nealogical Chart on drawing paper full of dates, names and Historical & Biographical matter, for which I am to have work from his shop.

June 1—Measured a Division Line for George A. Lawrence this morning for which he gave me a bottle of Whitwells Aromatic Snuff.

June 7—Worked most of the week on bonnets for F. G. Bunker.

June 10—I prepared a new set of Record Slips for the Baptist Sabbath School. Rev. Coggeshall preached this evening at Baptist Vestry.

June 11—Arnold Morse paid me $2.67 being the amount I charged him for his boy's school bill this winter. James M. Coffin paid me 56 cents for a Hymn Book I sold him last week. I went to the Atheneum with Rev. Thomas Dowling, Rev. S. W. Coggeshall & Jonathan Paddack, afterwards I went with Mr. Coggeshall to Uncle Walter's. I paid Thomas Coffin eight dollars being for rent of school house for one quarter. Lydia Easton has washed for me the past two weeks and has also made some collars and bosoms to pay for her son's schooling in the winter of 1839-40 in evening school.

June 15—Obed Macy has presented the Baptist Library Associa­ tion a copy of his History of Nantucket.

June 17—I gave the Baptist Library Combe's Constitution of Man, 1 vol. Doddridges Rise & Progress of Religion, 1 vol. Took tea at Asa Rawsons.

June 18—Paid $5.00 toward J. S. Hathaway's portrait of Uncle Walter Folger.

June 21—The New Bedford Guards came in boat also Dr. Brevoort the Phrenologist.

June 22—I got horse and chaise of Clark & Hight and went to the sheer pen this forenoon with Mrs. Jane L. Middleton, was gone about an hour. In the afternoon saw the parade of the Sol­ diers Cold Water Army, Engineermen, etc. Took a walk with Jane L. M. June 23—Rainy. Guards went this morning. Took tea at Crocker Backus. Jane L. M. gone to New Bedford.

June 25—Saw Hannah Coleman wife of Wm. H. of Hudson, N. Y. Met in the basement of the Baptist Church with the singing com­ mittee to assist in forming a choir.

DIARY OF WILLIAM C. FOLGER

27

June 26—I borrowed $10.00 from Nabby Bailey for a few weeks.

I went in the evening to the Atheneum in the evening to hear Dr. George W. Ellis on Phrenology and Temperance but quitted it in disgust with the lecturer.

June 27—William Clasby paid me $2.67 being the amount of his son's bill in evening school. I took passage in the steamboat Tele­ graph for New Bedford, a rough windy passage, stopped to land passengers at Holmes & Woods Hole. Paid $2.00 for passage, was seasick. When arrived at N.B. I bought 121/2 cts. worth of oysters.

Went up to Allen St. and saw my friend Jane L. M. June 28—Bot breakfast, coffee and oysters 15 cts. Took a walk with my friend. In the afternoon I went to Fairhaven and took tea with John N. Howland & wife who arrived this day from Hudson, N. Y. After tea I went back to N.B. and attended a Con­ ference at Rev. Howes Church. Lodged at Cousins in Fairhaven.

After breakfast next day went back to N.B. Paid 12 cts for cross­ ing bridge.

June 29—I visited with Jane L. M. the Burying Ground also Hathaway's & Wm. Walls Painting Rooms. Took tea with my friend.

June 30—Left N.B. at half past ten A.M. & landed at Woods Hole at ten minutes past Twelve. Paid passage $1 and 25 cts. hack hire to ride to Lewis Tavern in Falmouth. Walked from there to father's in Hyannis with the exception of about two miles when I got a ride. Arrived at half past ten at night. Found father smart for a man of his age.

July 3—Attended the Baptist meeting this day & communed with them. At the Reformed Methodist Church in evening.

July 4—I left Hyannis at seven A.M. with father's horse and waggon for Plymouth, via Marston's Mills. It came on a rain and I had to stop a while in a shed, when it ceased I went on my jour­ ney. Stopped in Sandwich about ten thirty, went into the Town Hall where there was a celebration by the Sabbath school teachers and others; visited the Glass Works then continued on to Ply­ mouth arriving at the outskirts about 4 p.m. Put up the horse at the farm of Samuel Cole and walked to the central part of the old town. Got shaved for 6 cts. and bought some soda for 4 cts. and gingerbread for 2 cts. Visited the Forefathers Rock and Burial Hill, traversed most of the streets and attended a lecture in the Church on the Green, by Rev. Whitmore of Eel River.

Went back and lodged at Samuel Cole's.

July 5—After breakfast went to the house of Dr. Thatcher to get the key of Pilgrim Hall but it was not there, visited different parts of Town, then went with Mr. Morse the Collector of Plymouth to Pilgrim Hall. Saw the painting of the Landing of the Pilgrims

by Sargent of Boston and other portraits of Governors and others.

Two chairs that came over in the Mayflower, Miles Standish sword, old, King Philips cap, etc. Went into the Library with Mr. Morse and saw many ancient books and visited again the Burial Hill and

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

the spot where the Forefathers landed. Went into one of the ropewalks. I dined on bread and milk at Samuel Cole's and paid him 65 cts. for 3 meals & lodging & horse fare. On leaving the old town I passed Elder Faunce's house where he lived and died in 1745 aged a good 99 years. I stopped a while at Ellis Neighborhood in So. Plymouth and talked with Joseph Harlow and a few minutes at Thomas Ellis. Returned through Secusset, Sandwich & West Barnstable being a part of Sandwich that I had not seen. Got Hyannis at ten o'clock at night.

July 6—I rested this day from my cruise.

July 8—I started at about 7:30 a.m. for Coatuit Port in wagon with father, found no vessel likely to go to Nantucket that day, put most of my things in care of Capt. Phinney of the Branch— father drove within about 3Y2 miles of Falmouth, then I took leave and walked to Woods Hole, found the Packet gone about an hour, stopped at cousin Joseph Hatch's.

July 9—Took leave of Mrs. Hatch (paid Capt. Hatch what he would be persuaded to take 25 cts.) Embarked in the Massachusette (new steamboat). Stopped at Holmes Hole, very strong wind.

Paid my fare $1.50 and arrived at Nantucket about 5 p.m. Saw my friend.

July 13—I paid James Austin $1.40 for 2 forms & a bench I got of him winter before last.

July 16—I have been at work on William M. Bunker's genealogy for the past seven days.

July 17—I went to Chapel in forenoon and to the North Cong, in the evening, J. S. C. Abbott, preached.

July 21—I got 15 cts. worth green paint and painted my blue chest, also my case field Survey tools, also two chairs and oil cannister & basin.

July 22—I went to Sconset, dined with several of my friends, visited Sankaty Head, called on Benjamin Franklin & got some information, borrowed Vol. 1 of Callenders Voyages, returned through Polpis & Shimmo.

July 25—Capt. D. N. Edwards paid me $1.50 towards the Survey of his house lot made some time ago.

July 29—I have finished this week a genealogy for Wm. M. Bun­ ker of Ghent and another of the ancestors of Wm. H. Coleman of Hudson. Mr. Round and wife came in the boat yesterday having arrived from Baltimore. I did a little measuring for Absalom Boston last week and he gave me 50 cts.

July 31—Elizabeth A. Long handed me $2.50 being for two quarters rent for seat in pew from April 1st to Oct. 1, 1842.

August 12—I went to Maticat to a Squantum today. Had J. G. C. horse and wagon for had with me several ladies, paid $1 for horse hire and 25 cts. for stabling at Chases at Maticat. We dug clams and some got quahaugs at Eel Point, had a chowder and baked clams, took a walk and a meeting and a swim and after sup-

DIARY OF WILLIAM C. FOLGER

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per returned. There were 64 people out but 56 or 57 grown persons came down in 14 carriages, two carriages having gone before. We gave $2 for use of Squantum house and utensils. The party being enjoyed by all. We had Mr. Round and Mr. Knapp with us also Deacon Gruber. It was the Baptist folks.

August 16—I finished my Genealogical charts of the ancestors of Capt. Frederick Washington Mooers and handed it to Dr. Winslow. Went down and surveyed the house lot of George C. Hoeg.

August 18—Charles G. Myrick gave me an order on Wyman Brad­ bury for $1.83 being the balance of his school bill. Took tea at the house of Wm. H. Gardner this afternoon.

August 24—Went to the Atheneum and heard Fowlers lecture on Phrenology. Dr. Charles F. Winslow paid me $3 for the chart I made for Lieut. Mooers.

August 23—Mr. Round's Antislavery lecture this evening at Bap­ tist Meeting House, present the abolitionists and colored people besides the usual attendants.

(To Be Continued)

READERS familiar with the almost stenographic entries by Wil­ liam C. Folger in his "Diary" might be interested in an example of the normal prose style of this man of many talents. In a letter addressed to the editor of The Inquirer, from Hudson, N. Y., dated September 16, 1,841, and published in The Inquirer, September 29, 1841, Folger wrote: "Dear Sir: You once observed to me that 'a change in air was generally beneficial to health, even if we exchange for a worse atmosphere than our own.'

"Thinking that a change of air might restore me to health, which I have not enjoyed for some months past, I concluded to visit my friends in this city and vicinity. Here I had resided some time in my earlier days, and had filled both the stations of student and pedagogue. The visit, after long absence, to the school-house and scenes of my youth was calculated to excite in the mind sensations altogether indescribable. After a lapse of nearly a score of years, we find great changes. The friends of my youth, where are they? — Some married and now in the far West, and others reposing in the silence of the grave.

"The view from the apartment from where I write is delight­ ful. It embraces on the right a street which is alive with pedes­ trians of both sexes, and with vehicles of every kind, from the ponderous country wagon loaded with produce and the heavy rumbling stage-coach and omnibus, to the light carriole and sulky.

It also embraces on the front and left, two elegant city mansions, embowered in trees whose leaves are putting on the varied hues

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

of autumn, and around which is strewn, in profusion, the plants of various climes. In the spaces between the trees, we see the beautiful Hudson River; and beyond at some miles distant, the lofty Kastkills (sic) mountains — now of a light blue color, but frequently varying in appearance and hue; sometimes lost sight of in a thick atmosphere, and at other times so plainly seen, as almost to enable us to distinguish the windows in the mountain houses. From the window at the South end of the same apart­ ment, we have a view of the water in the South Bay, and beyond that, Mount Mescino and its splendid villa, the seat of Oliver Wiswall, Esq., President of Hudson River Bank. I do not know that I was in ever so pleasant a location."

Then, with the straight-forward style that marks the method­ ical and orderly mind exemplified in his "Diary," Folger goes on to describe some of the changes in the town and the buildings, particularly mentioning the new Hudson House built in 1837, which he described as spacious, with 100 rooms and with "accom­ modations superior to most hotels in the country." Among the churches he lists two Society of Friends (one orthodox and one Hitsite) ; one Episcopalian; one Presbyterian; one Baptist; one Dutch Reform; one Methodist; and one Universalist; all with places for worship. Folger may have been biased, but he found the schools to be "far inferior to ours," badly lighted and ineffi­ ciently managed. He adds, however, that large public schools are being planned. He notes a large and flourishing oil and candle factory, but thinks the whaling industry is on the decline. He .signs, "Yours F." — A. M. C.

Legacies and Bequests Membership in our Association proves that you are interested in its program lor 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 bv 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 laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and located in the Town of Nantucket, in said Commonwealth, the sum °f 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 the Secretary, Box 1016, Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554. Office, Fair Street Museum.

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