Fall Edition Historic Nantucket

FALL 1998

VOLUME 47, NO. 4

THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Dorothy Slover President David H. Wood First Vice President

Peter W. Nash Second VicePresident

Alan F. Atwood Treasurer

Virginia S. Heard Clerk Jean M. Weber Executive Director BOARD OF TRUSTEES William A. Hance Arie L. Kopelman Jane Lamb Carolyn MacKenzie Albert L. Manning, Jr. Bruce D. Miller Aileen M. Newquist

Sarah Baker Laurie Champion Prudence S. Crozier John H. Davis Alice F. Emerson Barbara Hajim

Steven M. Rales Arthur I. Reade, Jt·.

Alfred Sanford Richard F. Tucker Marcia Welch Robert A. Young

ADVISORY BOARD William B. Macomber Paul Madden Robert F. Mooney Jane C. Richmond Nancy J. Sevrens Scott M. Stearns, Jr. John S. Winter Mary-Elizabeth Young

Nina Hellman Elizabeth Husted Elizabeth Jacobsen Francis D. Lethbridge Reginald Levine Katherine S. Lodge Sharon Lorenzo Patricia Loring

Walter Beinecke, Jr. Joan Brecker Patricia Butler Helen Winslow Chase Michael deLeo Lyndon Dupuis Martha Groetzinger Dorrit D. P. Gutterson

RESEARCH FELLOWS Dr. Elizabeth Little

Renny A. Stackpole

Nathaniel Philbrick EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Mary H. Beman Susan F. Beegel Richard L Brecker

Nathaniel Philbrick Sally Seidman David H. Wood

Thomas B. Congdon, Jr. Charlotte Louisa Maison Robert F. Mooney Elizabeth Oldham PROPERTIES OF THE NHA

Oldest House Hadwen House Macy-Christian House Robert Wyer House Thomas Macy House 1800 House Greater Light Old Mill Old Gaol

Old Town Building Thomas Macy Warehouse Fit·e Hose Cart House Quaker Meeting House Nantucket Whaling Museum Fair Street Museum Peter Foulger Museum Museum Shop

Bartholomew Gosnold Center Folger-Franklin Memorial Fountain, Boulder, and Bench Settlers Burial Ground Tristram Coffin Homestead Monument Little Gallery Eleanor Ham Pony Field Mill Hill

Cecil Barron Jensen

Elizabeth Oldham

Helen Winslow Chase

Claire O'Keeffe

EDITOR

111. TORIAN

COPY EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

Historic Nantucket welcomes articles on any aspect of Nantucket history. Original research, first-hand accounts, reminiscences of island experiences, historic logs, letters, and photographs are examples of material of interest to our readers.

©1998 by Nantucket Historical Association Historic Nantucket (ISSN 0439-2248) is published quarterly by the Nantucket Historical Association, 2 Whaler's Lane, Nantucket, MA 02554.

Second-class postage paid at South Yarmouth, MA and additional entry offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Historic Nantucket Box 1016 • Nantucket, MA 02554-1016 • (508) 228-1894; fax:(508) 228-5618 • infonha@capecod.net For a map of our walking tour and historic sites: http://www.pointinfinity.com/mapandlegend

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VOLUME 47, NO. 4

Letter from the President

by Dorothy Slover

T " he Bride WasTastily Dressed in White": Nantucket Weddings 1665-1928

by Aimee E. Newell

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TheHistory of Nantucket's Golf Courses by .J. C:. Camble

15

What Was Good for What Ailed You

Curatives and Remedies in the 1800s

by usan Kirp I Iochwal<l

20

Abram's Eyes, by

21

NHANews

Book Section

athanicl Philbrick Review by harlotte Louisa Maison

On 1hc cover:

·( ,oli h1 till' Sl',I. Na111urkl'I l�land. l.1,s." I !,ind colored pho1ographic postcard by 11. J\!Jrshall G,m.lincr c. J 920.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

ll.F. I 11,\\'I· HI I Bl I 11' In th:· golf bug, much to �11y sur pns1.: and I must adm11 Joy­ ,111d frustration. After a lifetime of ded,1ring that I would nl'\'l'r plav, l ha\'e 101ned the c,ploding ranks of pL'ople who an: discovering (or rcdiscov cring) golf and those who arl' still struggling after years to IK·comc par golfers. It is an amazinglv complc, game and one that offers grl'at exercises in humility and occa sional triumphs. ln this issue of/ fotonc I ,111t11ckct, one or the three ,1rticb e,plorcs the g,1me of golf in antuckct 's history ,ind brings its history up ro date with the new antuckct Coif lub. As a historical a o iation, we arc G

(

11 I S T O R I (

\J \ N T Ll (. t.: t: T

concerned with all aspects of life on antucket - pa t, pre ent, and future. antuckct is a microcosm of the hi tory of the nitcd ·wtes, so it is no surpri e that antu ket is one of the earliest place where golf was played in this count1y.

We me living in history as well a creating history as we live. \YJe are repeating what other have done before us, recording and preserving our traditions and heritage while constandy evolving within a framework.

As l continue to struggle to learn the game of golf, one thing i clear. I can only do a well as I can. l cannot overcome all that golf challenges one to overcome, whether it is mental attitude, physical skill, proper technique, and on and on. It is hwn-

bling to fit oneself into a per pective of the vast nuances of the game of golf.

Contemplating histmy brings me the same sense of humility. Of all those before us who have struggled to master life, tho e who have been succes fol to the best of their abilities, there will always be some who play the game of life better than others. The challenge is to play your personal best, to always strive to do b tter, and to recognize and accept what is the best you can Jo. This is the life le on golf i teaching me; this is what history is teaching me. The heart of the mission of the NHA i to preserve and present our histoty so that we can appreci­ ate and leam from it.

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''The Bride Was Tastily Dressed in White": Nantucket Weddings 1665-1928 by Aimee E. Newell

Arline Preston Bishop posed /or her formal wedd1i1g portrait in 1928.

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H

OW COULD WILLIAM WORTI I A D SARAI I Macy know what they would start when they became the first couple to be married on Nantucket oil on April 11, 1665?

Little documentation remains to provide the modern islander with a description of that ceremony, but it is safe to assume that it was a simple wedding attended by friends and fanuly, certainly quite different from many of the weddings taking place on Nantucket today. Mo t of the "traditional" wedding customs that are now familiar did not come into vogue until the mid-nine­ teenth century. The archival and decorative-arts collec­ tions of the Nantucket Historical Association include many documents, dresses, and wedding gifts from Nantucketers of the past. While the current boom in island weddings is unique to the late­ twentieth century, the vestiges of romance and marriages past in the NHA's collections suggest that fancy celebrations are nothing new. The increasingly elaborate nature of marriage traditions mirrors the societal change taking place on Nantucket as the island's major industry changed from farming to whaling to tourism.

Altl10ugh William Worth and Saral1 Macy can claim to be the first couple to have a Nantucket wedding, another seventeenth-century couple lays claim to the most famous Nantucket wedding: Mary Gardner and Jetl1ro Coffin's. Often compared to Romeo and Juliet, Jethro and Mary lived a far less tragic life. Like the Montague and Capulet frui1i.lies, the Gardners ru1d Coffins feuded for mru1y years (over a politi­ cal dispute concerning voting rights) before their

IIISTORIC NANTUCKET

children fell in love. But that is where similarities to hakespeare end. Although Jethro and Mary' attach ment was not embraced by their families initially, in 1686 the couple was married and their parents worked together to provide a new house as a wedding gift.

Legend has it that Gare.Iner provided the land and Coffin provided the lumber, culminating in construc­ tion of what is today known as the "Oldest Ilouse." till on its original foundation on unset I Jill, the hou e is owned by the NHA and is a popular attraction for island visitors. Jethro and Mary went on to have six children while they lived in the house. In 1708 the family moved off-island to Mendon, Ma sachusetts, to pursue Jethro's lumber business.

During the eighteenth century and into the nine teenth century, the predominant religious sect on the island was the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers.

The Friends believed in a direct connection to God, without the formality of a clergy, which, in turn, extended to Quaker wedding ceremonies. nee a cou­ ple had obtained the pennis ion of their parents, the women's meeting on the island was respon ible for determining tl,e readines of tl1e two for marriage. This process included verifying that th c uple's parents were in agreement, that the prospective bride and groom were free from other ntanglements, and that they were in good standing in meeting. The couple then appeared in person twice at both the women' and men's meetings. Once all of the conditions were met, the wedding day was selected and the couple went to the meetinghouse and stated their vow to each other.

Quakers undertook marriage on equal terms with nei­ tl1er person promising obedience to the oth r, as the London Yearly Meeting declared tl1at couples should have "no rule but love between them." After tl1e vows and a short period of silence, perhaps with prayer or FALL

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preaching .tlso. thl' marriagl' certificate was brought out and signed by all present.

The antuck ·t ( )uaker marriage of Obed Macy and Abig,111 Pinkh,1111 seems to fit that pattern. Young Quah·rs werl' frl'e to choose their own mates, as was the rnse with ( )bed and 1\bigail. Obed described their courtship in a posthumous biographical sketch ab ut his wik, "[Abig,til] came h ·re on a visit in l7 '5. After tarrying here some months she contrnctl'd a matrimoni­ al acquaintance ...." Obed, who later would write a history of Nantucket, "contra ·tcd" this "matrimonial acquaintance" bv proposing with a poem: 1\ l011J!. m111ul,rt1tw11 Of th c J!.O()(! rcp11t,1t1011 11.mu h,llt JI/ th1.1 11at io n Gil'!'.\ /Ill' tlll 111d111t1t1011 To hcco111c tb y rcl,1tw11

By II lc[!,al ct1pit11l11to11 And i/tb1\ mv dcdt1rat1011 May hut gam thy approhalton lltSTORtC

NA

TtJt.J._I r

It u•ill lav ,111 ob!tgatio11 Fro111 [!.l'll<'mltonto g eneration Onthv/mml V?ho u·1tho11t thy co11.1ideratio 11 ,\ /av rc111t1i 11111 expcct 1t t io11.

Obed's poetry obviou ly did the trick, because the c uple's marriage certificate i in the · I IA's tackpole Library, dated February 2, 1786.

Handwritten in ink on a single sheet of paper, the Macys' marriage certificate name the bride and groom, their parents, the date and location of the wedding, and include the signature of twenty- ix witne ses at the bottom.The first paragraph affirms the approval of the island' monthly meeting, Obed and Abigail "appearing clear of all others, and having consent of parents and relation concerned." The second paragraph includes the vows that the couple took, "Friends I take Abigail Pinkham to be my wife, promising through divine assis­ tance to be unto her a loving and faithful husband until it shall please the Lord by death to separate us."

TheNI IA ds the I 786 marriagecertificat e signed by Obed Macy and Abigail Pi nkham Mal)'.

110w hol

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Abigail's vow is also transcribed, following the same fonn, but inserting Obed's name as her husband. Like Jethro and Mary Coffin's union, the Macys' marriage seems to have been successful. As Obed described it, the couple "livd together in the utmost harmony and true love 56 years, 8 months and 21 days . . ." despite the pain of losing four children in infancy.

The most frequent obstacles to marriage during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were religious differences and lack of parental approval. The Religious Society of Friends required a formal procedure where such issues were discussed and verified. Yet, pro pec­ tive brides and grooms of other denominations also had to struggle to gain approval. For example, Eliza Mitchell tells us the story of Phebe Gardner and the R everend Phineas Fish in her handwritten "Reminiscences." Phebe's family wa Quaker, "among the first for respectability," and Mitchell tells us that Phebe herself was "a lady of culture, and fine mind."

Phineas was a Unitarian minister, so Phebe converted, to the dismay of her parents. However, they mu t have become reconciled to the marriage, for Mitchell includes a verse Phebe wrote as a letter to her pastor, the Reverend Seth F. Swift, "Will Brother Swift+ Sister V. with Phebe sip a cup of tea/ On 111Ursday next approaching. And Brother, wilt thou condescend/ To prove a true, + faithful friend, In joining two together/ And ister, she shall have her wish, and see me march forth a fish/ In spite of stom1y weather. And now to add another verse,/ I only wish that father Pierce [sic] might a witness be, But still, I find his heart inclines, To banish me among the Pines/ Of far famed Marshpee [sic]. "

6

The couple married on eptember 20, 1820, and relo­ cated to Mashpee where the Reverend Mr. Fish had a congregation. The couple had three children: William H., Sarah M., and their middle child, George G., who became a well-known island artist.

Not all island marriages turned out quite so happily.

Amidst the many wedding certificates, a docw11ent pre­ venting marriage can also be found in the NHA's man­ uscript collection. On August 27, 1821, Josiah Hu sey and Zaccheus Hussey, two justices of the peace, filed a ll!STORIC NANTUCKET

paper preventing the marriage of William Hogg [Hodge] and Betsey Ray, based on the objections of William Gribben, a Nantucket booksdler. Gribben filed hi reasons with the town clerk, and the justices of the peace summ ned I fogg and Ray for questioning.

The document tells us that 'v'.'illiam I logg appeared before the justices, but to no avail, for the I f usseys upheld the prohibition of the marriage for the reasons given by Gribben. Unfortunate!), Cribben's rea ons for oppo ing the marriage arc lost and no further informa­ tion appear in rhe vital records rL·garding the lives of William I logg, Betsey Ra), or William Gribben. It sc m unlikely that the dispute concerned family disap­ pr val, so perhap ,ribben ldr he had a prior claim on Bet cy's affections.

As these example· from rhe se\'enteenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries sho,\, there was a great deal of community and famil) involvement in the Jcciion of who could many whom. On N,mtucket this was Jue, in part, to the prevalence of the Quaker religion and its formal procedure for appn)\'ing marriage. Also, the patterns of farming lifr necessitated a different kind of home life than we experience wda1. Most couples worked al home together. \X'hile they pursued different cc of task each day, they were in the same place, relying on each other to do their p,trt. In this context, weddings were a brief diversion. Onh a lade time coLJd be spared from farming activities to spend on a wed­ ding celebration. The wedding itsdf was almost a for­ mality, the arrangements and agreements having been worked out between the families and the religious com­ munity long be(ore the ceremonv. hortly before the turn of the nineteenth century, lif tylcs began to change, both in America as a whole and on antuckct. A more commercial, urban way of life started to develop. Whik antucket did not experi­ ence the same kind of industrial growth as the mainhmc.l, the nourishing whaling trade certainly had the same cfC ct on island life. As men left home for longer and longer periods at sea, women wen.: left behind to lo k aft r domestic matters. These circumstances enhanced the evolution f "spheres" of home and work, with women in charge at home and men out in the world at work. n Nantucket, the "hom · sph re" took on a larg­ er context ompareJ to the rest of the United races.

With hu bane.ls away for long stretches of time on whal­ ing voyages, wive not only looked after their dwelling space, but took care of on-island finances and legal matF ALL

1998

ters, when necessary. Many women even ran their own businesses in order to sup­ po11 th ir families at "h me" while the men were out working the seas.

During this period, wed­ dings became a way t dis­ play one's succe s and tatus. Couples could afford to spend more time away from home both to cclc bratc their wedding and even take a trip, as honey­ moons became popular. By the mid nineteenth century, there were fl'wer impedi­ ments to marriage from the community and the family. ince the community was excluded from the decision­ making process, there was more interest in attending the actual ceremony lo reel connected and show respect and interest. \X'hile these trends arc seen on a national scale, weddings on Nantucket also changed. During the early nineteenth century, when the Religious Society of Friends began to lose its dominance, the whaling trade provided many islanders with substantial fortunes.

The weakening of a formal religious approval proce s and the desire to show material wealth resulted in the 1isplay of elaborate wedding gifts and the printing of new paper accounts of local wedding . The wedding cer mony became the focus of r ublic attention, attracting more interest and requiring increa ingly elaborate preparations.

Instead of divine guidance and the approval of reli­ giou authorities, Nantucketers began to turn to eti­ quette guides and popular magazin of cl1e perio I to help plan their weddings. The Ladies Indispensable A ssistant, published in l 5 , ffered advice on "Prcliminari s for Marriage," rating, "According to cl1e usages of so i ty, it i cl1e cu tom of the man to propose marriage, and for the � male to refuse or accept cl1e offer as he may mink fit. There ought to be a perfect free­ dom of the will in bocl1 partie ." However, cl,e Ass/ftant still recommended that cl1e man "apply to her parents IIISTORIC NANTUCKET

or guardians for permission to address her." For the shy man, me book even offered a section on "Popping the Question," complete with dialogue. Other guides offered advice on everything from wedding apparel and appropriate floral arrange­ men ts to recipes for the wedding cake.

By the 1850 , Nantucket weddings had become social events r equiring extensive preparations.

Correspondence between the daughters of Seth and Mary (Brown) Pinkham, now in the NHA's manu­ script collection, shares news of the weddings of several of their younger sib­ lings. For example, on J August 19, 1858, Elizabeth Crosby wrote to her sister, Malvina Marshall, "You no doubt want to hear all ab ut Helen's Bridal, . . ." referring to the wedding of their younger sister, Helen Pinkham, and Joseph Belcher. Elizabeth goes on to describe Helen's wedding outfit: "a plain brown silk ti sue made low neck \vith a Spencer cape a handsome thread lace in the neck cape trimmed with a narrow box plaited ribbon the same shade of cl1e dress - flowing sleeves ...white kid gloves watch and chain presented by her only brother - legant I should have said." As the description of Helen Pinkhan1 Belcher's wedding demonstrates, white wedding dresses were not the rule until much later in cl1 nineteenth century.

By the 1870s, the shift toward white wedding dresses had begun. In 1877, the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror's accow1t of the wedding of Fannie McCleave and Uohn J. Gardner] described the bride's appear­ ance as "tastily dressed in white, with lace veil, the whole being trimmed in smilax, while the groom appeared in a dress suit of black, wim white vest. The couple presented a very handsome appearance."

In 1887, when Florence Folger's wedding photograph was taken, her appearance seems to differ little from me

George W. Calvan and Lydia R. Atkins chose an illustrated marriage certificate when they wed 011 October 21, 1862.

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\'(Iedding portra1is of Florence Folger and William \'(lebster taken 011 December 14, 1887.

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formal portraits of many of today's brides.This dre s, now in the collection of the NHA, allows us to imagine how exciting the day must have been for the bride.The newspaper account of the wedding also approved of Folger's dress, "The bride was handsomely attired in white corded silk, en traine, with tulle veil." Although most nineteenth-century wedding dresses were color other than white, presumably so they could be worn more than once, they were still treasured heirloom , judging from the number of wedding dre cs in the NHA's coUection. While a few are white, others arc blue, gray, or brown. In the absence of family letter , like the Pinkhams', or written marriage records, like Obed and Abigail Macy's certificate, these dresses arc an excellent source of information on antucket weddings of the past - showing us the style and ta tc of the period.

Like wedding dresses, wedding gifts also setve a a source of information on past Nantucket weddings.

During the nineteenth century, giving a gift to the newly married couple expanded from do e family relation to

IIISTORIC NANTUCKET

extended-family members and friends.As community participation in approving the marriage dwindled, inter­ e t in the wedding ceremony increased.Giving a gift was a way to participate, signaling approval, and best wi hes. n antuckct, for her 1858 wedding, Helen Pink.ham received gifts from most family members and some [ her good friends.As Elizabeth Crosby related to M,Jvina Marshall, their sister "had splendid presents many o( which were very unexpected ...Mother gave her half doz n large spoons, I sister] Mary a cake basket ...[sister] Rebecca a mustard spoon [sister] Harriet a white cashmere toilet ct Lizzie a pair of jelly spoon Malvina Mitchell a little mat of her own make ...

Mrs. Belcher Joseph' mother an elegantly bound Bible marked I lclen in gilt letters on the cover, ..." the list continues in the lctler for another half page.

I fowcver, in Elizabeth's next letter to her sister, she remembered to include a description of Helen's most fobulou wedding gift, "an clegam piano from Father Belcher (her new father-in-law)." While Elizabeth felt this was "truly suggestive and expressive of a welcome to hi family," in just a few years many ladies' maga­ zines would question the moti\'es behind giving wedding gifts.

From the late 1870s through the 1880s, eti­ quette guides prescribed that th1..: emphasis should be on the joining of the britk and groom, not on th1..: display of status or wealth. Florence Howe l lall wrote in De111orest's Mo11thlv Mag,azine in 1888, "One should never hesitate t o s ·nd a present to a bride because one cannot afford to send an expensiv gift ...the simple one selected with care and ta te, or wrought by th hand of a d ar friend a rc among those most prized by the recipients."

I Iowcver, in an 1887 news­ paper account found in the f'ALL

1998

Clark W. and Arline Preston Bishop's marriage certificate included space/or their guests to sign their names.

In tb9 Nmi• of the Patbw, &ad cl ii. Soa,, and of Tbti Holy Obost. Allo•n.

l IA collections Jescribing the weJding of Florence Folger to William A. Web ter, the list of gifts and givers takes up more space in the column than the de cription of the cen::mony. The newspaper unapologetically tat­ ed "The bride anJ groom were the recipients of many costl1 gifts," mcluding a "beautiful ivory fan inlaid in gold." Obv1ouslv, the etiquette guides and women's magazines had a point in their concern for the overshadowing of the true meaning of marriage by the weJding gift table.

By the 1898 wedding of Mary Tracy and William ,ardner, the newsp,1per account was confined to a description of the ceremony. noting that "The couple were recipients of many valuable pre ents from their friends." One of the presents was a silver pickle fork, in the collection of the NI IA today. Giv n to the bride by Edmund B. Fox, it is engraved with Mmy's new initial , "MWG," on the back of the handle and a fox engraved on the front to symbolize the giver. Fox was head of the offin chool when Maiy Tracy graduated a valedicto­ rian of her class. Silver implements sc m to have been the most popular type of nineteenth-century wedding gift. Through engraving, it was easy to p r onalize item for the occasion. Also, silver items were gen rally for use in the home, yet their monetary value made them spe­ cial. ince wedding gifts were formally given to the bride and not the groom, domestic items that she could use and display in her home were especially appropriate.

II IS TOR l C

NAN TUC: KET

By the Victorian era, romance captured the hearts of most Americans, particularly through the literanire and art of the period, and Nantucketers were no exception.

After the devastating fire in l&-16 and the loss of a sig­ nificant part of the population to the Gold Rush, the island entered a decline. The romance of wedding gown and gifts, such as those described above, provid­ ed an escape from the drea1y days on an island with a dwindling population. With the beginning of the twen­ tieth century came antucket's rebirth as a tourist des­ tination. Families began to return year after year and the beauty of the island made it a natural spot to cele­ brate marriages. The NHA's collection indudes a beau­ tifu I wedding dress first worn in 1928 by Arline Pr ston, daughter of a swnmer family, for her marriage to lark W. Bi hop. As the new paper reported, "' con set was the scene of a p retty wedding last aturday morning at 'The Hedges,' tl1e summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Horace G. Preston." Mis Preston's dress of "ivory satin and chiffon, trimmed with rose point lace" was cu tom-made at Bomvit Teller and the veil was brought from Italy. Before the dress was given to th NHA in 1987, it was altered and worn by four other young women in the family.

The wedding of Arline Preston and Clark Bishop is just one example of the burgeoning trend of island weddings. As the tourist trade picked up, people came to Nantucket on vacation or for a romantic weekend f'ALL

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Celebrating m 'Sconset.· Cuirk and Arline Preston Bishop with their /lower allendants

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getaway. They viewed the island in a completely differ­ ent way from the original Macy, Gardner, and offin settlers. While Mary Gardner and Jethro Coffin and Abigail Pinkhan1 and Obed Macy married here becau e it was their home, Arline Preston and Clark Bishop, and countless others, married here because it wa not home. antucket was a place of fond memories, as spe­ cial a place in their hearts as their love for one another.

The trend has continued to the present day when i land churches are reporting a record number of weddings.

Although a antucket wedding does not guarantee happiness, there are ample precedent , such a Mary (Tracy) Gardner who wrote to her husband shortly after their fifth anniversary in 1903: "Your love and cheerful spirit have made my life very rich and happy during the last five years dear Will and I truly wish I had been your sunbeam always and I mean to be very much more of one during the coming years."

IIISTORIC NANTUCKET

Sources: Philbrick, athaniel. Away 01/ hore: Nantucket Island and Its People, 1602-1890. antucket, Mass: Mill Hill Pres, 1994.

Rothman, Ellen K. Hands and I /carts: Al lntmy of 011rtship in America. Cambridge, MA: l farvar<l Univet ity Press, 1987. rcen, Harvey. The Light of the I lomc: An Intimate View of the Lives of Women 111 V1ctor1a11 America. cw York: Pantheon Books, 1983.

I !older, harlc Frederick. The Quakers 1i1 E11pJa11d and America. cw York: The euner Co., 1913.

Bacon, Margaret 1 lope. Mothen of I m11111\111: 'Jhc Storv of Quaker \¥/omen in America. :an Frnncisco: l larper &Row, 19 6.

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l 998

A History of Nantucket's Golf Courses

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ARGUED Tl IAT GOLFING ON NANTUCKET came about becau e of a conversation in the spring of 1897 between island summer residents Sidney Chase and David Noye , president of Noyes Brothers and Company of Boston. Both veterans of several seasons on the Grey Lady, the gentlemen were dissatisfied that the island was without a golf links.

"I won't go anywhere I can't play golf," huffed Noyes to Chase. \Xlith its undulating field in the west and the north shore cliffs that were once sheep common , antuckct lacked a course in name only.

Summer residents Dr. Harold Williams and Mr. Alfred Dabney, along with hase and Noye , soon embarked on a quest not only to establi h a reputable club on Nantucket but to reach a more th rough understanding of the game and its rLJe . In an effort to organize interest, the gentlemen printed circular for a June 1897 l11q11lrer and Mirror advertising an inaugural meeting on hmd near the watcrwork (near present-day Wannacomet). With an unexpected high turnout, the group moved immediately to secure the land, first with a lease and later by outright purchase. It belonged to J hn Williams, who had purcha ed it in 1875 from Charles Myrick, an island developer.

Within a month of that initial meeting in Augu t 1897, nine holes ha I been completed and a hundred member were on board of what wa called the "Nantucket Golf lub." ha e, one of the key founde1 of the project, summed up th excitement in a 1925 publication: TC \N BE

Nine links have been laid out in the vicinity of the warerworks and there every, aturday afternoon will be found rhe gayest company in Nantucket. The new Club ha· about one hundred members, all of whom wane ro play, so that when the fficial games come on arurday it is necessaiy to begin early in the morning and keep it up all day.

A grounds crew of sheep and goats kept the £au.ways of the little cour e in playable condition. During that lflSTORIC NANTUCKET

inaugural year, PauJjne Mackay, who later went on to the United States Women' Championships, teed off on the course. On the very ground where tents had been erected for the first meeting in 1897, a full-fledged club­ house was constructed just two years later, with a for­ mal fete on July 15, 1899.

In ucceeding years, golf enjoyed great popularity in recreational circles and, not urprisi.ngly, the Nantucket dub soon expanded to eighteen holes. Many years later, in 1949, the Nantucket Golf Club became the Tupancy Links when Sankaty Head professional golfer Oswald "Tup" Tupancy purchased the land. With only a frac­ tion of the Nantucket Golf Club's original acreage, Tup' course was a modest nine-holer open to the pub­ lic for a mere four years when he decided to suspend play on the course. In 1976, the land that once com­ prised Nantucket's original course was donated by Tup and his wife, allie Gail Harris Tupancy to the antucket Conservation Foundation ( CF). ituated off Cliff Road near the Wannacomet water tower, Tup' bequest to the people of Nantucket is cur­ rently open year round to all island visitors. What remains of Nantucket's original course, now in the hand of the NCF, is a popular spot among residents and visitor for ambling along the shoreline cliffs.

The sport of golf wa in it American infancy in the late nineteenth century, but by the dawn of the new century it was increasing in popularity among the wealthy. The sport, and its attendant social clubs, underwent a dynamic surge in popularity in the late 1890s. The birth of another island dub immediately fol­ lowing that of the Nantucket Golf Club portrays the sport's burgeoning popularity.

The i land's second golf club was started in 1898, not yet a full year after the first success. Organization of the east-coast venture centered around John C. Grout and Charles Rich. On grounds near Sankary Bluff, Grout, who assumed the responsibility of the club's fuse presidency, garnered the rolling landscape north of

by J.C. Gamble

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11

.,

?,

"\'(later Hawrd, Sankaty Head Col/Club, Nantucket Isla11C/, Mass." from a hand-colored photographic postcard

by H. Marshall Gardiner,

I

s·rasconset village. Greens £ees £or the new course were

$1 for honorary members and $2 for regulars.

When the 1899 season came to a close and winter set in, Grout, in rather prophetic fashion, expressed a desire to name his club "the ankaty Golf Club of th e Siasconset Moors, with a gilt lighthouse ... for the c.1920. members' insignia." Despite Grout's vision of a "real cow1try club," the course soon faded only to be refash­ ioned in the early 1920s.

Considered today to be the oldest privately owned golf course in the United States open to the public, the Siasconset Golf Club was the third course to be built on Nantucket. Situated on Levi S. Coffin's land just west of 'Sconset village, the course, laid out in June 1899, was a nine-holer that closely resembled the links of Scotland.

For a brief period during tl1e early clays of its ninety­ nine-year history, Siasconset Golf Club was an eighteen-hole course. The economic constraints of prewar America in the late 1930s, however, forced Coffin to revert back to nine holes.

1

12

11 I ST OR I C

N A N TU C K ET

-

While John rout's dream of a ankaty Golf Club dissolved along with his cour in the fir t decade of the new century, it was resurrected by David Gray of D troit in 1921.A multimillionaire an I former partner of Henry Ford, ray personally donated 280 acres and a clubhouse for cl1e fledgling club.

"I have traveled a great <leal, and I have seen notl1ing more beautiful, more restful, than thi wonder country here at ' conset,' aid ray to William De Lue of the Boston Globe Magazi11e in June 1923.le was the sin1plic­ ity of 'Sconset an<l the una urning wealth of Nantucket's east rly villager that captivated Gray and motivated his philanthropy.

"Why, down here you go along and come to a little piano-box of a cottage and see a man out front dressed in an old golf suit, and perhaps he is the president of the outhern Paci.fie; but you'd never know it to look at him."

It was those very gentlemen of which Gray spoke that were among the on hW1dred charter members to FALL

1998

pay �7.000 in rotal due in the fall of 1922. Two years and a total of 96,000 later, architect Emerson Armstrong's achievement of landscape, with wooden clubhouse on Mayflower I Iill designed by F. P. Hill, was complete. Chara terized by rolling fairways, crater­ like and sloped green , the Sankary I lead course winds through the topography like a snake. lts close proximity to the water often leaves players al the mercy of inshore wind , an experience that can transform a pleasurable uting into a frustrating affair.

Just a year ago, the private course, whose hallmark i the candy-cane lighthouse that inspired its name, c le­ brated its seventy-fifth season. While pins on the cour e green are often moved to ke p it challenging and inter­ e ting, ankaty itse!I has remained virtually unchanged since its beginnings. A a re ult, the course's popularity and reputation as one of the ew England' finest cour e has endured.

A course continuou ly revered by antucket' year­ round population, Miacom t G If lub owes it exis­ tence to Michigan native Ralph P. Marble. After purcha ing a 400-acre dairy farm in 1956, Marble thought he cotJd make a living on the island's outhern shore with cows. Four year after he began his venture, Marble set his sights on a pastime more challenging than farming, one involving a ball of dimpled, ca ed II I S T O R I C

N A N T U C K C T

rubber and mall holes with flagstick .

"Why did 1 build the golf course? Well, the dairy market went to hell, o l sold my herd of cows and tart­ ed to build in 1960," said Marble to Yankee Golfer magazine in May 1974. fficially opened in 1963, Miacomet was a year­ round course for islanders and visitors. A local group known as the Wesco Golf Organizati n, a tribe of local golf devotees loyal to T upancy Links until its closing, witched it allegiance to Miacomet.

The cour e designed to serve the community was in turn erved by it community. In the early 1970s Miacomet' clubhouse was rebuilt without spending a cent. A 40-by-50-foot building was erected with donated lumber and free labor to replace the original, which had b n destroyed by fire.

"We're proud of what we accompli hed and that's perhaps why Miacomet means so much to all of us here on the island," said past president Sidney mall to Yankee Golfer magazine. It is therefore unsurprising that the nine-hole public course, with its vast local membership, is regularly involved in supporting the

At upper le�· "First Col/Cluh I lo111c," C. ]90/.

Upper nghl: ''H. C. K1i11ht1II, Jr., t1/ club house, ll'ith \"Vorkman Slll1ilani1111 and I-louse in background," C. 1902.

Above: D,gby Bell, 'Sconsel actor, addresses the ball in' conset C. 1920.

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local community. In the middle of the last decade the course, excluding the acre surrounding the clubhouse, was purchased by the Nantucket Land Bank.

Nantucket's most recent addition, the eighteen-hole, par seventy-two course that has risen from the heath­ land off Milestone Road, may challenge ankaty's sev­ enty-five-year reign as Nantucket's most lu·xurious links.

Wadsworth Go!£ Construction's three-year project was completed just in time for the 1998 season.

On land abutting Siasconset Golf Club, the Nantucket Golf Club was created on a 250-acre pread of rolling terrain that was part of Levi Coffin's former farm. A small group of island residents, perhaps moti­ vated by Sankary Head's lengthy waiting list for membership, felt they needed a cour e of their own.

Employing course designer Rees Jones, son o[ eminent course designer Robert Trent Jones, and Gage Davis

..

for the architectural d e sign of the landscape, the founder envisioned a world class private golfing experience tucked in amongst the island's moors.

Upon looking at the sunlit greens just off the Milestone Road, one can't help but think how vision and resource molded the island's landscapc in 1997, just as it did a hundred years earlicr in 1897. }. C. Ca111blc is the former 1por/1 editor ofthe Nancuckcr Bcarnn. /l graduate of'f'ri/1/ty CollcJ!.C III Cm1111'Cllcut, he 1.1 a11 tll'l£1Ji.1her111a11 and i.1 mrr('llt/y 1t11dr111g outd<xir cd11ca//011 in \'(/a1hi11gto11 State ,\a11t11chet h111 bec11 h1.1 ho111c .,Ince the .111111111cr of/ 996.

Sources: De Luc, Willard. Article in 1301/011 S,mdav Globe Magazine,July 1923.

Lathrop.John . "Camp Sankary I kad," ,1s publi hed in I li1·/oric a11/11ckc1, .July I 989, pp. 5-11. hase, Sidney. "The Story of Coif." as published in Proceedi11g1 of the Na11/11cke1 l lrltoriC<1! A.1.wcia/1011, l92l, pp. 30-34.

Lancaster, Clay. l lo!iJay lsla11d, pp.122- 123. antucker onscrvation Foundation's "Information for Visitors to the Tupanc\ I .inks."

Right: Miaco111et Col/Club C. /985.

Below: the new Nantucket Col/Club

14

IIISTORIC

ankaty I lead Col[ Club Collection, l 923 1987. emprini, d. Ya11kce Col/er, May 1974, p. 34.

NANTUCKET

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What Was Good for What Ailed You Curatives and Remedies in the 1800s

F

l{O:\I 1868 TO 1872 (II \RI I S 11.J,\C ;c;,\R ,\ND his staff meticulously numbcrcJ anJ record ed in a ledger the "recipe" for every pre­ scription prepared at .Jaggar's Drug and Chemical Store on Nantucket's 1ain Street. Cach dated entr\ bore the name of the recipient and the directions for use. Today. visitors to the EJouard A. tackpole Library and Research Center can view the well-preserved book entitled "Prescription Book No. 2," donated to the I lA in 1997 by Adrienne Downey, a niece of \X'altcr I iairbanks, who was the pharmacist at Congdon's in 1937. Used with mhcr archival materi,Js - including an earlier prescription book for the years 1855...{1 l - di.tries, newspapcr acco11nrs. and advertise ments of the period, thc prcscription book offers a glimpse into antuckcters' ills and ailments as well as their cures ,md resrorati, cs immediatcly after the Civil War. Not much is kn0\\'11 about C harles 11. Jaggar.

Re earch in the Stackpole Library shows he was born in Nantucket in 1835, held office in the Royal Arch Chapter of the M,tsons, and was among thirty island men who·e names were drawn at town meeting on September 22, 1868. to serve as jurors in thc forthcom­ ing term of the Superior Court. .Jaggar was married three times: in 1859 to Emmeline C. McCleave, \\�th whom he had one child, a daughter; in 1871 , in Newport, to Elisabeth G. Brooks (they were chJdle ); and in 1877 to Amanda L. Folger, with whom he had one child, Charles L., who died in infancy in 1885.

Jagger's last wife appears to have enjoyed sacred music; her inscribed copy of Gospel l ly11111s No. 2 (publish d in 1876), i in the I IA collection.

Jaggar's Drug and hemical Store offered a varied invento1y of supplies for antucketers lo treat their ills.

In an October 1860 advertisement in the Inq11irer, Jaggar' Drug and Chemical tore offered a new supply of Clark's Bitters, Porter's Balsam alts of Lemon, gargling oil, Mrs.Winslow's oothing Syrup, olive oil in pint and quart bottles, Pitches' Heart Corrector, ll!STORIC NANTUCKET

Mrs. Allen's llair Dressing, Holloway's Pills, Richardson's Bitters, Davis's Pain Killer, and Kennedy' Ointment. Lacer, in 1863, the drug tore' advertise­ ment changed, becoming less verbose, simply stating that "drugs, medicine , parent medicines, pices, leech­ es and fancy arcicles" were available for sale. Jaggar also sold imported cigars and manufacturedJaggar's Persian Balm (or the I lair. .Jaggar maintained more than eighty herbs, flavor­ ings, spirits, and medicinals of the day in his apothe­ cary, on the site of present-day ongdon's Pharmacy.

I !is inventory included everything from a afoetida (de\'il's dung), an expectorant for treating bronchiti and asthma; verelria (I Iellebore) a pre cript.ive to thin the blood and lower blood pressure; to a poisonous, irritating paste of abaJilla eeJs from a Mexican Wy plant used as a cardiac uppre ant ... or insecticide!

Compounding ingredient individually according to prescription, .Jaggar produced pills, injections, uppo i­ tories, salves, and tonic . Key ingredients for mm1y of them were alcohol and narcotics - morphia, lau­ danum, opium, ,me.I belladonna. Cypredium (lady slip­ per), a sedative, treated worms in children, women in labor, panic attacks, and palpitation . l-Iyoscyamus (henbanc) a form of scopolomine, was also incorporat­ ed in s,Jves and liniment to ease the tired muscles of a laboring population.

Serious attention was paid to painfully severe sprains and bruises by the appli cation of arnica, an herb noted for its bright yellow flowers pounded into a lini­ ment or plaster.

Mandrake, a narcotic herb in the night­ shade family, was offered as a sleep aid

by Susan Kirp Hochwald

\1iew o/ Lower Main Streel from Fair Sir£'£'/, c. 1900.

Jaggar's Drug Store ll'as located 011 the north side of the s/ree/.

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and as a laxative. Dover's Powder, a compound of opiwn and ipecac created in 1742 by Thomas Dover, an English physician, continued to be a drug of choice as a pain reliever more than a century later. Strychnia was prescribed to stimulate the nervous system - and for rat poison. Valerian (Jacob's ladder) was used to quell netvousness and hysteria.

Reviewing the ledger, it sometimes seemed as if the who's who of Nantucket were stricken by the same ail­ ment at the same time. For example, in the last week in May 1870 Winifred Coffin, Steven Williams, Miss Cartland, Mrs. Chadwick, Thomas Swain, Mrs. Bennett, Emmeline Chase, and L.A. Hooper all required potassiwn bromide - a form of chloroform

Interior of a Mai11 Street pharmacy that 011ce belonged to Charles H. Jagga1; c. early 20th cenlul)•.

Photo courtesy of G111?,do11 's Pharmacy.

16

IIISTORIC

and alcohol used as a sleep aid. In late November 1871, everyone seemed to have coughs requiring chloral hydrate. Two days after New Year's 1870 foundJaggar filling prescriptions for "neuralgic pills." Was it reveliy, or a gloomy economy that led to this miniepidemic of ne1ves? Hard to say, since both occurred at new year's 1871.

The prescription book reflects the various illnesse treated on the island during the 1860s and 70s. For instance it illustrates the fascination of the day with "digestion." Copaiba balsam, an evergreen-tree resin was prescribed as a diuretic and stimulant, and to pre­ vent flatulence and bloating. When E. M. Gardner was so disturbed, chloric ether was prescribed: "1/2 tea­ spoonftils in a gill and 1/2 of tepid water for an injecNA

TUCKET

tion for rectwn when wind is most trouble ome in bow­ els." Columbi toned digestion and loss of appetite.

Cascarilla - still used today in veterinary medicine treated constipation as a laxative and cathartic.

Cardamom managed heartburn and gallstones. Ginger aided digestion and prevented colic, gastric infection, motion sickness, and nausea. Gentian, aid to prevent heartburn if taken thirty minutes before eating, was fre quently mixed with lavender a a edative to treat LUcers.

Other illnesse include the ones Nantucket seamen brought home from their whaling voyages. J aggar treated malaria with quinine and chinchona. Copaiba balsam, geranium fluid, lobclia (Indian tobacco) and chinchon mixed with cubebs treated gonorrhea.

Bismuth quinine iodide treated syphillis.

During "cold season," when the fog settled in and the temperawres dropped, Jagi�ar's offered cubebs dried unripe berries from the tropical pepper shrub which were crushed and rolled into "cigarettes" and moked to treat catarrh (the common cold). Blood root was taken as an expectorant and Cajuput oil was dilut­ ed in team and inhaled to loosen the cough or rubbed on the chest to treat bronchitis. quills m1d.Jurlington's balsam also loosened thing up. That dry, lingering cough was treated with prunus Virginia. Cold sores were treated with iodide o[ pota sium and myrrh, an aromatic bitter gum resin from East Africa and Arabia that was mixed with bicarbonate of soda and water as a mouthwash for sore throats. Valued by the ancients (it was one of the fabled Three Gifts), myrrh is still used today in the manufacture of dentifrices, perfLU11es, and as a stimulating tonic. As it would be more than twenty years before aspirin was discovered, Nantucketers with a headache turned to "Dr. Tobey's lleadache Pills" ingredient w1known - for relief.

The climate no doubt contributed to suffering from rhewnatism and arthriti . apsicurn, lobclia, lavender, hycocyamus, and chloroform were often mixed togeth­ er in tonics, pill , alve , and rub to alleviate joint and muscle pain. When mixed \vith cold cream, any of the above offered pain relief.

Worms were a common condition, specially in cl,il­ dren. In 1770, quas ia, a drug found in the heartwood tree, was discovered by a slave in Suriname to remedy roundworm. If quassia wa unavailable, lady slipper worked as well. Fishermen with eczema, ringworm, and the fungal infections that accompany wet boots were SUMMER

1998

relieved by cop,tiba balsam and calendula. Many of paniec.l newspaper ad . Mrs. Pease of antucket Nantucket's notables were trL:atcd for high blood unabashedly "certified that I have taken Mrs. N. pressure with ginger and asafoL:tida. Those with heart Bailey's a carilla Compound for bleeding piles and it ailinents wL:re treated with digitalis (foxglove). has entirely cured me. I can recommend it as an article J aggar opL:r,1ted his pharmacy in what advL:rtisers of great value." We have no way of knowing if Mrs. callee.I the age of "The Creal Medical Discoverie ." Pease was unembarra cc.I by her indelicate revelation ometimes he didn't compo11nd the preparations and because he was paid for h r endorsement or if talking potions himself but merelv dispensed, by prescription, about such ill was common occurrence. such over thL:-counter medicinals as Fowler's Solution, If they didn't want to pay for their medicine, 1691 Pills, J\kMum's rlixir, and Turlington's Balsam. anrucketers brewed it themselves. "Ferruginous ton­ This la t must have tasted terrible for it was prescribed ics" and other home brews w ere a staple in the "thirty drops on a teaspoonful of sugar, morning antucketers' home medicine che ts. Recipes were and afternoon." kept in notebooks and diaries, exchanged in corresp n­ In 1869, if you were let:ling poorly and in search of a tlcnce, and clipped from newspapers. For example, in cure-all, you could \\'antler up and down the aisles of 1828, Obed Macy mac.le note of "A remedy for this drug emporium and perhaps pick up a bottle of Dr. Walker's California Vinegar Bitters, or Dr. PARKER'S l lermance's Radical Cure for the Asthma. Feeling HAffi peckish? Wh1 not try Mrs. . Bailey's Cascarilla ompound . .. "the best Spring kJicine of the Age." An Invigorating Medicine that Never Apnfcctrc There was Mrs. \'{'inslow's Soothing yrup, Tucker V Ftorcr & dress­ Intoxicates. ing, elegantly Vegetable Extract, Eilis's Iron Bitters, Wistar's Balsam This delicious combination of Ginger, Buchu, perfumed and Mandrake, Stillingia, and many other of the best entirely harm­ of Wild Chern for all Coughs and Colds, Peruvian vei;etable medicines known, cures :female Com­ less. Removes phunts , Rheumatism, Ncrvousn�ss, \V'akefulness, re­ dandruff , yrup for purifying the blood, Dr Lorraine's Vegetable and all diso1ders of the bowels, stomach, liver, kid­ stores n:itur:il · neys and urinnry organs. , color Rnd pre­ Pill, "the Best Cathartic Remedy Y ct Discovered," Dr. lf you have lost your appetite and are low spirited, vents batdne!.S or suffering from age, or any infirmity, ukeParker's 60 cenll tu1J $1 Poland's I Iumor Doctor, E,tract of rye, and Ayer' Ginger Tonic. It will strengthen brain and body ,lt.u nt. dn1g:glst, and give you new life and vigor.

Cherry Pectoral. For a new year special in 1871 Floreston 100 DOLLARS Madame West's Bronchial Balsam was reduced to a Paid for anything injurious found in Ginger Tonic, sale price of 37 cents. or for a failure to he! p or cure. Try it or ask your A delicate &. CJ:· sick friend to Lry it To•Day. quhllely !rn�n� uch curatives ,,·ere advertised each week in the perfume with e.x­ 50c. and$ t sizes at drug�sts. Large saving Luy­ crptlonNlly 1Mllng ing dollar size. Send for c,rcular to Hiscox & Co., Inquirer and Mirror-sometimes on the front page. prnpertln.

163 Willi3m St., N. Y. i5 and 76 cenh.

Nantucketers reading the pupcr could be savvy con­ sumer of the latest in over the-counter medicines.

UnregLJatec.l by the g vcrnment-the Pure Food and Dysentety which wa u ed by Lewis and Clark on their Drug Act was passed in 1906--,md unfettered by truth­ tour into the western country which in a few hours in-advertising regulations, islander could easily be relieved and cured the patient." He opined that the overtaken by the hyperbole, extravagant claims, and chokeberry u ed by the explorers was "probably the outrageous exaggeration of the ads for "new," "amaz­ same as our common hokeberry in the swamps" and a ing," "unfailing," "perfect" cure-alls for al.I manner of "safe sub titution." Dropsy, today called pulmonary ills. After all, the e patent medicine f ollowec.l on the edema, was then and remains a serious condition. In earlier standard therapies of bleeding, bli tering, purg­ th early nineteenth cemu1y, Obed Macy's "receipt for ing, puking, poulticing, sweating, gly ter , or enemas th Dropsy" callee.I for "a peck of dandelions just before The Inquirer and Mirror offered by physicians when treatment was intended to they bloom, an<l boil them in two galons [sic] water advertised restore the body's equilibrium. Even Mr.Jaggar was not until reduced to one gallon, then cool the liquor and numerous medicines above endorsing: his 1877 business calendar wa spon­ mix it with a pint of brandy and cork it up tight in bot­ and treatments sored by "Hostetter's elebrated tomach Bitters," tles and take a glassful morning, noon and night." Some sixty-odd years later, in 1884, Martha Fish, a prodigious such as this one billed as "A Mighty Botanic Restorative."

In.flared endorsements by local citizens also accom- keeper of diaries chronicling details of tl1e daily life of in the 1870s.

BALSAM

Parker's

Ginger Tonic

COLOGNE

11

TORlC

NANTUCKET

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a11 1111pressive jolt.

the Fish family on Nantucket from 1873 to 1913, offered a modified recipe for "Dropsy on the Chest" to inmates at the Quaise Asylum where her husband Abner was the Keeper. Mrs. Fish took "one-quarter pound of dried milkweed cut small pour on it a quart of boiling water simmer to one pint when cool add one pint of Holland's Gin pour it all into a bottle - stopple light and let it stand 12 hours. Dose for an adult one­ half wineglass evety three hours day and night. If it nau­ seate too much the Jose may be varied effect will be seen in 2 or 3 clays."

In this age of the alcohol/opium enriched "harmless vegetable cathartics," Nantucketers' worried about their nerves. Women particularly were plagued by neuralgia and neuresthenia - nervous disorders that were said to sap strength and cause the "vapors," during which time they took to their darkened rooms to calm themselves. A "safe, certain and speedy cure for neuralgia and all nervous diseases" was "Turner's tic douloureux or universal neu­ ralgia pill." Billed as an "unfailing remedy for neural­ gia facialis often affecting a perfect cure in a single day," it was sold atJaggar's, or was available by mail for $1.00 per package, plus six cents postage.

Highly addictive with a high opium and alcohol content, these medicines were marketed to women who were led to believe the quality of their lives would be improved.

In tl1ese advertisements, women were cautioned against "quacks . . . Men calling themselves doctors who have no medical education and whose only recommendation is what they say of tl1emselves" or so claimed one Dr. Mattison who operated the "Remedial Institute for Special Diseases" in Providence, Rhode Island. He urged Nantucket's women to buy "The Great Indian Remedy for Females: Dr. Mattison's Indian Emmenagogue" to cure all diseases of a private nature - only $10 full strength and mailed in a closely sealed package.

If pills, tonics, and prescriptives failed to cure, Nantucketers could turn to electricity! In 1869, Alcock's Porous Plasters were said "to seem to possess

lll�TORIC

NANTUCKET

\'v,//ia111 Sevrrns's 111,1w1l'lo-cll'clric 111ach111e std! operates a11d std! delivers

18

the power of accumulating electricity and imparting it to the body, whereby the circulation of the blood becomes equalized upon the parts where applied, mus ing pain and morbid action to cease." Worn on the breast or between the shoulders or over th<.: kidneys, they were believed to be "preventive of consumption."

Also around this time "magnetism" became the rage. In 1856, Benj. S. Codman & Co., of Boston, sold at wholesale and retail the "Magneto- Electric Machine for Nervous Disease" patented by W. Kickier in Apnl 185-t. oclman Company were dealers in all kinds of galvanic batteries and apparatus and surgical and d<.:nt,11 in truments. The magneto-electric machine was us<.:d for toothache, tic douloureux, ,1nd neural gi,1.

Nantucketcr William Scvrcns inherited an origin,11 "magneto electric machine" from a friend and remem bers his ext0lling its virtues. Mr. Sevrens, an octogenarian, also remembers working in the Jaggar's Pharmacy building in the 19-t0 when it was O\\'ned by Rex and Fairbanks. l f magnetism, patent med1 cines, anJ home bre\\'S wen: of no avail, antucket<.:rs turned to the medical cstab lishmcnt. While the number of practicing physicians on Nantucket at the time is uncer rain, "medical cards" routinely published in the inquirer and Mirror introduc d the population to physician seeking patients. Jaggar's log also lists the names of everal "Dr's" filling prescriptions incluJing Dr. herman, Dr. King, Dr. Mar h, and Dr. Franklin.

There was also competition from off-island physicians.

Each week Nantucketcrs like Abner Fish were enticed to Boston to eek meJical care. (In her diary, Abner's wife Martha recorded everal journey he made to Boston to con ult with doctor .) Advcniscments beseeched the townspeople to eek "certain cure in aU cases or no charges made" from Dr. Dow who "has no doubt had greater experience in the cures and di cases of women and children than any other physician in Boston" and "who acknowledges no superior in the United States."

Given the competition and rivalty amongst doctors on Nantucket and beyond during this time in its history, FALL

1998

it is small woncJer that Nantucketers relied upon their own home brews for cure-alls or the new, slickly pack足 aged and acJvertisecJ patent meclicines. Even magnetism seeme<l a viable and fascinating option for feeling better.

But no option coulcJ have been more trusted than the "free" advice of Charles H. Jaggar, their neighborhood pharmacist on Main treet.

Sources: Dorland's lliustrated Medical Dictionary, 26th ed., W.B. Saunders, 1981.

Encyclopedia ofMedicinal Plants, DK PubLshing, Inc.,1996.

Encyclopedia ofJl!ternative Medicine, Charles E. Tuttle & Co., 1996.

The Green Pharmacy,James A. Duke, RocJale Press, 1997.

Homeopathic Medtcine,J. Laurie, MD, NHA Collection, 1850.

Journal of the} listory ofMedicine and Allied Sciences, April 1993. Eleanora C. Gordon, "Sailors' Physicians: Medical Guides for Merchant Ships and Whalers."

Concise Directio11s /or K11owti1g and Treattizg the Dfreases and Acctdents Incident to Seamen, Press of Benjamin Linsey, 1845.

General medical in[ormation courtesy of Ronald I. Hochwald, M.D., F.A.C.P., D.I.M. Susan Kirp 1-lochwald practiced law in New York State from 1965 1111ttl 1995 when she retired to Na11/11cket. She began volu11teeri11g in the NH/1 's Edouard A. Stackpole LtbrCily and Research Center last October a11d has spc11t many hours reading and researching)ag,gar's prescription book.

HISTORIC NANTUCKET

WHALING SHIP MEDICINE

I

NA SEAFARING COMMUNITY IT \Y./AS CUSTOMARY for the druggist to prepare a medicine chest to be carried on board ship. This was not a gratu足 itous offering from the ship's owner but was mandated by a law dating from 1790 that ordered: "Every vessel belonging to a citizen of the United States of the burthen of 150 tons or upwards navigated by ten or mme persons and bound on a foreign voyage must be prnvided with a chest of medicine put up by some apothecary of known reputation and accompa足 nied by directions for administering same." The law was later amended to include seventy-five-ton vessels with crew of six or more calling on any port in the West Indies. Each whaleman had one to two dollars deducted from his "lay" as his share of the expense of the medicine chest. Unlike British sailing vessels where physicians were required to be on board, medicine on Amet"ican ships was dispensed by the captain, who had dubious knowledge and skill. One notable exception was John B. King, a young surgeon who in 1837 went whaling aboard the whaleship Aurora with Capt. John Hussey, Jr., at the helm. His account of the adventure and as ship's doctor is in the NHA's research center.

The seamen's medicine chest contained fifty-two compartments containing the remedies that would affect a cure for the myriad ailments that might befall a sailor at sea. The contents of the chest were catego足 rized in the direction book that came with the chest.

An original "Medical Direction Book," published by S. Tompkins and Brother, Druggist and Apothecaries in New Bedford, in 1845, is in the NHA collection.

Sometimes, the captain used his own remedy - like chewing-tobacco cud as an antiseptic on wounds.

A Nantucket captain who left port sans chest invited mutiny and arrest!

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Historic Nantucket Book Section Abram's Eyes: The Native American Legacy of Nantucket Island

by Charlotte

By Nathaniel Philbrick.

Mill I Iill Press: Nantucket, MA 1998.

Louisa Maison

W

ITI I

A TUCKET ON( L AC,AIN I AlIM,

is ues of land u e anc.l owner hip, growth, and development, anc.l the pull of economic prosperity ruled by the influence of off-island interest , the publication of athaniel Philbrick's book, Abram's Eyes: The alive American Legacy of antucket Island, couldn't be more timely. Philbrick, who as the director of the Egan Institute of Maritime rue.lie has authored two anrucket bo k and shepherded everal others under the Mill Hill Press imprint, gently forces the reader to look with new eyes at an unclear, incorrect, blurry, and just plain elusive hi tory of the original ettler of the island.Through myth untangling, pa t and contempo ra1y recorded oral hi tories from both white anc.l native people, archaeological evidence, good old-fashioned detective A monumtrual co,,i,,t,tlonof docum.tnlotd 1rd lfttrcl•ry n1t1"' tiisu1ry ,ttttOffttd � ra,e !nsirt,t Thu h I 1-\Jc u,ntr1buhon to :hr fitl: work, and the art of serious ..........�°"""'"" deduction, the author makes this �, fascinating, tragic, and poignant sto1y come ro life.

If the object of thi book i to "retrieve a ense of the island's +�r mythic past in the context of ... history," Philbrick i highly suc­ ..- ces ful. Philbrick starts with the ; ,;{11;· ' '. , ,,'ft;; .,: story of Maushop, the sleeping giant and his moccasin filled -' r.. ,, I) with sand. 1 Ie introduces readers •; ' ·1\,, ( \ to Benjamin Franklin Folger, the �, leading nineteen th-century authority on Indian legends of "Nantucket. He reminds u of :·� Obed Macy, who wrote the 1835 ·- 'The Native American Legacy History of Nantucket. And he i' of.Nantucket Island '/!'�Jo'' presents historical research by modern-day historians such as William Simmons, Kathleen Bragdon, archaeologist Elizabeth

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NANTUCKET

Little, and \X'amp,moag oral hisw1i111 Russdl Cardnl!r.

J le l!\'en includes literary n:kn:nCl'S to \kh illl!'s Mobv-D,ck. s�)me of thl! gaps in thl! histor\ arl filled by c,1rd"ul research in othl!r l!W [ngland ,llt\'L' ,\ml!ric:an histories, both oral and rl!corded p,1rticularly on Martha's Vinl!yard, Capl! Cod, .111d in soutl1l·,1stcrn 1assachusetts.Soml! gaps ma\ ncwr lw filled, l!\Cl1 to this da}, local rumor tells of 1sl.111d construction sites that bring to light l!vidence of the isl.111d's first pcopk only to be hastily covl!rl!d owr for the sakl! of the owner's deadlines.

An added bonus is thl! amt\ of nK·tirnlous endnotl!s; more than citations, t!Ky arl! full of fasc:in,11i1w facts and ,111ecd tes such as the truth in myth slllI) of tl1l! ( )ul'l!n Elizabeth ll striking an uncharted rock in 1992. \X'.1s it laushop's Devil's Bridge?

The writing styk is crisp and l'\'OCati\'e.Philbrick dclicatel) handks thl! semiti\e 1ssul' of thl! \\ hiw, We tern educated scholar interpretmg thl! ativl!

American's history by respl!cting his suhkct \\'1th f,1stid ious research and intelligent underst,111d111p. I Iis card.ul ly selected illustrations of artifacts, charts, photogr,1phs, manuscripts, and paintings hdp ground us in the skill fully told st Or). To gaze at mid ninl'teenth century daguerreotypes of A b ra m Qu.in and Dore.ts 11 norablc is to makl! them come alive.The I.Ill! t\\·enri cth centuty c.lesirl! to Sl!l! and talk to these e,,1mpks of a dying an icnt racl! ovl!rpowers our imagin,1t1on.

Perhaps that is why the work that Philbrick has pro ducec.l is so important. ln thl! md, 1thr11111'.1 rvc1 is a reminder that wl! arc always \\ ,tlking in ,111orher's foot steps.Furthermore, after rl!ading this book, tl1l! rl!ader may never again look at thl! two known portraits of Abram Qua1y - one in thl! antuckl!t Athcneum and the other currently hanging in thl! NI IA 's exhibition Captain, Mates, and Mercha11/\· 'IZ1e Vi1ce of a11/11ckds Past at the Peter foulger Museum - without recogniz­ ing the stmy behind hi expression.

Charlotte Louisa Maison bas hC'C'II the director of the antucket Athene11111 .1i11ce 1992.

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1 998

N H A

1998 Annual Meeting

N E W S

Antiques Show

The Nantucket Historical Association held its 104th The twenty-first annual Antiques Show held Annual Meeting in the Whaling Museum's Sanderson Augu t 7-9 was once again a tremendous suc­ Hall on Friday, July 10. The keynote speaker for the cess. Each year the show, the primary fundrais­ meeting was Dr. Patricia Hills, and Helen Winslow HA, exceeds all i ng benefit for the Chase was honored as J listorian. expectations to raise money and awareness for Elected to the board of tru tee as the class of 2002 the as ociation. This year's proceeds again will were Laurie S. Champion, Arie L. Kopelman, Albe1·t L. top $200,000. The raffle was a huge success Manning, Jr., Bruce D. Miller, Richard F. Tucker, and thanks to the enthusia tic ticket selling of vol­ David H. Wood. Prudence S. Crozier, president of th unteers and the Preview Party, held on August Friends of the NI IA, and Carnlyn B. MacKenzie, 6, broke all attendance records in the show's Friends of the 1 IA, w re also elected to a one-year history. All of the events term. President Dornthy Slover also recognized s urrounding the show Georgia Gosnell, who is leaving the board this year, for were orchestrated by her many years of service to the NHA. cochairs Polly Espy and After executive director Jean Weber gave her annual Sarah Baker and their tal­ report focusing on the NI IA's collection, curator and ented committee. museums director Michael Jehle introduced Hills to the The theme for the 1998 standing-room-only crowd of members. An art hi tori­ Antiques how was the an and expert on Eastman Johnson, Hills focused her Great Whale . And talk and slide show on the life of the artist, bis whales were very much Nantucket connections, and the significance of the part of the show: there NHA's new acquisition, Study /or the Cranberry were elegant rn urals of Harvest, painted by Eastman Johnson around 1875. whales and sea scenes decorating the walls of the !ugh Dorothy Slover r cognized Helen Winslow Chase as school whalino--oriented objects were included in the Historian of the NI IA and read the following citation: raffle, �d lovely whale notecards, drawn by Don Sineti, "The Board of Trustees of the Nantucket Historical were produced for the show and will be sold through­ Association recognizes the lifelong dedication of Helen out the year at the Musew11 Shop.

Winslow Chase, who through her teaching, writing, and One of the highlights of the sho w's events was _ research has kindled a keen and lively interest in the a lecture by Diana D. Brooks, president and chief history of Nantucket in youngsters and adults both on executive officer of Sotheby's Holdings Inc. Her and off the i land. A dedicated scl10lar and gifted edu­ dynamic talk on "The Changing Natme of the Auction cator Helen Winslow Chase has served the Nantucket Business," sponsored by the Friends of the NHA, drew Hi t�rical Association as volunteer historian since 1981, a record-breaking crowd. The other evenrng events a po t he continues to hold today. Her work in cata­ were enjoyable as well. loguing the whaling collections, building the genealogi­ We would like to thank all of the volunteers for all of cal records, and erving as an instantaneous and their hard work. From collecting objects for the New accurate referen e for almost any facet of island history Collectors' Booth, decorating the high school gym, has been invaluable. On behalf of the NHA, the Board arranging flowers, and stuffing gift bags to bel1ind-theof Trustees thanks Helen Winslow Chase for her l scenes planning-everyone worked well together. amplification of the historic record and her public Special thanks must also go to the show's title spons?r, service and looks forward to many more years of Chase Manhattan Private Bank and to otheby s/ continuing our close r elati onship with her Sotheby's Realty, J & H Marsh & McLennan, Mr. and as historian." N HA Mrs. Robert Matthews, Aetna International, research fellow Renny Westche ter Air, Inc., and The Magazine Antiques for Stackpole followed the their corporate support. presentation with some descriptive, amusing, and kind Thank You memories of his friend We are grateful to the following NHA membe�s for and mentor. their donations, which enabled us to purchase the items HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

Top: Antiques Show Chairs Polly Espy and Sarah Baker; Antiques Show committee.

Left. Renny Stackpole and Helen Winslow Chase at the Annual Meeting.

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N H A

N E W S

o n our wish list in the Winter 1998 issue o f

Historic Nantucket.

Mr. and Mrs.John W. Belash

Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts, by Barbara Brackman.

Prof. Richard Slusarczyk

The Cut ofMen's Clothes, 1600-1900,

byNorah Waugh

Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazaar, 1867-1898, edited by tella Blwn English Women's Clothing in the 19th Century,

by C. Willet Cunnington

Mrs. William Coffin

Sheets and blankets to be used to protect artifacts in storage and when moved.

We would al o like to thank Mimi Beman of MitchelJ's Book Corner for assistance in finding the book for theNHA.

New Staff Jean Grimmer began as theNHA's director of develop­

11l/red Orp1i1

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11 I S T O R I C

ment in September. Grimmer has worked in develop­ ment for the past eighteen years for PBS and the Emma Willard School in Troy, NY. At Emma Willard, the oldest independent girls school in the country, she was responsible for the coordination of a ucces ful $31 million capital campaign. As a keen sailor and life-long visitor to Nantucket, she is absolutely delighted to be a new member of the HA and Nantucket community.

Jeffrey PolJock began as maintenance assistant in August. Born onNantucket, Pollock pent mo t of hi life away from the island. He, his wife, and two young daughters recently moved from Fall River, Massachusetts, where Pollock had worked as a mental health cow1selor for the past twelve years. Happy to be back on Nantucket, Pollock is looking forward to putting his carpentry skills to use for theNHA. Reema Sherry began in May as the membership and development coordi­ nator. Sherry bad been at the Nantucket Beacon for four years before joining the NHA; most recently she was the acting editor. She has also worked as a free­ lance writer for numerous regional pub­ lications and was a founding member of The (x) Gallery on Orange Street.

Sherry and her husband live in Surfside with their two sons.

ANTUCKET

Augusta WalJace ha be n the assistant manager at the Mu eum hop since June. Be� re joining theNI fA, Wallace wa a project manager for antuckct's cldom cene Interior . thcr work experience includes pro­ ject manager for an interior design hop on Newbury treet in Bo ton and the cu tomer service.: director for two car dcale1 hip in the Boston area. She moved per manently to antucket in 1996.

Praise for NHA Docents Thi ummcr the HA employed thirty· five docents to raff hi,roric homes, sires, and mu ·cums. They act as guides, interpreters, teachers, lccturcrs, experts even cleaner . They arc an extraordinary group ,md all of their effort arc appreciated by I IA year round staff and the visitors wh !cam from them. 0 ·casionally we receive letters from visitors to tell us of their c.-pcri­ cnces with our docents. We would like tt sh,1re with you one such lctrer dated August 22, l 998, written by J. arol Davis of I lalf Moon Bay, California.

To the dire tors of the l lisrorical Asso iation; I would like to send a thank you and mv compli ment regarding your docent Mrs. Doris impson.

Mrs. impson was at the "Oldest I louse" on August 1 th when my friends and I had the pb1 ure o[ visiting. She was an cxcdlcnt docent, gave a thorough and entertaining narrati\·c, and was extremely charming. She was an invaluable addi tion Lo the lovely historical excursion. Pleasi..: thank her for us!

How About That!

Earli r du y ar, in compliance with new federal regula tion r garding birth and immigration statu, of employ­ ee , finance manager Yvonne Pimental called [or identificati n from all staff, including d cents. Even Alfred Orpin, who ha long been recognized a both v ncrablc and Nantucket-born, had to produ hi· birth certificate dated ctob r 17, l 906. , rowing up in antuck t, rpin spent thirty-thrc years at the Wannac m t Wat r ompany. To fill hi rctir ment day , he tart c.l working a a do ent a t t h e Whaling Mu eum i n 197 - at tl1e age of eventy-two. That was cw nty years ago. 1 I till work thr half days as a lecturer and guide at the Whaling Museum.

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Executive director Jean Weber would like to join the curatorial department in thanking the follow­ ing volunteers for their efforts over _ ---..�il the spring and summer.

Bob Hellman's efforts at cata- _. �-.. loguing the NHA's extensive collec­ tion of whaling tools were described in his article in the summer issue of I:-listoric Nantucket.

I le continues to catalogue the whaling implements in storage, using his expertise to assist the NHA with assessing and interpreting the important collection.

Hildegard Van Lieu is assisting NHA registrar Aimee NeweU with an inventory of the NHA historic clothing coUection. By consolidatii;ig and organizing the collection in storage, we are able to update the records and make room for future donations. Hildegard is also busy processing some items for the first ti.me.

Carolyn Watt, an avid rug-hooker herself, is cata­ loguing the NHA's hooked rugs. Once she has complet­ ed her work, a description of each rug will be entered in the NHA's collections database, simplifying future research and inventories.

Finally, thanks to Susan Boardman, Nancy Chase, Susan Ottison, and David Wood for sharing their expertise on lightship baskets for this summer's Ha<lwen House exhibition of baskets from the NHA's collection.

The following collections projects are planned for fall 1998 and winter 1999 and could use the attention of a volunteer. If you have an interest in one of these pro­ ject , please call Aimee Newell at 325-7885.

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Inventories of the Macy-Christian House and Hadwen House. Working with the registrar,

Volunteer Bob Hellman examines a whaling implement in the Whaling Museum.

copies of collections data. The pro­ ject may also include some data entry, if the volunteer is interested.

Volunteer Appreciation

Historic Nantucket Wins Award Historic Nantucket won an award in the New England Museum Association's 1998 Publications Competition. The magazine took second place in the catego1y of Members' Newsletters. Cecil Barron Jensen was recognized as Editor/Project Director and Claire O'Keeffe of communicationDESIG was recog­ nized as Designer.

Future Issue Alert Historic Nantucket is planning a comprehensive issue on the Gold Rush next summer. We are specifically look­ ing for photographs, letters, or journals sent "home" to Nantucket from the gold fields of California. Please call Cecil Ban·on Jensen at 508-228-1894 if you have items or stories you would like to share with the NHA.

Correction The illustration of the sperm whale by Don Sineti on page 14 of the summer issue of Historic Nantucket was reversed. Mr. ineti wrote to tell us and to explain the significance of the error: "Now with the great major­ ity of cetaceans this would not be an issue. Of the 78 species only three have asymmetrical features. The nar­ whal (location and twist of the tusk), the fin whale (col­ oration), and the sperm (location o f the blowhole) left side of the forehead." We apologize for the error.

The Ole/est House received a new well­ sweep over the summer.

Properties manager Rick Morcom replaced the old one with one Cl/I and carvedfrom a tree that once stood 011 the Oldest House property.

volunteers will assist in checking accession numbers and compiling a list of objects on exhibit (including a brief de cription of each object) in each house.

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Cataloguing the South Seas collection.

Working with the registrar, curator, and a consultant, the volunteer will complete catalogue worksheets for the South Seas objects in the NHA collection. Worksheets include physical descriptions and condition assessments. Each object will be photographed. There is an opportunity for libraiy research on some of the objects as well.

■ Clet·ical prnject worlcing with NHA accession t·ecords. The volunteer will assist with photocopying records for the files and to provide back-up hard HLSTORJC

NANTUCKET

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VOLLME 47, 1'0. 4

NANiucKET Published quarterly by the

Nantucket Historical Association

2 Whaler's Lane P.O. Box 1016 Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554