Historic Nantucket, Winter 1990, Vol. 38 No. 4

W I N T E R

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V O l U M E 38

Christmas Memories

No. 4

THE NANTIJCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES H. Flint Ranney, President Joseph McLaughlin. Vice President Walter Beinecke, Jr., Vice President Paul A. Wolf, Jr., Treasurer Mrs. Bernard Grossman, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Wynn Lee, Executive Director

Helen Winslow Chase, Editor Diane Ucci, Associate Editor Bruce A. Courson, Curator of Interpretation Photos: NHA collections unless otherwise credited

Mrs. Arthur Jacobsen Reginald E. Levine Mrs. Earle MacAusland Mrs. William B. Macomber Mrs. Carl Mueller David M. Ogden Richard S. Silvia Susan Spring Whisler Mrs. Bracebridge H. Young

Mrs. C. Marshall Beale Max N. Berry Mrs. Richard Brecker Charles C. Butt Kimberly Corkran-Miller Earle Craig John W. Eckman Nancy Martin Evans Mrs. Thomas Gosnell Erwin L Greenberg

ADVISORY BOARD

Charles H. Robinson, Part II

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Robinson, the most prolific local builder of his time, was a beneficiary of Nantucket's succ�sful tran�ition from a leading Amencan whalmg port to a desirable summer resort.

B y Clay Lancaster

Mrs. Thomas Loring William B. Macomber Paul H. Madden Robert F. Mooney Mrs. William Pullman F. Blair Reeves Susan Tate Donald E. Terry Mrs. Mark White John S. Winter Mrs. Joseph C. Woodle

Mrs. Robert Bailey Mrs. Charles Balas Mrs. Donna Beasley Patricia A. Butler Mrs. James F. Chase Mrs. Herbert Gutterson William A. Hance Mrs. Hamilton Heard, Jr. Mrs. Robert Hellman Mrs. John Husted Andrew ]. Leddy

EDITORIAL BOARD Susan Beegel Tiffney Mrs. Jane D. Woodruff Mrs. Bracebridge H. Young

Mrs. Dwight Beman Robert F. Mooney H. Flint Ranney

PRESIDENTS EMERITI George W. Jones, Edouard A. Stackpole, and Leroy H. True

Celebrating Christmas, A Look Back

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"Christmas Eve I took the part of Santa Clause at the Methodist Church," wrote Frank H. Macy, a Main Street store­ keeper, on January 6, 1878.

By Gay! Michael

The Year in Review

By Wynn Lee

We couldn't do it without you ...

Events of Interest Browsing at the Museum Shop 50

Alcon Chadwick, Albert F. Egan, Jr., Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman, Mrs. Walker Groetzinger, Mrs. R. Arthur Orleans, and Mrs. Jane D. Woodruff.

STAFF

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Departments What's News at the NHA

HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS

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Helen Winslow Chase Historian Bruce A. Courson Curator of Museums and Interpretation Thomas W. Dickson Museum Shop Manager Mark W. Fortenberry Curator of Structures Maurice E. Gibbs Assistant for Administration and Finance Jacqueline Kolle Haring Curator of Research Materials Louise R. Hussey Librarian Michael A. Jehle Curator of Collections Elizabeth Little Curator of Prehistoric Artifacts Peter S. MacGlashan Registrar Gay[ Michael Assistant Curator of Research Materials Richard E. Morcom Assistant Curator of Structures Trisha Murphy Bookkeeper Jo Sullivan Development Assistant Richard P. Swain Miller Diane Ucci Executive Assistant INTERPRETERS Robert Allen, Spencer Cowan, Margaret Crowell, Anita Dougan, Edward Dougan, Betty Hartig, Jane Jones, Mathilde Lynch, John Morgan, Barbara Nathan, Wilma Oldham, Alfred Orpin, Nancy Pullen, Marjorie Schultz, Doris Simpson, Leigh Simpson, Dorothy Strong, Margaret Trapnel and Dolores Wiszuk.

WHAT'S NEWS AT THE NHA Sarg Goes South...

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he museum community-at­ large recognizes the NHA col­ lections as valuable, varied, and com­ prehensive. This past spring,James Duff, director of the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylva­ nia, called NHA director Wynn Lee to request a substantial loan of material for an exhibit they were planning on Tony Sarg. Sarg is most remembered for his marionette shows and illus­ trations of children's books,and the Brandywine River Museum houses a notable collection of book illustrations as well as many paintings by the Wyeths, N.C., Andrew, and Jamie.

Virginia O'Hara, Brandywi.ne's assistant curator, vi.sited our collections in July and prepared a detailed request.

After the executive committee enthu­ siastically approved the loan, former Assistant Curator of Collections, Betsy Codding, and our new Curator of Col­ lections, Michaeljehle, pulled together the appropriate pieces from our inven­ AmongtheitemsonloantotheBrandywineRiverMuseumare tory. They include a number of books, Sarg'soriginal watercolorforthe Nantucket Cottage Hospital among them Sarg's famous and whim­ poster, hisTreasure Book, and the marionette, "Tippy Toes, the butler." sical Treasure Book. There are more than sixty works of art on paper, including chro­ molithographs, watercolors, and black-and­ white working designs. Sarg's marionette thea­ ter and six of the marionettes he designed for Madame Alexander made the trip to Chadds Ford he Fire Hose Cart House, erected in 1886, as well. The objects on loan from the NHA make ceased to be a firehouse in 1931 when Wil­ up about ninety percent of the Brandywine show. liam Bartlett purchased it at a public auction. In 'Tony Sarg's Pictures and Puppets" will run from 1960, Edith Bartlett gave the property to the November 23, 1990, through January 6, 1991. Nantucket Historical Association as a memorial The Sarg treasures, many of which came to her parents. This fall that memorial needed at­ to the NHA through the generosity of Mr. Philip tention. The ground level had risen due to accu­ C. Murray, are now appropriately located in a mulated debris from surrounding trees and shrubs. place the artist knew and loved. His family spent To rectify this problem, Mark Fortenberry, our every summer on Nantucket, and Sarg contin­ Curator of Structures, and his assistant, Rick ued to come until his death in 1942. In his sixty­ Morcom, installed a perimeter drain around the two years he produced prodigious amounts of west side of the foundation. This created ventila­ work-from his book illustrations to murals, tion underneath the structure, retarded future posters, paintings, and even the designs for the buildup of debris, and prevented moisture dam­ giant balloon figures in the Macy's Thanksgiv­ age. When the building was structurally sound, ing Day parade! the next step was cosmetic improvement of the Contributing materials for loan exhibits building's facade. The roof and sidewall shingles like the Sarg is a role the NHA hopes to play more were sound, but weathering had occurred on the often in the future. The extensive collection in­ painted surface of the building. In preparing the ventory that Mike Jehle is undertaking will fur­ surface, Mark and Rick uncovered the original ther uncover the depth and diversity of our hold­ colors, which were matched and reapplied. Cur­ ings. As they become more organized, our col­ rently, the curatorial staff is planning a new ex­ lections will become more available as a resource hibit for the interior interpretation of the Fire Hose to the museum community.

Cart House.

The white oak for the Old Mill arrived, and damaged timber on the third floor was replaced.

In order to accomplish this, the brake system that was repaired last winter had to be dismantled and then reassembled. Also, foot traffic had caused erosion on the pathway to the mill. Land­ scaping timbers were cut into the hillside to cre­ ate steps that will prevent further damage to the hillside and loosening of the cobblestones that encircle the mill.

A concerned NHA member alerted us that the granite marker for the Tristram Coffin home­ stead off Capaum Pond Road had been struck and was leaning into the bushes. A line was at­ tached to the marker, and a pickup truck pulled the stone upright.

Sanford Kendall, a local contractor, con­ tacted Mark Fortenberry about a restoration problem. A prolonged leak around the comer­ board of the historic house Sandy was restor­ ing had resulted in extensive water damage. Mark inspected the area where the comerboard had been removed, exposing the damaged sill and comerpost. He discussed the epoxy consolida­ tion method used in the restoration at the Old­ est House and provided Kendall with a list of materials applicable to his needs. He also put him in contact with a product distributor who was very accommodating and informative. Mark continues to be available for consultation on historic houses, restoration, and preservation techniques. You may call the office to schedule an appointment or visit to your home.

Structures Update

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RickMorcom, Assistant Curator ofStruetures, paints the frontofthe Fire Hose Cart House on Gardner Street.

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Part II ofthe story about a prominent Nantucket builder who produced structures in a highly eclectic style.

CharlesH. Robinson C

By Clay Lancaster

harles H. Robinson(1829-1915),the most prolific local builder of his time, was a beneficiary of Nantucket's successful tran­ sition from a leading A merican whaling port to a desirable summer resort and of the "cottage city" craze on the Atlantic seaboard. A native of Nantucket and son of builder Benjamin Robin­ son(1797-1879),CharlesH. was raised in the 3 7 Fair Street house constructed by his father in 1831.Having learned the carpenter's trade at home during his youth, Charles H. Robin­ son easily emerged as a builder and contractor of structures in the eclectic style of the period whichdrew liberally from a variety of architec­ tural sources.

Nantucket vital records reveal that Char­ les H. Robinson married Susan H. Chase in

1851, and their two children, William M. and Emily B., were born a few years later. In 1904 Charles, a septuagenarian widower, married Lydia F. Folger, the widow of Edward Butler. At the time of Robinson's death on December 20, 1915, his living kin were his daughter Emily, a brother Benjamin, and a married sister Mrs. Louise Baker, all residents of Nantucket.

Robinson must have enjoyed some suc­ cess in the building line while in his twenties.

The diagram of Nantucket Town on theHeniy F. Walling map(1858) of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard,and the island shows that Robinson owned three buildings on Fair Street, south of the Martins Lane intersection, in the second block from his father's home. In the first Nantucket assessor's list of 1861, these are identified as

Ro binson isthoughttohave builttheNesbittHouse,or (since 1914) theNesbittlnn.

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"dwelling house" ($900), "carpenter's shop" ($100), and a second "dwelling house" ($200).

The following year the last was changed to a "stone cutter's shop"($150). It survives today asa dwelling. The residence on the corner had been purchased from Charles H. Chase for $500 on October 31, 1857. Robinson must have improved it before the assessor's listing four years later. The building may have burned or been razed, as it was not included in tax rec­ ords for 1866and 1867. The following year a new dwelling on the site was noted as worth $1,000. This structure, at the south corner of Fair Street and Martins Lane, was to remain Charles H. Robinson's residence for the next forty-eight years.

His house is dapboorded and has double­ pitched roofs, bracketed eaves, dipping gables, arched dormers, complex chimneys, and bay windows. Originally it had a verandah at the entrance. In spite of lacking the characteristic mansard roof, the building is in the style of the French Second Empire and was abreast with the mode during the earlypost-Civil-Warpe­ riod in America.

The "stone cutter's shop," in existence from 1862, was the scene of a thriving busi­ ness during the following decade. A billhead dated November 1, 1875, called it "C.H. ROBIN­ SON'S MARBLE WORKS" and identified him as "Manufacturer andDealer in Foreign and Domestic Marble Monuments, Tombstones, Tablets, Mantles, and everything appertaining to the Marble Business. ALSO ALL KINDS OF

GRANITE WORK EXECUTED." It cannot be as­ certained how much longer Robinson contin­ ued in the stone business on FairStreet.Begin­ ning in1878 his property there was assessed as one dwelling and "shops," the latter at $500.

In the late spring of 1872 the Inquirer and Mirror noted that Charles H. Robinson, Marcus Starbuck, and others were "framing a couple of pretty little cottages on Darling Street to be put on FalmouthHeights... [and] OakBluffs."

Both areas were swept up in the cottage city "boom" of that day. Falmouth Heights is across Nantucket Sound on Cape Cod, and Oak Bluffs is on Martha's Vineyard. Darling Street in Nan­ tucket was near Robinson's property and ad­ joined his father's house. The cottages, destined for off-island sites, indicate a more far-flung business than at any other time during Charles H. Robinson's career. It is ironic that, because Nantucket produced no suitably large trees, his building timbers were shipped from the mainland to be processed here for use el3:where.

The craze for laying out vacationers' "cot­ tage cities" also reached Nantucket. Robinson joined Charles G. and Henry Coffin andMat­ thewBarney in purchasing thirty-five acres on North Cliff, adjacent to town, which were di­ vided into one hundred 50-by-75-foot lots.

Soon, however, Robinson was working onthe south shore and at Siasconset [see Historic Nan­ tucket (Fall 1990) l.

The most notable Robinson building ex­ tant on Nantucket is theSurfside lifesavingsta­ tion. The type was a descendant of the "humane houses," built by insurance companies from the late eighteenth century onward along the coast where marine mishaps were likely to occur.

These were storehouses containing necessi­ ties and comforts for sailors in distress. Lifesav­ ing stations, larger than humane houses, were replete with rescue equipment and were staffed by a crew trained in extracting persons from a wrecked vessel. Charles H. Robinson was given the contract for erecting the Surfside building in 1873.

It is not clear whether the design was his own, but in all likelihood it came from the continent. The structure resembled an elabo­ rate stable in the Swiss-chalet or "stick" style, though isolated on the flat moors of Nantucket's south shore. It had exposed wall framing and rafters, with a bracket system supporting the deep overhanging eaves, and prominent braces protruding at the comers and halfway along the sides. Carved dolphin reliefs were set in the span­ drels of the gable openwork, and a small deck lookout was sunk into the roof ridge, capped bya f lagpole. In 1875-76 lean-tos were added to the flanks of the building, which almost tripled its size, and the upper platform was con­ verted into a closed cupola. The Surfside build­ ing now serves as a youth hostel. A smaller-scaled facsimile was put up in 1970 as a lifesaving mu­ seum at Shawkemo on a tidal creek linked to Nantucket Harbor.

Robinson'sbuildingforMr. CharlesH. Du nham was squeezed onto its restricted site, and the bay window ofthe parlor and chamber above bulged out onto the sidewalk During the mid 1870s Robinson engaged in several minor hotel projects on Nantucket.

One of these was an alteration to the Springfield House. TheSpringfield wasthe hostelry of two brothers, Almon T. and AlbertS.Mowry, who named it after their hometown inMassachusetts.

It was conducted in several houses on North Water Street. The first (no. 21) had been pur­ chased in1872 and, two years later, theMow­ rys leased the considerably larger building on the corner of ChesterStreet that ElijahH. Alley had run as a hotel for almost a decade. In De­ cember 1874 it was announced that Robinson was to make improvements to the older struc­ ture, which was to function primarily asa res­ taurant. When the SpringfieidHouse opened the following spring, the dining room was greatly enlarged; and thirty rooms had been added. A new main pavilion was built next to the restaurant in 1883. These were greatly al­ tered in 1977-78 as part of the Harbor House.

The Alley hotel block had been sold to the town

in 1917 and removed to widen the street.

In May 1875 Robinson moved on to that most venerable tavern in Nantucket, built as the three-storied Jared Coffin mansion at the cor­ ner ofBroad and Centre streets in 1845. Acquired by the Steamboat Company in 1847, and after­ wards operated as the Ocean House, it was re­ named the Jared Coffin House in 1961. The 1875 work consisted of "letting in new water pipes" and "closets arranged for the convenience of the guests." The phrasing sounds as though Robinson participated in the plumbing as well as the carpentry work. It is not surprising that he acquired large holdings in the Wannacomet Water Company, inaugurated five years later, and took an active interest in its promotion and development. In 1909 he became company president.

By late spring in 1876 he had completed his latest addition to the Ocean View House in Siasconset and began the construction of a restaurant on Steamboat Wharf in town. OnJune 10, the braces for the restaurant's piazza were installed. This refectory was probably the Old Colony restaurant, which CalvertHandy con­ ducted before he shifted to the guest-lodging business in the 1890s. It was located on the north side ofthe wharfacross from, but not so far out as, the freight house.

Robinson performed a number of mi­ nor jobs during the late 1870s. At the begin­ ning of 1878 he took down the barn at the rear ofMrs. Winnifred B. Coffin's house. Just be­ fo re the county fair in the following year, he put up the band and judges stand on the Nan­ tucket AgriculturalSociety's tract. The Society had acquired a ten-acre site in South Pasture during 1859 and, since1872, had included horse races in its yearly programs. The structure Robin­ son added seven years later was a square, double­ storied affair of exposed crisscrossed timbers and brackets, serving both for musical enter­ tainments (below) and for race monitoring (above). The grandstand across the track must have been built about fifteen years later be­ cause in 1894 a ten-cent fee for a seat in it was added to the twenty-cent entrance charge to the grounds.

The Nantucketjournal story of August 27, 1879, announcing the fairgrounds improvement, also stated that "Mr. Charles H. Robinson is to build a cottage house on Orange Street forMr. Charles H. Dunham on the vacant lot [north! of the Unitarian Church." Dunham bought the prop­ erty in two parcels in 1863 and 1870. It in­ cluded the Revolutionary-War-period SilasJones house, a gambrel-roofed structure with brick ends. The frame "cottagehouse" went up over the last four months of 1879, and the town valu­ ation list for 1880 assessed it for $3,000. The old house, by the way, was valued at $1,700, and onJune 7, 1880, Dunhamsold it for $700.

Charles H. Robinson's building was squeezed onto its restricted site, and the bay window of the parlor and chamber above bulged out onto

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The announcement that the sidewalk. By this time he had such a hotel was planned appeared achieved a style that was characin the New Bedford Standard in terized by Eastlakianandeclectic the spring of 1886 and was reembellishments over and around peated in both island newspapers. windows, on roof crestings, and The structure was"115 feet in theon crowning cupolas. Such buildfront, with an extreme width in the ings are sprinkled throughout center of 70 feet." The kitchen was Nantucket Town. to be in an exis:ing house on North Robinson is thought to have Street (now Cliff Road), and the built the house at 21 Broad Street. adjoining new building was to William T. Swain bought the lot contain an entrance hall, parlor, on October 13, 1876. The propand dining room on the main O.oor, erty was sold to Charlotte W. Pettee some forty sleeping rooms above, in 1889, then to Mary B. Nesbitt Records suggest tha t Robinson built this railroaddepot at Su,fsidein 1881toserve and laundry, smoking, and bilin 1895_ The latter converted it into as a restaurant, dance hall, skating rink, and generalassembly room. liard rooms in the basement. Dethe establishment of long local renown, the Nesbitt House, or (since 1914) nue on North Cliff. The subdivision consisted signed by an off-island architect, Robert H. Slade, the Nesbitt Inn. The structure's mansard roof of twenty-five lots in an irregular shape, aver- it was built by Charles H. Robinson for Char­ was perhaps added during Mrs. Pettee's regime. aging 60-by-200-feet in size, arranged around lotte W. Pettee, later the owner of the Broad Street property that became the Nesbitt House.

Superimposed bay windows, with cornices at a triangular greensward.

Called the Sea Cliff and completed in May both levels, the upper one more elaborate, are The residence ofJohn C. Ring, a masoruy common to both Orange and Brood Street houses. engineer, on the north corner of Hussey and 1887, the building was three stories with a garIt is reported that Charles H. Robinson remained Liberty Streets was begun by Robinson in the ret and in the QueenAnne style. It was covered constantly busy during working hours; and summer of 1885. The front door faces neither by clapboards and shingles and sported bay when bad weather kept him inside his shop, street, but rather toward the east. It is in the windows, gables, dormers, tall chimneys, and he spent his time turning out such ornaments. angle between two gabled two-and-a-halfsto- roof crestings, with piazzas front and back. The The lavishness of his architectural embellish- ried pavilions, and it is sheltered by a small, old house, serving as kitchen at the south end, ments is, therefore, a testimonial to the in- bracketed pent roof. The house is plain, with was brought up to date by an elaborate hood clemency of the Nantucket clime. The An- evenly spaced windows of two panes per sash, over its entrance and by a gabled dormer above drew Hunt house next door was built about the and deep eaves on all sides. The house originally the cornice. A larger structure was built along­ same time and became µirt of the Nesbitt House would have been clapboarded. side Robinson's pavilion in 1892-93, making complex in 1896. The two buildings were joined Long-awaited on the island was a large the Sea Cliff the largest hostelry ever built on by a covered way, which later was removed. seasonal hotel on North Cliff. It had beensug- Nantucket. The addition was put up by E. T. The Nantucket railroad was built from gestedin thelnquirerandMirroron August 15, Carpenter of Foxboro. Both structures subse­ town to a proposed cottagecolonyat Surfside 1868, as a match to such institutions at Niag- quently were enlarged, and the entire com­ in 1881. It was a three-foot-gauge line, three ara, Cape May, and Old Point Comfort. The lo- plex was demolished in 1972. miles long. Inasmuch as the lifesaving station cation on the cliff was chosen because "[t]he view A wealthy Bostonian, R Gardner Chase, and a few shacks were all that existed on the south is perfect; if there is a breath of air, it blows had purchased a sizable tract beyond the Sea shore, a great barn-like depot was built to serve here." Recommended facilities included a llight Clifflot in 1883 from artist Eastman Johnson. as a restaurant, dance hall, skating rink, and of stairs down to the shore; convenient bath- Chase engaged Cummings and Sons to design general assembly room. It was about 100-feet houses; boathouses for those desirous of sail- buildings. At the beginning of the following year, long, and a frail porch ran across the side to- ing, fishing, and rowing; and bowling alleys, a huge stable was begun at the lower end of the ward thetrackswhere, twenty feet away, a nar- billiard salons, a baseball diamond, and cro- property near North Beach Street. It was largely row platform served for passengers to alight. quet grounds in or near the building. of stone, and masons came from the Hub for the The only decoration on the ----- ------------------- -construction work. Charles H. building was chevron stripes Called th eSea Cliffand completed inMay 1887, the building was three stories with a was responsible for Robinson · d on the doors, an t e garret andin the QueenAnnestyle. pamte d h the carpentry work. The buildname "SURF SIDE" appeared ing, measuring 120-by-43 on the roof in shaded letters like 1/2-feet, was longer than the those which promoted the SeaCliff,butn otas deep. The Ocean View House at Steamstable walls were of boulders boat Wharf. This and a record and exposed timbers, and its that Robinson later constructed massing combine d wide a "cook's house near the resgables, a square tower with tau rant" suggest that he also hipped roof, and various overbuilt the railroad depot at hangs. No residence was built, Surfside. and Chase disposed of the In the same year that the property in 1894. The buildrailroad was constructed , ing that was erected , now Charles H. Robinson and called the Stone Barn Inn, Alfred Swain launched a small served as a caravansary . Its development called Clifton former, ample carriage doors Springs near the earlier have been filled with shingled Barney-Coffin-Robinson colsiding and the necessary fenony at theend oflincolnAveestration.

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In 1891 Robinson built a large bowling alley at Surfside, "containing two alleys, with room for a third if required." The structure supplemented the Surfside Hotel, which had been brought over from the Provi­ dence River and re-erected about a mile from the railrood station in 1883. The hotel ac­ commodated many of the ftmc­ tions of the depot. As soon as the bowling alley was com­ pleted, a plank walk was laid, presumably by Robinson, from the hotel group to the lifesav­ ing station beyond the depot.

Charles H. Robinson's involvement in the hotel busi­ ness surfaced again when he purchased the American House at the north comer of Orange Street and Martins Lane in the Charles Robinson was responsibleforthecarpentryon the Stone Barn lnnin 1884. spring of 1895. The early-nine­ teenth--century, two-storied frame residence had with Robinson to build his house on the site of across from his Holiday Inn, back from the side­ been a boardinghouse at least since the Great the old town house at the west comer of Main walk to the edge of Quanaty Bank overlooking Fire of 1846, when devastation of the nucleus and Milk streets. With bracketed eaves, gabled the Great Harbor. The building had been pur­ of the community prompted many homeown­ pavilions on front and sides, bracketed porch, chased by William Barnes,Jr., to serve as a pri­ ers to offer accommodations. Robinson mod­ and bay window, the new structure was larger vate residence and was altered in the Colonial ernized the building, which became three-sto­ than the Ring or Marden residences. On the east Revival style. Wyer and Company performed ried: he added an entrance porch with bal­ flank the verandah with classic columns on the carpentry work. In 1911 Robinson again cony above and a projection at the top be­ pedestals is modem. worked for George Brinton to make extensive tween a pair of bay windows which carried As the tum of the century approached, improvements on the BeachHouse farm prop­ through the three floors. The cornice of a cupola Robinson, then seventy, was not ready to re­ erty in Polpis, including new fences and an ad­ was barely visible between the chimney tops. tire. At the beginning of 1902 he moved the old dition to the dwelling. The remarkable thing about Ornament was supplied by horizontal bands Sherburne H ouse, a hostel on Orange Street this last job is that the builderwasinhis eighty­ second year and still active. of clapboards, dark-stained, Soon after his work at Pol­ overlapping shakes, and Robinsons's involvement in the hotel business surf aced again when he pure hased the pis, however, Robinson's health painted shingles, with some American House at the north comer of Orange StreetandMartins Lane in 1895. began to decline. According to turned parts, banisters, and his obituary, his condition was bracketing only at the entrance. not "thought serious, as he was A piazza was added on the north able to be out on Main street up flank in 1904. Robinson toa week or so before his death." changed the name to Holiday He died at the age of eighty-six Inn, which persevered as a hos­ and was recognized as "one of the tel ry through World War I. It leading citizens of the town." was razed in 1921, and a small Charles H. Robinson was more domicile was built on the site. builder than architect. His handi­ Owner Robinson did not work will not be remembered for run the Holiday Inn any more any great design innovations, but than he had the Ocean View his buildings and renovations are House; this left him free to representative of a period, of a continue building. At the out­ place, and of a life-style proper set of 1 897 he was engaged to to the inhabitants ofand visitors construct a home for W. B. to his native island.

Mardenon the northcornerof Milk and Risdale (now New Dol­ Clay Lancaster is the author of lar Lane) streets. It was on the several Nantucket books, includ­ order of theJohn C. Ring how::. ing The Architecture ofHi.stori.c Subsequently, it has undergone Nantucket (1972) and Nantucket changes, such as acquiring i.n the Nineteenth Century (1979). shingles, and its entrance has

been moved from the front to a side addition. ln March 1899 Harrison Gardner contracted

An annotated copy of this article is on file in the NHA Research Center.

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The Elihu Coleman House

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The budget cliff-hanger of 1990 has pos­ sibly called into question the tax-deductible value of charitable contributions for certain taxpay­ ers. How reassuring that recent studies show most people do not think of tax consequences first when they make a gift to a nonprofit organization! It would nevertheless be wise this year to consider the possibility that a more generous gift now might be more favorable to your tax situation than a smaller gift now and another gift later - or, heaven forbid, no gift at all. We are not in the business of giving tax advice, and everyone is going to need Windex for his or her crystal ball in 1990; but we urge our members to consult their financial advisers and to take full advan­ tage of all the benefits of a year-end gift to the NHA, including the warm feeling.

You will soon be receiving our annual ap­ peal for an additional financial commitment beyond your membership support. Again this year, we are offering a group of tantalizing in­ ducements to make you cast your bread upon the water in our direction. Even if the Federal Government won't thank you, we certainly will try because the term "budget cliff-hanger" takes ona different meaning in a nonprofit organiza­ tion like ours. Your additional contribution to the Historical Association in 1990 will guaran­ tee we end this year with a balanced budget. And we are certainly going to need that strong finan­ cial position as we enter the uncharted waters of the New Year. Thank you inadvanceforyour assistance.

I WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU... I The Perfect Christmas Gift

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ive your friends a gift this Christmas that truly reflects your love for Nantucket.

A Nantucket Historical Association gift mem­ bership for twelve months will keep your friends and family in touch with Nantucket's past.

It's easy: all you have to do is call (508) 2281894; stop by the office if you live on Nantucket; or write to Box 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554, and give us the name and address of the person to whom you wish to send a gift membership. When we receive your payment, we will send a special Christmas letter to welcome our new member and acknowledge your gift, along with member­ ship cards, an association decal, and a copy of this issue of Historic Nantucket. If we receive your order before December 15, 1990, we guarantee your gift membership will reach your friend in time for Christmas.

Membership Categories

Individual - $25.00 Family - $40.00 Supporting - $75.00 Sustaining - $140.00

WhataWoman!

Annual Fund Categories

(includes membership) Contributor - $250.00 Hadwen Circle - $500.00 Thomas Macy Associate- $1,000.00 All membership contributions beyond the in­ dividual level are tax-deductible. For informa­ tion regarding additional membership benefits at each level, please contact Jo Sullivan at the office (508) 228-1894.

Looking Bac k, Looking Ahead

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lsewhere in this issue (see Year in Review), we have violated the sixth of Leroy "Satchel" Paige's Six Rules for a Happy Life: Don't look back. Something may be gaining on you. That "something"may be your 1991 tax retum, and as our issue goes to press, the I.RS. is fiddling with your AG.I. to create a year-end P.A.I.N.

Natrally we strive for perfiction when putting our but when our i's blurr from quarterly piblication to gether. repeeted scanning of of the copy finished. of Historic nan­ tucket. we hand it to libby Oldham for the final profrreading.

Libby Oldham is the executive directer of the nantucket cham­ ber of Commerce. She has been their for 10 years and has been the executive director for the 6. �'1 .

Libb?S career in writingA editing and proofreading

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58

ful to her for all the volunteer time she puts into our publication. When we want the best, we turn to Libby!

"Christmas Eve I took the part ofSanta Clause at the Methodist Church," wrote Frank H. Macy, aMainStreetstorekeeper, on]anuary 6, 1878; "nextdaywenttoSconsettwiththe crowd, in the evening, took the part ofthenight before, at the Unitarian.... "

Celebrating Christmas, A Look Back H

ow did Nantucketers spend Christmas in the last century? The answers to this question lie in the memoirs, letters, diaries, and greeting cards that have been supplanted today by telephone conversations and the obligatory annual newsletter. The eighteen hundreds were a period rich in elaborate written communica­ tion which resulted, no doubt, from a pervasive loyalty to family and friends, no matter how great or small the distance that separated them. Here is a holiday sample excerpted from many dif­ ferent sources in the NHA ResearchCentercol­ lections. The spelling and syntax have not been modernized.

'We, together with the rest of the Quaker City, did not take much notice of Christmas ex­ cept that Collins brought in a fine Turkey, which we enjoyed alone with our little family- But in chestnut and many other Streets, there was a plenty of new things to be seen if there had been room for the thousands to parrade. The Christ­ mas tree was lighted up (& the Gas extinguished) with 50 candles - much to the amusement of the children&the olderones too. lt was nearly to the top of the wall, & pendant on its branches many curiosities hung- But all this would have been poor entertainment to some of us but for the tea, coffee, fried and stewed oisters - chicken sallad, hot biscuit, cake & preserves. All together it was a pleasant social company-" Written in 1858 from Philadelphia to a relative on Nantucket, this letter reveals that families were celebrating the Christmas holiday before the Civil War and, unlike other major American cities, Philadelphia seems to have adopted the Christmas tree years before the cus­ tom became commonplace. An 1825 edition of Philadelphia'sSaturday Evening Post described "trees visible through the windows, whose green boughs are laden with fruit, richer than the golden apples of Hesperides, or the sparkling diamonds that clustered on the branches in the wonderful cave of Aladdin."

Somewhat less eloquent in description, Nantucket resident Arthur H. Gardner, editor

By Gay I Michael of the Nantucket journal and member of the Massachusetts legislature, 1891-92 and 19001904, kept a diary from 1864 to 1867. At age ten, he recorded for December 25: "Had a knife presented to me." Certainly, this gift was very much appreciated by young Arthur who con­ sidered it worthy of mention.

His diary, characteristic in style and con­ tent of a young man, is typical in its brevity. In addition to the entry for Christmas he also wrote for that same year: December 9 "Froz.e in the house last night."; December 13 "Charly went home, I went skating." December 31 "Charlie Tracy,Jamie Reyot and myself had a tree with fourteen pres­ ents on it, it has rained hard all day."

Again, as in the letter penned in 1858, there is mention of a Christmas tree-a custom that adds to our cultural heritage, binds us to our µlst, and helps us to realiz.e that Christmas, as we cele­ brate it, would not be possible without the rich contribution of the immigrants who came to America, especially during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Several letters written to Dr. Benjamin Sharp in Philadelphia by his friends on Nantucket also help us to learn how nineteenth-century is­ landers observed these customs during the lat­ ter part of the century.

"Christmas eve I took the part of Santa Clause at the Methodist church," wrote Frank H. Macy, a Main Street storekeeper, onJanuary 6 , 1878; "next day went to Sconsett with the crowd, in the evening took the part of the night before, at the Unitarian after that went to the dance, the next night went down to Reb. Smiths with Susie Winslow and talked the days work over, that we did Christmas,...."

We assume that Macy and most of the other Nantucket merchants, decorated their store windows with items forgiftgiving and ingredi­ ents for delicious Christmas dinners. No doubt island merchants supplied many of the items mentioned in the following letter to Dr. Sharp received from Catherine (Wyer) Starbuck, Mat­ thew Starbuck's wife in which she described her

celebration of Christmas in1898 in a private Main Street home that is now the Homestead.

"You know I am a member of the famous S.H.E. Club -We resolved when we first formed to meet every Christmas and partake of a Christ­ masdinnerat eachothers houses- This wasour 12th meeting. We met with Sister Perry-When we first met we allowed no outsider to be with us- but as time went on we had friends or kindred to come home to pass the holidays and conse­ quently included them - So now we invite the Parson and wife if he has one - Quite fortunately our new minister has one - so they were included with Horace Easton -My Horace was invited but declined-You know he has lost his hearing and it wearies him very much to watch the motion of the lips in a large Company-Well as I said before we met with Sister Perry. At 1/2 past 6 we were invited out to dinner - The table was beautifully decorated with holly branches and f lowers. At each plate was a dinner card; and a bunch of pinks from you, which we all m� heart­ ily thank you for.We drank to your health and that all the great Blessings, This world can e're give, We heartily wish you,And long may you live."

"There were 14 of us - some in the 90's some 80's, some ?O's and some 60 and 2 per­ haps in the 50's. A goodly company dressed in their best and looking very happy. 1st course Oyster soup. 2nd Roast turkey and all the fix­ ings. 3rd Ice cream - Cake - 4 fruit and coffeeWe always club together and purchase some­ thing silverorcut glass to present to the hostess - This year we bought a silver cold meat fork- I presented it when the coffee was being sipped &fruiteaten-You seeit came fromafaroverthe cold and had quite an experience before reach­ ing its destinationl 1 Considerable romance. After the meal was over we returned to the dining room - the gas was turned out - only light was from hall and fire. The yule log with pine boughs burned brightly. We seated ourselves in a circle and told ghost and fairy stories - some told reminiscences of younger days - conundrums etc. At nine Oclock

59

-Nantucket Novelty Store­ CHRISTMAs, 1887 UJ. ..µ

()01nprisc but a fe,v of the uutny r_roys for the Holidays at the

NANTUCKET NOVELTY STORE, LOD(l}� JJUILDI�G, MAIN S'f.

Mrs. Perry went across the hall then open[ ed] the west parlor door and called us to come. There was the room brilliantly lighted - A beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the center - all full of Christmas presents baskets of candy - pictures of our celebrated army and navy heroes etc. So we Od! and Ah'd! and admired and munched candy awhile, then returned to the East parlor where we sang ChristmasHymns - Songs of various kinds ­ At ten Oclock we arose joined hands sang Auld Lang Syne and departed to our homes, all saying this is the very bestest Christmas of all the Christ­ mases."

Yet, beneath all the holiday gaiety, to a close friend an islander might admit to mental and physi­ cal fatigue caused by preparations for December 25, as did Mary Eliza Starbuck, later a founder of the Nantucket Historical Association, when writ­ ing to Dr. Benjamin Sharp on December 18, 1878. "...I was reading the Autobiography [Mills Logic] but the thickness of the book and the fineness of the print appalled me. However I may read it bye and bye after the Christmas hurry is over. We Miss Baxter,Mrs. Milaram and I, with some of the Sunday School children have been at the vestry all the evening decorating it with cedar. It looks very pretty, better then ever before but it is very weary­ ing work. I am very tired now but it is for Christ­ mas, so I think we need not mind a little incon­ venience."

Inconvenience was an understatement to those whowent to sea. Those brave men and women, who dealt for years with loneliness and the always present danger of the merciless ocean, tried to make the best of their situation espe cially at Christmas, which was often just another working day. Their journals help us to understand how they spent this holiday far from family and friends. Perhaps some other whaling wives were as fortunate as Mary Chipman Lawrence, who was with their daughter on board her husband Samuel's whaleship, the Ad­ dison, out of New Bedford, when she recorded in 1857 : "Christmas Day reminds us of home and friends. Minnie wished to hang up her stocking as usual,and as I had a tin of candies which her grandpi put up for her, Santa Claus managed to fill it very well. We sat down to a Christmas dinner of two roast turkeys, sweet and Irish potatoes, boiled on­ ions, stewed pumpkin, and cranberries, pickles, and a nice Indian pudding made of milk and eggs.

Had a goat killed for the benefit of those living in the forecastle, to which, I should think, they did ample justice, as there are but two legs remain­ ing ..... " Arranging a Christmas dinner in the South Pacific required a year's advance planning. Nancy (Wyer) Grant, wife of Captain Charles Grant, liked to tell their grandchildren that, one year, Grandpa invited the captains and wives aboard ships spo­ ken to try to converge for a gam at a predetermined place off New Zealand. On Christmas Day, with eight vessels standing by, Nancy and Charles hosted a festive dinner featuring roasted pig. Whether a ship's company observed Christmas depended upon

the generosity of owners or master, as Eldred E. Fysh learned aboard the Coronet (1837-39) out of London, England. His 1837 entry reads: "This being Christmas day, there was no work done and the Capt. gave the men the means of making them­ selves as comfortable as they could do." However, William Morris Davis had the opposite experience aboard the Chelsea (1834-36) of New London, Connecticut, a year or two earlier. He wrote: "But this is Christmas. I wish the world a merry christmas, but there is no use in wishing a merry christmas to that unfortunate race, gener­ ally known and vulgarly called Blubber Hunters, they have not wherewith to make a merry Christ­ mas this with us is plain f ryday only that occasion­ ally some one bawls out '1 wish you a merry Christ­ mas."

Perhaps whalemen were not refined in their celebrations of Christmas; they nevertheless con­ veyed the holiday spirit to their shipmates.

While adults at sea or ashore might label Christmas as hectic or inconvenient, children re­ gard it as a time to put schoolbooks aside and mind their conduct so as not to jeopardize Santa's arri­ val. S. J. Nevins, however, had more than sugar plums dancing in his head in 1877, as he later re­ called: 'There never was any question about Christ­ mas Day being a holiday in its fullest sense at home, and no matter how busy a youngster might be kept on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, when there was no school, he was sure to have Christmas Day to himself.

"If there was ice of sufficient thickness to pe rmit skating on Christmas Day, which was rarely the case, the boys of the former localities (North­ Shorers and Millhillers) made good use of the sport on Mitchell's Ditch,a narrowstripof water which commenced in the rear of the Watson Burgess house on Union Street and ran through properties of John Winn and Capt.JoeHamblin, down as far as Pete Cushman's lot on Fayette Street, where it ended.

Twas after a heavy fall of snow during Christmas week, Charlie Veeder-big-hearted Charlie Veeder, always kind to the smaller boys, as good as gold and a natural leader--addressed us at recess on the dayfollowingthe storm. "'Boys,' he said, 'we're going to have a hard fight this afternoon. It means that everybody, large and small, must make snowballs during the remain­ der of recess. I have received permission to store them in the ante-room where we hang our hats and coats. Every boy is expected to make six snowballs and make them right. Obed C. (Coffin) will in­ spect each snowball and give it the fmishing touches.'

Joe Enas ... locked the ante-room door shortly af­ ter the ringing of the school bell calling the schol­ ars to the school room. And what a session followed!

Before it was half over, the sound of voices in the front yard announced the arrival of the enemy at our very door. Looking out of the windows we could see the enemy drawn up in line....

"Charlie Veeder was the first boy through the door,and he received the full force of the first volley. But the entire school was behind him,and

instantly the fight was on in earnest. A wicked fight took place at this point - the fiercest I had ever wit­ nessed. [The two teams chased each other through the streets and eventually ended up on Main Street.]

"Finally the windows in the stores along the south side of Main Street commenced to go, par­ ticularly those of Nathaniel Coggeshall, and the storekeepers, with brooms and other 'persuaders' took a hand in the affair. That settled it, of course, and barring a few fist fights,the battle was over.

"And the next morning - what a sight. There wasn't a boy absent from the schoolroom, but there were many who ought to have been in bed. I think Ned Greene fared as badlyas any.He had been hit over the eye by a 'bullet'which left a deep gash. There were many others who bore marks of that fracas and will no doubt recall the fight as one of the fierc­ est on the records of school fights.

"Assessments were levied to raise sufficient cash to repair the damage to the school windows, and there were a few who wanted to challenge the enemy for a Christmas Day battle either at MilI or Fisher'sHills, but that's as far as it ever went in my time."

Alliston Greene remembered that both chil­ dren and adults enjoyed winter activities on Nan­ tucket in his Fragrant Memories -Recreation and Entertainment (1947).

"There were the 'entertainments' in Atheneum Hall, always before a full house, admission 25 cents, children 15 cents, 'doors open at seven'! "There were dances in Wendell'sHall. These were family affairs where chaperons were unnecessary. A win­ ter without a 'course of dances' in Wendell's Hall was almost a failure.

"When the weather was favorable, 'sliding' on 'quarter-mile and Sunset Hill kept every boy and girl with a sled happily and healthfully occu­ pied. Orange and Main street were not as good­ too much 'traffic'. Skating on Lily Pond in town and on Washing Pond, out of town, was taken ad­ vantage of every spare hour. One day 'Pete' and I skated the entire lengthofHummockPond, from the North Head to South Shore, and back.

"Then there were the meetings of the Philo­ mathean Society, the Christmas 'doings', and all the exercises in connection with the lodges, clubs, schools, churches, etc.

"No, Nantucket boysandgirlsof 60and 70 years ago were not dependent upon "America" for recreation and entertainment. To be sure there was no telephone, no radio, no automobile, no elec­ tric lights, no movies, nothing! according to mod­ ern ideas; but we got along somehow and some of us are still in the game."

Nantucketers, insular yet neighborly, made the most of Christmas as is evident from their memo­ ries, letters,diaries, and journals. And for all chil­ dren at heart, Christmas is a sentimental time when we pe ruse the fabric of our past, particularly the written past. It is here that we discover our ances­ tors were no less caught up in the spirit of Christ­ mas than we are today and, as always, use the clos­ ing of each year to spread good cheer and friend­ ship.

61

The Year In Review

By Wynn Lee ever, and in this case, they do not reflect some of the best news. Although the Research Cen­ ter, for example,saw many fewer individuals than any of our properties, it also increased its level of service. Each one of its "visitors," of course, required time-consuming, highly specialized at­ tention. The newly expanded facilities, opened on April 27, allowed many more researchers far greater and more comfortable access to our ex­ traordinary collections this year.

The high point of our recent history was commemorated onjune 23 when we welcomed back our oldest friend, the Jethro Coffin House, after three years of painstaking and expensive restoration. Yes,it was an exciting project,but we breathed a collective sigh of re lief at its suc­ cessful conclusion. Perhaps our

missions.

The Nantucket Historical Associa­ tion, I am pleased to report, increased its visitation 16%,and our income rose al­ most 21%. This translates to anaddi­ tional $.10from each of the more than 103,000 people who vis­ ited our properties by the end of September. And this figure does not factor in our increased Museum Shop revenues.

Our exceptional experience occurred in part because we lowered the price of our visitor pass to make it more accessible. Many visitors were thus tempted to see all our sites rather than just one or two, and it is clear that large num­ bers took advantage of their chance. Some of the less-visited sites saw startling increases: Greater Light,for example,had morethan2,000addi­ tional visitors, an incredible one-year jump of 61.4%.

Numbers never tell the whole story,how-

62

but energetic, maintenance staff to tackle the extensive list of outstanding projects.

Perhaps the most exciting news I can re­ port from 1990 is the high level of support we Historic Preseivation. have received from you,ourmembership. This In his regular column assistance translates into over-subscribed atten­ for the Trust's Pres­ dance at all our activities, and we have seen strong ervation News, he response to lectures,seminars, exhibits,musi­ commented that cal programs,and social eventsinthepast year. "the Historical As­ Best of all,a significant percentage of our mem­ sociation produced bers recognize that their annual dues pay only results so seamless part of the Association's operating expenses, and that it's difficult to tell in 1989 they made an additional gift in response that the house was the to our year-end appeal. center of such intense In a former life I began a thesis on a French restoration activity." writer who said, "The trouble with our times is With such good words that the future is not what it used to be." That ringing in our ears, we now tum lack of positive vision is prooo.bly why I ultimately our attention fully to our other prop­ threw my notes on him in the traSh. As I approach erties which,like all aging treasures,need con­ the end of my first year as executive director, I stant care. The generous, but restricted, endow­ am excited by what lies ahead.

Mind you, l am underno illusion thatlife ment of 99 Main Street has permitted major struc­ tural rep:iirs on this building in record time. None is going to be easy: there is so much yet to do at of our other properties, unfortunately, enjoys the NHA, and we are entering difficult times for the benefit of such substantial endowment sup­ our country and for the museum community in port,and restorative work can proceed only as particular. But our plans for the coming years general operating money becomes available. We -notably the creation of a Museum Support Cen­ have nevertheless accomplished significant ter -and the enthusiasm with which staff, trus­ maintenance on the 1800 House, the Mill, the tees, and members alike have greeted them give HadwenHouse,and the Fire Hose Cart House, me hope that the successes of the past yearonly and work will continue as money allows our small, hint at things to come.

EVENTS OF

INTEREST

WINTER BREAK

I

nearly February this year, the permanent staff of the NHA embarked on a two-day "class trip" off-island. We chose Old Sturbridge Vil­ lage and Historic Deerfield because, like the NHA, they both presetve and exhibit historic New Eng­ land buildings and museum collections. Old Sturbridge is a living history museum which re­ creates life in a rural New England town of the 1830s, while Historic Deerfield preseives twelve eighteenth and nineteenth century houses along a street ina real 300-year-old New England vil­ lage.

The visit gave us a chance to discuss with our counterparts the various problems we all face -fund-raising, maintenance and restoration of historic structures, storage and care of fragile objects, management of primary research ma­ terial, and much more.

Despite unpredictable winter weather, a short trip off-island in the middle of February provided a welcome break and proved to be eas­ ily organized. By the time we returned to the shores of Nantucket, we had all agreed that a similar trip this winter might not be a bad idea!

We would love to hear from anyone inter­ ested in takingashort trip with us to visit one or two nearby museums or historic sites. We can keep the cost down by group-booking trans­ portation, accommodation, and entry to indi­ vidual sites. Obviously, any trip we organize will begin and end in Nantucket.

Over the Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Year holiday season, the Brandywine River Mu­ seum in Chadds Ford, PA, is exhibiting our Tony Sarg material. Unfortunately, time does not per­ mit us to organize a trip to the Brandywine for this exhibit, but in looking into it, we discov­ ered that the Brandywine area contains many interesting historical sites. At a later date we would like to organize a trip to the Winterthur Museum and Gardens, Brandywine, and Longwood Gar­ dens.

Another possibility would be a trip a little closer to home - to Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic Marinelife Aquarium, and the Barnum Museum. We would like to be able to offer at least one trip every winter to our members, so we need to get an idea of how many people are interested. You've read a few of our ideas; let's hearyours! Break out of the winterrutand help us liven up the cold months witha trip to some­ where you've always wanted to go!

Join us to

Celebrate the Holiday Season The annual NHAHoliday Party will be taking place in the elegance of the Thomas Macy House at 99 Main Street. Keepaneye outfor your invitation

Thursday, December 6 5:30to 7:30PM

The Thomas Macy House, at 99 Main Street, will be the location for this year's Nantucket Historical Association Christmas party. Substantial improvements have been completed in the kitchen and service areas aswell as badly neededexteriorwork. As in years past, the housewill resoundwith carols pe,formed by a string quartet andaccompaniedby the melodic voices of the NHA's members and staff.

63

MEMBERS NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM SHOP Welcome to Christmas at the Museum Shop Please join us for our annual Members Night on Thanksgiving weekend. To extend our gratitude for your continuing support of the Nantucket Historical Association, all of our merchandise will be discountedat20%offourretail prices, exclud­ ing furniture, tools, and prints.

Friday, November 23, 1990, 4-8 pm

Refreshments will be served, and you can sample the NHA's original recipe for Trisha's Cranberry Crowns: 1/3 cu p softened butter 3/4cupsugar 1 egg 2 cups flour (u nsifted) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cu p cranberry juice 2teaspoon s grated orange rin d 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2teaspoon salt Topping: 1 10-ou n cejar Museum Shop Cran berryJam 2/3 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar Cream together butter a n d sugar. Mix in remaining ingredi­ ents. Place a spoonful of the dough on u ngreased cookie sheet and put thumb print in center. Mix topping and place a dab in center ofthumb print. Bakeat350degreesforabout 15min­ utes or until brown.

The Museum Shop Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Reproductions and Adaptations Featuring Fine China, Furniture, Brass and Silver Adjacent to the Whaling Museum, Nantucket (508)-228-5785

Members of the Historical Association are entitled to a 10% discount upon presenting their membership card.