Historic Nantucket, Winter 1999, Vol. 48, No. 1

THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Dorothy Slover President

Peter W. Nash

David H. Wood First Vice President

Second \lice President

Alan F. Atwood

Virginia S. Heard Clerk

Treasurer

Jean M. Weber Executive Director

BOARD OF TRUSTEES William A. Hance Julius Jensen III Arie L. Kopelman L. Dennis Kozlowski Jane Lamb Carolyn MacKenzie Albert L. Manning, Jr. Bruce D. Miller

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

Aileen M. Newquist Steven M. Rales Arthur I. Reade, Jr. Alfred Sanford Richard F. Tucker Marcia Welch Robert A. Young

ADVISORY BOARD 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

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

RESEARCH FELLOWS Renny A. Stackpole

Nathaniel Philbrick

Dr. Elizabeth Little

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Nathaniel Philbrick Sally Se1dman David H. Wood

Thomas B. Congdon, Jr. Charlotte Louisa Maison Robert F. Mooney Elizabeth Oldham

Mary H. Beman Susan F. Beegel Richard L. Brecker

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

Bartholomew Gosnold Center Folger-Franklin Memorial Fountain, Boulder, and Bench Settlers Burial Ground Tristram Cofll n Homestead Monument Little Gallet·y Eleanor Ham Pony Field Millllill

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

Cecil Barron Jensen

Elizabeth Oldham

EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

Helen Winslow Chase

Claire O'Keeffe

IIJ STORlAN

ART DJ RECTOR

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 materials of interest to our readers. ©1999 by Nantucket Historical Association HistOl'ic 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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VOLUME48, NO.I

Letter from the Executive Director

by Jean M. Weber

"Showing you the house restored":

Edward Sanderson and Moor's End

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by Aimee E. Newell

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Protecting Historic New England Interiors: One House at a Time

21

Bibliography for Historic Interiors Research Compiled by Aimee E. Newell and Betsy Lowenstein

An Ode to an Old Nantucket Home: 32 West Chester Street

by Nancee Erickson

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From Fireplaces to Floorboards:

Reading Historic Interiors

by Patricia Butler and David Wood

by Shantia Anderheggen

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Resources for Old Nantucket Houses

by Patricia Butler

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Book Section

Caring/or Your Historic House Review by Rick Morcom

Hadwen House: A Work in Progress

by Reema Sherry

23

NHANews

On the cover: Tbe front door o/tbe bou.reat 32 \\/'est Chester Street opens onto a preserved sense o/tbe past.

Photo credit: Dav1d Bob!, for tbe Society /or tbe Preservation of New England Antiqwiies.

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THE

1 JlU{SONAL ACENDt\ FOR TillS

issue was set in place about a year ago as I watched a television program on restoring old houses. "Well," said the host to the construction boss, as a large piece of wrecking machinery came crashing through the dining room wall, "That piece of history is history. Now let's go fishin'."

The shock of watching the destruction of so much of the historic fabric of the building and the implication that "history" is what is finished, done, dead, and useless set my teeth on edge. The founding premise of the NHA is that history is not only alive and useful, but essential. It can also be fun. With so many voracious appetites for local history and so many enticing fields of inquiry on Nantucket, it is tempting to apply the packrat mentality: save evetything.

But the television show also reminded me in a very personal sense that many people, myself included, do not know how to accurately "read" the interior features of old II IS T 0 RIC

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EXECUTIVE buildings. So, in planning this issue of Historic Nantucket, we set about to inform ourselves. What are the resources for restoring historic properties; what are the guidelines? How do we make tl1e difficult choices between modern necessities and tastes and preserving the few remaining examples of early architecture and period decor? The challenge becomes even greater when the historic house and its interior embellishments are rare examples of styles that are now very much out of fashion or have interior features that appear ugly or anachronistic and do not meet the needs of contemporary living.

On Nantucket, decisions about what to save when restoring historic properties are sometimes complicated by the years of successive restorations, repairs, and improvements that frequently exist in one house. The house tells its own story over time, and the haphazard mix may be far more interesting as a true record than

DIRECTOR choosing a single period. Untangling the puzzle can be enormously rewarding.

Homes that have remained in the same family for many generations are a living testimony to the life of that family. New owners-fortunate enough to have the time for research and investigation to discover the "life story" of their home-become an integral part of its chain of history as they decide what features from the past to incorporate into their own living patterns.

This issue of Historic Nantucket is not intended to advocate any single approach to restoration. We assume that people who live or acquire property on Nantucket already have a reverence for the historic environment. What we offer here are the resources to discover more about the historical features of island buildings. In addition, we offer the promise that learning to read and selectively save the historical features of a home will add immensely to the joy and pride of ownership. \X/INTER

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"Showing you the house restored": Edward F Sanderson and Moor)s End by

E

DWARD

F.

SANDERSON IS PROBABLY BEST

known on Nantucket as one of the "earliest Aimee E. Newell benefactors of the Nantucket Whaling Museum." Many Historic Nantucket readers will be familiar with the story of his generosity in 1929 when he donated his extensive collection of whaling tools and implements, forming the core of the NHA's whaling exhibits. Shortly after making that donation, Sanderson assisted with the purchase of the Hadwen and Barney candle factory on Broad Street, protecting it until the NHA could raise the funds to buy the building and open it as a museum. The Whaling Museum's Sanderson Hall, site of countless lectures and annual meetings over the years, continues to display the tools and implements that he carefully collected. However, Sanderson's interest in whaling history and artifacts grew out of his initial attraction to the island's architecture.

During the 1920s, Sanderson purchased three historic homes on the island and oversaw restoration of the exteriors and interiors (see sidebar). But, it wasn't until after he purchased the house known as Moor's End at 19 Pleasant Street that he started collecting the "tools of the trade," such as harpoons, boarding knives, cutting spades, and bomb lances, as part of a careful interior restoration of tl1at house. As Historic Nantucket reported in a twenty-fifth anniversary report on the Whaling Museum, "In renovating and furnishing the A portratl of large mansion so that each room would be authentically Edward F. Sanderson as representative of a period in its history, [Sanderson] seen in became interested in the island's history as a whaling T11e Congregationalist port and began . .. to collect implements and material in 1903. relating to whaling." Nantucket lore has it that his col-

4

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lection grew so large he could no longer store it conveniently. Promotional material on the opening of the Whaling Museum in 1930 explains Sanderson's motivation: "As Mr. Sanderson's collection grew far beyond his hopes or anticipations, he decided that its extent and value warranted its permanent establishment as a public museum for the enjoyment of all who might be interested." This generous gift is proof of Sanderson's belief in the importance of the past. The restorations that he undertook for living spaces are part of that same interest. Sanderson followed similar steps in amassing his whaling collection as he did when overseeing the restoration work on his house: he consulted experts for advice. Frank Wood, curator at the Old Dartmouth (New Bedford) Historical Society; Clifford Ashley, autl1or of Yankee Whaling; and Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy, assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, all assisted Sanderson in his quest. In 1930 the process was explained this way: "His emissaries searched tl1e markets of the world, buying lavishly, but with discrimination, until they had assembled one of the largest and best collections of this kind of material to be found anywhere."

Sanderson's preservation and collecting activities provide a living legacy on Nantucket, but his early life took place in the Midwest. Edward F. Sanderson was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 16, 1874, to Frederick Milton and Harriet P. Sanderson. He came East and graduated from Amherst College in 1896, receiving a degree from the Hartford Theological Seminary three years later. From his ordination to the ministry in 1899 until 1915, Sanderson served as \X/INTER

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a Congregational minister and pastor consecutively in Beverly, Mass., Providence, R.I., and Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1903, an article in the magazine The Congregationalist described Sanderson in glowing terms just after he took his post in Providence: "Everyone is prepossessed in his favor, on first meeting him, by his frankness and heartiness, for he has genuine personal magnetism." These same qualities probably served him well in engaging the experts who helped with his preservation and collecting activities. In 1915, Sanderson turned from the clergy to administrative positions at nonprofit institutions Goodwill Industries in Brooklyn from 1915 to 1916 and The People's Institute in New York from 1916 to 1921. He served on numerous charitable boards and fought in the infantry during the Spanish-American War. First married to Etbel Eames in 1912, the couple had one son, David. The first Mrs. Sanderson passed away in 1917 and Sanderson was remarried in 1934 to Grace (Jarvis) Schauffler. In 1921, Sanderson retired from his full-tin1e career as minister and administrator and turned his considerable energies to historic preservation and collecting antiques. Traveling berween New York and Nantucket, he was known on the island as a "summerite" until1934 when he and his wife took up year-round residence in Quidnet. Sanderson passed away on October 31, 1955, causing the NHA to suffer "the loss of a principal benefactor, a loyal friend, and a life member."

The best known house that Sanderson restored on Nantucket is Moor's End. The house was originally built for Jared Coffin between 1829 and 1834. Coffin was a mariner and shipbuilder who made his fortune in whale oil. At that time the house was on the farthest outskirts of Nantucket town ~md, the story has it, Mrs. Coffin felt that it was too far away. So, Coffin built a second home at the corner of Broad and Centre streets, still standing today as the Jared Coffin House, and sold Moor's End to Reuben Hallet in 1851. When originally constructed, the house was a sin1ple, square brick structure with chimneys at the end walls. Between Coffin's first sale of the bouse to Hallet in 1851 and its purchase

by Edward Sanderson in 1925, the house underwent several additions and the land taken up by today's magnificent formal garden was added to the lot in 1899 by Henry B. Williams. Preswnably, the famous brick walls around the grounds were added around the same time.

Almost immediately after his purchase, Sanderson undertook a meticulous restoration of the bouse, inside HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

and out, in consultation with Philadelphia architect Fiske Kimball and the creator of the Metropolitan Museum's American Wing, R.T.H. Halsey. Halsey opened the American Wing at the Met in 1924 and caused quite a stir with its aesthetic of simplicity, a sharp contrast to Victorian style \vith its overstuffed furniture and elaborate knickknacks. As several historians have docwnented, the rise of the "colonial revival" style (and probably a motivation for Sanderson's preservation activities on Nantucket) was a reaction to the increasing urbanization and inmugration taking place in America. Citizens like Halsey and Sanderson turned to the past for "solace and inspiration."

Sanderson also indulged his own aesthetic sensibilities, although, according to Fiske Kimball, he was "an owner in a thousand ... wbo, willie wisely insisting the result should be thoroughly livable, was eager to respect the style of the house and accept its farthest in1plications .... " Willian1 Swnner Appleton, founder of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), and another expert consulted by Sanderson, sent his congratulations after Sanderson's purchase of the bouse in April1925, "You may imagine how much pleasure it gave us to know that Moor's End had been bought by somebody interested in its proper upkeep .... You are no more fortunate in baving

Moor's End, 19 Pleasant Street.

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5

At left.

acquired it than the house is in having come to so appreciate [sic] an owner."

With the structural renovations in the masterly hands of Fiske Kimball and his associate, Erling H. Pedersen, at Moor's End. Sanderson pursued the proper interior furnishings, At right: the again relying extensively on specialists. These advisers, Stanley James Rowland who suggested everything from window treatments to murals in rugs, are acknowledged in Fiske Kimball's description of the project, which appeared in the September 1927 issue the dtiling room. of The Architectural Record. Kimball characterized his work this way: "The architectural task in the recent work was to preserve the amenities of some of these features [additions and changes made during the nineteenth century], while restoring the character and atmosphere of the old work. The new features had to be pulled off and put back again, with a difference." These "new features," added over the course of the nineteenth century, included a two-story porch at the rear, a fake Palladian window over the garden door, and three dormers at the back of the house. Kimball's language in describing these modifications provides insight into the changing stylistic beliefs regarding America's historic structures, "The simple old stable was glorified into a model of some admired Venetian church .... Inside the house, two of the old mantels were replaced with pretentious "Colonial" ones .... " Like Halsey, who wrote of his American Wing, "the furnishings should be restrained and no semblance of crowding permitted," Kimball was also reacting to the overblown Victorian styles of the previous century. a Louis 5. Davidson photograph of the rear garden

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Structurally, the "principal fresh modification" was to lengthen the upstairs ell to accommodate Sanderson's large library. "By the aid of shoehorns," Kimball writes, bathrooms were "squeezed in " and bedrooms with closets were restored on one side of the house. The rear dormers were reduced in size and painted the same color as the slate roof so that they would blend in inconspicuously. Several other modifications were completed, all in an attempt to simplify the nineteenth-century changes and return the structure of the house to its original style. The restoration process was lengthy, beginning in 1925 and ending in 1928.

Kin1ball also recounted the interior design changes of the house in his article, illustrating the importance that both he and Sanderson attached to the house as a whole - inside and outside. While "no attempt was made to keep everything exactly of one precise moment of the early American style ... in general [pieces from the same period] have been grouped in different rooms." Efforts were undertaken to avoid English pieces, except for articles "which were scarcely produced in early America and were always imported," and to avoid modern works or reproductions, except for some textiles and lighting devices.

Perhaps Sanderson's most spectacular change to Moor's End are the murals painted on the dining-room walls. Artist Stanley James Rowland presents a Nantucket whaler's voyage from home port to the Pacific Ocean. The murals were designed using Sanderson's collection of whaling implements and docWI

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umentary sources from the NHA's library. In a description of the murals for the February 1927 issue of House Beautz/ul, J oseph Husband explained their function: "It is a marvelous panorama of a bit of American history .. .. And it is appropriate that it should be housed here - not on the cold walls of a museum or some other public b uilding, but in a house built out of the very industry it depicts . ... More than a decoration, this scenic pa per is a record of an epoch; it is an historic document. " Unfortunately, there is little extant docw11entation of the Moor's End restoration from Sanderson 's perspective. An April1 , 1925, letter from Sanderson to William Sumner Appleton suggests his enthusiasm for the project: "Professor Kimball has prepared most interesting plans for the restoration of the whole place, and I hope that some day I may have ilie opportunity of showing you the house restored." Undoubtedly, Sanderson was pleased with the end result, which used architectural features and historic furnishings to create a sense of ilie past. His attention to detail and his overwhelming generosity through ilie gift of his whaling collection to ilie NHA suggest his commitm ent to education through preservation. And this commitment was not solely personal: Moor's En d and th e Wh alin g Mus e um's Sanderson Hall still allow the island community to learn about and take pride in their past.

Aimee E. Newell ir the NHA's Regirtrar. Her articLe on Nantucket weddings appeared in the Fall l998 issue of

Source List Clippings from @e on Edward F. Sanderson, class of 1896. Archives and Special Collections, Amherst College Library, Amherst, Mass.

"Historic American Buildings Survey," vol. 4, sec. 32.

Historic Nantucket, July 1955 and January 1956 issues.

Humphrey, Henry B., Jr. "In the Best American Tradition," Country Life, April1927 , 34-41.

Husband,Joseph. "A Whaling Saga," The House

Beautiful, February 1927, 149-52.

Kimball, Fiske. "Moor's End Nantucket, Massachusetts," The Architectural Record, vol. 62, no. 3, September 1927, 190-200.

Kulik, Gary. "Designing the Past: History-Museum Exhibitions from Peale to the Present" in Leon, Warren, and Roy Rosenzweig, eels. History Museums in the United States, Urbana, ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1989.

Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror, obituary of Edward F. Sanderson, November 5, 1955.

William Sw1mer Appleton Collection. April2 , 1925, letter from Appleton to Edward F. Sanderson and April1 , 1925, letter from Edward F. Sanderson to Appleton. Society for tl1e Presetvation of New England Antiquities Library and Archives, Boston, Mass.

Historic Nantucket.

W

lllLE TllE FOCUS OF THIS ARTICLE lS ON SANDERSON'S RESTORATION OF MOOR'S END , lit.: ALSO OWNED AND

restored two other island homes during the 1920s. Sanderson owned the house at 105 Main Street for a time, although records of his ownership are contradictory and require further study. The house was originally built

by Christopher Starbuck, and it is believed iliat the old part of the house was relocated to its Main Street foundation from the origin<J i land settlement of Sherburne.

The house at 32 West Chester Street, originally built for Richard Gardner III between 1722 and 1724, was owned briefly

by Sanderson in 1926 until he sold it later that year to Fran cis H. B. Byrne. Owned since 1951 by the Woodle family, the house currently has a presetvation easement held by SPNEA (see articles on pp. 8 and 12). No doubt this would have pleased Sanderson, given his passion for hist01y and his interest in restoring Nantucket homes to tl1eir original style.

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Protecting Historic New England Interiors: One House at a Time by

Shantia Anderheggen

8

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HE SENSE OF NEW ENGLAl\JD AS A PLACE IS

inextricably linked with history and historic buildings. Old and historic structures abound here compared to other parts of the country, yet as the twentieth century draws to a close, New England's architectural record is increasingly threatened. "Tear-downs," now common parlance to describe demolishing historic structures to make way for new construction, have become a common sight across the region, and the extensive alteration of New England's historic buildings threatens to deface these vital and character-defining resources beyond recognition. The most jeopardized feature of privately owned historic buildings is their interior spaces and architectural elements. Few but homeowners, families, and guests ever get to view these features, yet they may reveal as much, and perhaps more, about New England's past than its weather-exposed exteriors. How can the owners of historic New England interiors preserve them?

The right of individual property owners to do as they wish with their property is a long-standing tradition in this country. As long as local zoning, safety, and health ordinances are observed, property owners have nearly absolute control over their property. Fortunately, encompassed in the nearly unlimited rights granted to private property owners is the power to give up some of their individual rights. These may include the right to alter, neglect, or demolish a building; the choice of whether to add onto a building or to add new buildings to a property; and even the decision about how a property or structure may be used in the future.

Voluntarily conveying some of these rights to a qualified donee organization is one way that the owners of historic properties can ensure their protection. A willing owner may convey these rights using legal mechaNANTUCKET

nisms such as rc trictions, easements, covenants, or conditions, in any deed , will, or other instrument. With a genesis in traditional common law practice in England and America, in the past twenty years easements have proven to be an extremely valuable tool for protecting historic re ources. Properly crafted, casements ensure that the important clements of a histone structure and its surroundings will not be destroyed or altered without the donee organization's prior permission.

The benefits of easement donation are clear. A historic resource can be preserved in perpetuity, for which there i obvious public benefit, bur retained in private ownership and thus maintained on the local property tax rolls. Donors will not only be assured that the conditions of the casement will be upheld by the casement bolder, but may qualify for state and federal income tax deductions as well.

Any owner of a historic property \\ ith architectural value may grant a preservation casement. Yet there is one obvious characteristic that all donors of preservation easements share: a strong desire and determination to ensure the presetvation of a specific historic property.

Whether their connection to the property comes through long-term family ownership or that perhaps they themselves saved the building from destruction at an earlier date, the goal is the same: to be satisfied that they have permanently preserved a portion of New England's CLUtural heritage for future generations.

Why Protect Historic Interiors?

Historic houses are handmade house and their interior architectural features presetve the proof: woodwork is attached using wrought iron ro ehead nails, plaster walls and ceilings show the marks of a hand-held trowel used to smooth wet plaster, floorboards often possess the distinct marks of hand-planing, and each glass light \X' l NTER

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contains its own impurities. None of these historic building materials was standardized and each element that has survived embodies its own unique evidence of the past.

Altering historic interiors means removing the physical evidence of our predecessors' decisions regarding the style and function of a building's interiors. These decisions were often made intentionally, based upon the particular taste of the moment, the owners' economic status, or perhaps what materials were available at any one time. Less tangible decisions, however, can often be teased out of historic buildings as well. Patterns of wear exemplify this perfectly: architectural features that show significant wear were probably used more frequently than comparable features that show less wear. Stair treads are a good example. The treads of one staircase may have much greater wear than that of another in the house, indicating tl1at the building's occupants used one staircase more often than the other. If this evidence of wear is altered or removed, then so too is the opportunity to investigate and understand why this occurred.

Without the oversight of an easement holder who understands the value of these subtle details, owners may be inclined to undertake irreversible changes to interesting and revealing historic fabric. If the value of the past's intact evidence is honored, there is rarely any justification for replacing building components that still serve their original function. And if properly and well maintained and protected against individual whin1s of alteration, the significant interior features of historic buildings, constructed from the most durable of woods and other early materials, can last indefinitely.

SPNEA Easement Case Study: The Richard Gardner III House, Nantucket Set on three acres abutting Nantucket's Lily Pond and conservation land, tl1e Richard Gardner ill House, at 32 West Chester Street, is a contributing structure to Nantucket's Historic District, which was itself designated a National Historic Landn1ark in 1966. Constructed between 1722 and 1724, the Gardner house is an early integral lean-to bouse, one of fewer than fifty that exist today on the island. As one of Nantucket's earliest dwellings, the house clearly merited preservation based solely on its place in the island's history. The fact that its architectural details, especially those found in the interior, hold extraordinary evidence of the past further justified protecting this structure.

II IS T 0 RIC

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When considering the long-term preservation of the Gardner house, the owner had several options.

Preserving the structure as a historic house museum was one that tl1e owner knew was not feasible because so few original objects and archives related to the property survived. Although the local historic and National Register district controls would offer protection for the exterior of the building, they could do nothing to preserve its interior elements, which the donor knew were essential to preserve.

Clearly, anotl1er strategy was necessary to satisfy the owner's goal of preserving both the exterior and interior architecture of the house: one that could maintain the property in private ownership and protect the totality of its architectural features, as well as its surrounding site, against destructive activities. A presetvation easement achieved these goals.

Worn stair treads and transom lights give character and a sense of history to the bouse at32 West Chester Street.

Photo by DavtdBob4

I /or the Society /or the Presetvation of New Englmtd Antiquities.

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In 1994, the owner of the Gardner house granted a

The southjadng facade (below) and the dining room (r).

Photos by DavidBohl, courtesy ofthe Sodety for the Preservation of New England

preservation easement to SPNEA. The easement protects against alterations to the house and shed and, in addition, prevents subdivision of the property. Because the surrounding land is part of the historic context of the house, protection for this land could be accomplished under the preservation easement, as opposed to a separate conservation (or land protection only) restriction. Before undertaking any work that affects the protected features of a structure, owners must obtain prior permission from SPNEA. Thorough annual inspections of the property ensure that the protected features remain intact and unaltered and, in addition, offer the opportunity to discuss routine maintenance strategies.

Because so much of the early and original architectural fabric remains intact, the Gardner house easement protects nearly all interior and exterior features. At the exterior of the building (main block and rear ell), all architectural elements of the sidewalls (doors, trimwork, windows) and roof are protected, as are the brick chimney and stone foundation walls. Interior protected features focus on the main block's structural timber framing, masonry fireboxes and hearths, plaster walls and ceilings, floorboards, woodwork, and building hardware. Of critical importance is the preservation of the building's original floorplan, including

Antiquities.

the location of the walls, doors, and \vindow openings. Unique features as wel.l as regional peculiarities are also preserved: over the southeast chamber's fireplace exists a small cupboard with a nine-light glass door, and

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at the entry hall is a transom window above the southwest parlor door opening. Finally, the land surrounding the house will remain free of additional buildings, essentially protected as open space.

SPNEA's Stewardship Program The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities actively administers preservation easements on over sixty historic properties across cw England.

Within P EA, ca cmcnts arc managed by the Stewardship Ocpattmcnt. Because casements arc flexible by nature, each one of, PNEA's casement documents is tailored to the individual historic propctty as wel.l as to the individual donor's goals. \X'ith a legal and ethical obligation to en urc that the easements can be enforced and defended forever, potential casement donations are evaluated with great care. Each propclt} is weighed on its own merits, after careful examination of its architectural and hi torical significance. Once SP EA has determined that a property has enough integrity lmd interest to merit an easement, the extent of the casement is negotiated \\~th the propctty's O\\'ncr. At its minin1um, an easement accepted by SP EA will protect the structure's exterior clements as wel.l as structural framing, and must also address inspection, maintemmce, enforcement, usc, insurance, and casualty damage.

More often thlm not, SPNEA's casements also protect the interior floor plan, plaster, and woodwork as well as outbuildings and site features such as stone walls.

Once the tcnns of the easement are settled, SP EA undertakes archival documentary photography, which accompanies the casement and forms the baseline of cxi ting conditions that arc agreed upon by both the donor and SP EA. Easements are generally conveyed to PNEA in an instrument called a Preservation Restriction Agreement, which is recorded in the local land records. oncurrently, P EA seeks to make all easements perpetual, which usually requires obtaining both town and state approval of the easement. The donation of an easement to SPNEA requires a financial contribution to the tewardship Fund, \Y/ I N T 1: R

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a restricted endowment fund maintained specifically for the administration and defense of the easements overseen by SPNEA. Shantia Anderhaggen oversees the Stewardship Program at the Society /or the Preservation o/New England Antiquities.

A graduate ofthe University of Rhode Island (B.A., Art HZ:story) and Boston University (MA., Preservation Studies I Architectural History), she has had a lifelong interest in early New England buildings.

A GLOSSARY OF PRESERVATION TERMS All quoted definitions are those drawn up by the Secretary ofthe U.S Department of the Interior. For a copy of the publZ:rhed brochure, "Secretary of the Interior's Standards /or the Treatment of Histone Properties, 1995," please call the NHA offices at 508-228-1894.

Preservation: The process is defined as "the act or process of applying mea-

Source List Appraising Easements: Guzdelines /or the Valuation of Historic Preservation and Land Conservation Easements.

1984. 2d ed. Washington, D .C.: National Trust for Historic Preservation and Land Trust Alliance, 1989.

Coughlin, Thomas A. Easements and Other Legal

Techniques to Protect Historic Houses in Private Ownership. Washington, D .C. : National Trust for Historic Preservation. Reprint from Preservation Law Reporter, 1988.

D iehl,Janet, and Thomas S. Barrett.

The Conservation Easement Handbook: Managing Land Conservation and Historic Preservation Easement Programs. Alexandria, Va.: Land Trust Exchange and

sures to sustain the existing form , integrity, and material of a building or structure.... " Preservation is the most exacting work a historic building can undergo. All character-defming aspects of the building must be retained.

Examples of preservation on Nantucket are nw11erous. Several NHA proper¡ ties are fine examples of presetvation, an1ong them the Old Mill, the Hadwen House, and the Macy-Christian House on Liberty Street.

Restoration: The process is defined as "the act or process of accurately recovering the fom1 and details of a property and its setting as it appeared in a patticular period of time by means of removal or later work or the replacement of missing earlier work." Restoration is often a matter of degree - from light to heavy - depending on what needs to be replaced or removed in order to restore a stmcture to its original form. "Light" would apply to the removal of ornamentation inappropriate to the building's time period - e.g., a porch, roofwalk, or Victorian bric¡a-brac. "Heavy" would apply to LlllCovering an original structure buried in or under additions.

Easements, Real Covenants, and Equitable Servitudes.

Reconstruction: The process is defined as "the act or process of reproducing by new construction the exact form and detail of a vanished building, structure, or object, or a palt thereof, as it appeared in a specific period of time."

Reconstruction implies new buildings and so is most dependent on the good faith of the builders, that they will put historical accuracy before individual taste. The rebuilding of Great Point Lighthouse in 1986, from the ground up, is a case in point.

Colorado Springs, Colo.: Shepard's/McGraw-Hill, New York, 1990.

Creeping reconstruction: Creeping reconstruction applies to the point at

Trust for Public Land, 1988.

Komgold, Gerald. Private Land Use Arrangements:

Meder-Montgomery, Marilyn. Preservation Easements:

A Legal Mechanism /or Protecting Cultural Resources.

Denver, Colo.: The Colorado Historical Society, 1984.

Small, Stephen ]. Preserving Famzly Lands:

A Landowner's Introduction to Tax Issues and Other Conszderations. Boston , Mass. : Powers and Hall P .C., 1988.

which restoration crosses over into reconstruction. The process refers to one in which the new materials used significantly outweigh the old. T11e]ethro Coffin, or Oldest, House comes dose to being an example of creeping reconstruction because, even though exhaustive efforts were made to restore the strucn1re to what it was before it was muck by lightning in 1987, a significant amount of new material was required to make it look as it had prior to the strike. These include: a new roof, new diamond-paned window , twentieth-century masonry in the chimney and rubble foundation, new walls and wall coverings.

Rehabilitation: The process is defined as "the act or process of returning a

Small, Stephen}. Preserving Family Lands, Book II: More Planning Strategies /or the Future. Boston, Mass. : Landowner Planning Center, 1997.

Watson, A. Elizabeth. Establishing an Easement Program to Protect Historic, Scenic, and Natural Resources.

Washington, D .C.: National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1980.

Zick, StephenJ. Preservation Easements: The Legislative Framework. Washington, D .C.: National Trust for

property to a state of utility through repair or alteration which makes possible an efficient contemporruy use while presetving tl10se portions or features of the property which are significant to its historical, architectural, and cultural values. " Key to rehabilitation is alternative use. Often this is the best recourse for saving large, public, historic buildings that might otherwise be prohibitive to prese1ve, restore, reconstruct, and/or maintain. The Thomas Macy Warehouse, which is currently being used as an alt gallery, is an example.

Other examples include Academy Hill School and the entire waterfront from Straight Wharf to Swain's Wharf.

-Kate Stout

Historic Preservation, 1984.

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Ode to an Old Home: 32 West Chester Street by Nancee Erickson

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EHIND A LONG U DULATING HEDGE ON

West Chester Street stands a proud old home, hidden from the cacophony of summer noises and buffeted somewhat from the winter winds. Certainly it is not only the most magical of the eight old homes in which our family has resided, from time to time, over more than twenty years - it is, quintessentially, the oldest and proudest of them all.

Built in 1722-24 for Richard Gardner ill, a whaling captain who was lost at sea in 1725, the house stands on a parcel of land that was part of a huge tract acquired by his grandfather in 1673 and referred to in town records as the "Crooked Record " because of its irregular contours. Jessica Woodle gradually acquired additional parcels of contiguous land and the plot now borders much of the northern end of Lily Pond and a portion of Wesco Place-with privacy uncommon to most homes within the Historic District. Prior to her death, Mrs .

Woodle placed her home and all of its surrounding land in a preservation easement with SPNEA (see previous article). Concerned with the changing island landscape, Mrs. Woodle determined that her "retreat" must never be subdivided nor should her home's interior spaces and exterior lines be altered in any way.

As the house approaches its third centennial, one can only imagine the myriad stories it could tell of past inhabitants and their friends. The turned balusters and newel post and the molded handrail, gleaming from use, highlight the front entrance. The well-worn stairs bespeak memories of those who climbed them. And, as legend has it, one of the many broad floorboards in the present dining room has an old sail concealed beneath it. Who knows how many ghosts float through the house? But this writer insists that they are friendly and altogether interested in present-day activities, including the wanderings of box turtles, bunnies, pheasants, and myriad birds.

The house contains no recessed lights or dimmers, no fancy gadgetry, no silk-taffeta curtains. There is only one shower, and an old brass bell serves as the doorbell at the south-fronting entrance. Yet the house is thoroughly N A N T U C K E T

livable and practical in construction. As implausible as it may seem, 32 West Chester is perhaps even more thoughtfully configured than many of the newly constructed creations that dot so much of the island today.

The twelve-over-twelve windows, which allow light into most of the house, are plank framed , a term best known to architects, architectural scholars, architectural preservationists, and those who inhabit such old homes.

One can simply slide out their very thin plank holders and easily remove each full \vindow portion for washing: such eighteenth-century architectural sensibility precludes calling in a \vindow washer!

Over the centuries few changes have been made to the home. Conversions of only two spaces, made more utilitarian for twentieth-century domesticity, occurred.

The original kitchen became the dining room and the present library was created, as best as one can guess, from two rooms, one previously functioning as a kitchen. The library and dining room now abut the birthing room. The smallest room in the house, the dining room is still ample enough to comfortably seat six for meals and contains several notably large pieces of furniture. The only addition to the hou e was built in 1959-60. Designed by Kenneth Duprey, an L-shaped space now provides for the creation of culinary delights and necessary laundry chores, as well as for a powder room and bathroom. With a view either to West Chester treet or to the special ivy-enclosed "outside room," this only four-decade-old space functions well within the hi toric home itself. Similarly, its exterior facade replicates the existing eighteenth-century window treatment and other architectural elements.

Properties such as Mrs. Woodle's, left in the care of SPNEA or the antucket Preservation Trust, will continue to preserve antucket's architectural and domestic histmy. Indeed, such nurturing gifts also provide appropriate documentation of fine interiors for future generations of researchers and homeowners.

Nancee Erickson lives 1i1 San Francisco and vacations in Nantucket. \X/INTER

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Hadwen House: A Work in Progress

W

liEN NIIA CURATOR MICI!AEL JEHLE,

the curatorial staff, and a committee of volunteers and trustees set out to make over the Hadwen House on Main Street in 1992, they were faced with quite a project. ot only is the grand Greek revival the most visited historic home on Nantucket, it was, in Jehle's words, "historically inaccurate to the period of its interpretation."

The house was built in 1845 by whale oil merchant William Hadwen, and remained in his possession until his wife, Eunice, died in 1864 when it was bequeathed to Hadwen 's nephew, Joseph Barney. His descendants owned it until1924, when Charles Satler, of Pittsburgh, bought the the property to be used as a summer residence. Mrs. atler subsequently lived there year-round, and when she died in 1963 her daughter, Jean Satler Williams, donated the house and furnishings to the HA. Unfortunately, when the house opened to the public, little evidence remained from the Hadwens' time of ownership. As a result, the interpretation of the house was a confusing combination of mid-nineteenth-century domestic life, whaling history, and the life of the Hadwens demonstrated with a mixture of poorly arranged authentic mid-century and colonial revival furniture. The exterior paint was flaking in many areas, and the interior was equally tired and worn. Jehle set out to restore it as an example of mid-nineteenth-century island life, using his own background in American art history, the resources of the HA's collections, and documentation or the aesthetics of tl1e period.

Upon beginning research on the hou e,Jehle and his committee found themselves engaged in a major redecoration without much physical evidence to be gained from the house itself. Jehle soon realized that the project would need to remain a work in progress and that decisions could be revised in the future as more information was revealed. He began with a room by room inventory of the house prepared after the deatl1 of Mrs. Hadwen and consulted period texts on interior styles

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such as A. ]. Downing's Furniture /or the Victorian Home. Studying contemporary works - particularly the American Association for State and Local History's series on period interiors, exteriors, and furnishings enabled Jehle to piece together a design scheme that was both accurate and expressive of the life of a prosperous Nantucket merchant in the mid-1800s.

"The Hadwen House is by no means a finished reinterpretation," Jehle said. "My goal initially was to only begin a process of evaluation and renovation to return the house as closely as possible to its original configuration. Every attempt was made to make all changes and improvements reversible in the event that more extensive research proves otl1etwise."

Starting with exterior paint, Jehle was surprised to read a paint analysis, conducted prior to his arrival at the NHA, which concluded that the home was originally painted tan and yellow. This ran counter to his knowledge of mid-nineteenthcentury design, so he commissioned another analysis by historic-paint consultant Frank Welsh.

Welsh determined that the entire house had originally been painted a warm white (the tan and yellow color scheme was from a later period). The NHA chose two coats of Benjan1in Moore #451 to replace the more than twenty-two layers of paint that were burned off by painting contractor Jim Tyler. On futther examination of the brick foundation, which was

\VI I

by Reema Sherry

Looking up Main Street at the facade of the Hadwen House.

Photograph by Carol Bates Photography

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Paper in New England. Another ylander book, Wall Papers for Historic Buildings, Vol. 2., proved helpful in

Interior of Hadwen House.

Photograph by Carol Bates Photography

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the search for reproduction papers. The NHA chose reproduction papers from Mt. Diablo handprints: "Lincoln's Parlor" and "Farnsworth Floral" (in the east and double parlors) and Scalamandre's "The Cedars Front Hall " (in the stair hall), which were the most appropriate papers for a house in New England of that period.

The Satler family had removed the original ga light ing fixtures, but fortunately a photograph of one of the fixtures in the east parlor was found in the NHA's collection. Other examples existed in homes on Main Street that were gasli.t at the same time (around 1854), so the HA had no problem determining what to look for. Authentic four- and five-arm fixtures and three gas chandeliers were located through dealers in Chicago and New York.

Floor coverings pre ented another challenge. Eunice H adwen's inventory noted an oil cloth in the front hall, but no further information was found. The painted floor cloth now in the hall was created and donated by NHA board pre ident and faux-finish artist Dorothy Slover. The marble tile pattern - common in mid-ninteenth-century homes - was drawn from the painting Schuyler Ogden and His Sister, illustrated in Harold Peterson's American Interiors, plate 66.

For the parlors and the stairway, Jehle commissioned a modern reproduction of a period Brus els-weave carpainted dark grey, Welsh concluded that it had original- pet that was purpotted to have been installed around ly been left bare. But after a failed attempt to completely 1850 on the first floor of Middle Brick on Main treet. remove the paint from the bricks, the NHA chose to The pattern and colors were taken from a surviving piece of that carpet, which is in the NHA's collection. paint them red to simulate the original foundation.

In 1992, Welsh conducted an analysis of the interior Jehle adjusted some of the colors, especially the blue, to rooms of the house. He determined that all the trim complement the wall coverings. Upstairs, hinese seaand doors were painted in a color similar to Benjamin grass matting was in t~uled wall to wall, a common floor Moore's China White, the ceilings and cornices were treatment at the time. The weave pattern is a reproducpainted with calcimine paint, and that all of the rooms tion of one from that period, but not as durable as contemporary weaves, so th e bedrooms were partially were wall papered.

"Since no surviving pieces of the original wallpapers roped to protect the matting from wear and tear. The were found during the paint analysis, and since no bedroom w~ills were painted, but J ehle hopes that in tl1e reference to them was found in any of the primary future they can be papered, as they were during the sources, selecting reproduction wallpapers was one of Hadwens' occupancy. Window treatments were deterthe most difficult decisions of the renovation," Jehle mined by existing clues and more period research. said. A surviving piece of wa.Upaper from the Paddack "In the double parlors , since no evidence of hard house on Ash Street existed in the ociety for the ware for window hangings was found , we decided to Preservation of New England Antiquities collection , leave the windows with just the interior shutters," Jehle and was documented in Richard Nylander's book Wall said. "This made the room more open, and is appropriA

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ate for a summer interpretation when curtains would often have been taken down."

In the formal parlor, where some original hardware existed, the NHA installed valances based on designs in A. J. Downing's Furniture /or the Victorian Home.

Because the house is presented in a summer-tin1e mode, only batiste under-curtain s were hung beneath the valances, rather than commissioning a full set of red, silk-moire drapes.

The renovation, made possible by the support of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Champion and the Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association, resulted in an elegant and appropriate background for the current collection of period furniture, china, silver, and paintings, gleaned from the NHA's collections and expanded with additional acquisitions. It also provides auxiliary exhibition space on the second floor for special showings, such as the recent lightship basket exhibit.

With a fresh coat of paint last fall and this spring, Hadwen House with its traditional formal ga rden, understated in its use of manicured shrubs and evergreens (maintained by the Nantucket Garden Club), is ready to face the coming season an d the future.

Jehle explained, however, that there is more to be done.

"Now we're working on interior plans for the second floor," Jehle said. "The bedrooms originally were wallpapered, and they're not as fully furnished as they were at the time." But he feels that Had wen House is successful in its mission as an educational entity on Nantucket.

"It's nice to get a sense of the how the style of the mid -nineteenth century is very different from what we prefer now," Jehle said. "The light levels at that tim e were lower, because of the gas fixtures, and subsequently the colors chosen were more vigorous.

Hadwen House's period aes thetics allow visitors to experience first hand the evaluation of Nantucket's domestic interiors."

RESEARCHING YOUR NANTUCKET HOME OBSON WOODWARD, former editor of Nantucket Magazine, compiled a comprehensive guide to researching your Nantucket home that was published in the 1997 Fall/Holiday issue. Here are some highlights that will help get you started:

H

• The best place to begin is with your own paperwork. Find out if a title search was performed by your attorney prior to dosing. This will give a list of owners, from the most recent working backwards in time, and could save countless hours at the Registry of Deeds.

• The Registry of Deeds, at the Town and County Building on the corner of Broad and Federal streets, will provide the best initial infom1ation on your property, listing owners, deed restrictions (which are often fascinating in what one can and cannot use one's property for) and boundary descriptions over the last century or so. Bring a stash of coins for photocopies, and start ~1th the "Nantucket Maps" book to locate your property and determine its map and parcel number (this should also be easily determined by your closing documents). Next, mo\'e on to the "Nantucket Owners" book, and record me information you find there. Most important 111ll be the book and page number to find the records in the regisuy's vast array of record books, and a land court number if you're lucky enough to have a properry mat is registered in the Massachusetts Land Court.

• You will find first the most recently recorded deed for your property, which

will reference the previous deed by book and page. In this fashion, you will work your way back in time, creating a "deed chain" of prel1ous owners. Key information to look for is identities of the seller and buyer, purchase price, location of property, description of tile previous transaction, and me date of sale. On older deeds, this may take a more rigorous interpretation. Starting at the most modern document and working backwards helps to familiarize one 1l1th the language used.

• Unfortunately, property transferred by inheritance is not recorded in the Registry of Deeds. Those records are kept by the state probate court on me second noor of me Town Building. If you reach a dead end, head upstairs.

But first, check the birth, marriage, and death records at the Town Clerk's office across the hall from the Registry. These records go back with accuracy to around 1850, after me Great Fire of 1846. This may give you some hints for your research in probate courr. When working with seventeenth-century deeds, Hobson Woodward highly recommends the book Nantucket Lands and umd Owners, a 1901 reference work by Henry Barnard Worth, reprinted in 1992.

• After you've created a deed chain of previous owners, you can begin looking into the lives of the people who lived in your house. A prime source for tl1is is the NHA's Edouard A. Stackpole Libraty and Research Center, which offers an easy-to-use genealogical database on me island's founding families. Other sources are microfilms of nearly all tl1e Nantucket newspapers ever printed, which are also available at the Research Center and at the Atheneum, and the NHA 's extensive collection of family papers, logs, journals, and photographs.

Reema Sherry is the NHA 's membership coordinator.

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Resources for Old Nantucket Houses by Patricia Buder

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F YOU ARE FORTU ATE E OUGH T

OWN ONE OF

Nantucket's old houses you belong to a continuum, a long community tradition of historic preservation. Your ownership is one in a succession of owners who have appreciated and cared for the house you live in. It is said that no individual truly possesses one of Nantucket's venerable homes, but that each owner acts as a steward, or caretaker for the structure's past qualities and future architectural significance. Because the decisions you make about the house will affect its past and become part of its history , care must be taken to preserve its significant aesthetic, material, and historic qualities. Before beginning any project you may refer to the excellent available local, regional, and national historic preservation resources.

Local Resources When you purchased your house, you should have received a copy of the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. This report is a general statement, prepared to give a comparable estimate of the dollar value of the property. Often these reports refer to the style of old Nantucket houses as "colonial" designs. The tem1 colonial is generic and does not begin to address the unique styles and types of the more than 800 buildings that compose what has been called the finest collection of late seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and early nineteenthcentury structures on Nantucket. More specific information about your house and its architectural and historical I significance will help you make planning decisions.

On Nantucket, each house fifty years old or older was surveyed in the late 1980s by the Historic District Commission (HDC). Though somewhat dated , the survey data provide basic information. The survey is alphabetically organized by street and is available at the antucket Historical Association Research Center and at the HDC office. Descriptive architectural narrative and references to additional published materials about each building are useful. The sUlvey information treats only the structures' exteriors, following the jurisdictional authority of the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the Nantucket Historic District Commission.

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As overseer of one of the country's first designated historic districts, the antucket Historic District Commission establishes policie and procedures that address any changes to the exterior of buildings visible from the public traveled way. After reviewing the survey material, every historic bouse owner should obtain a copy of Building With antucket in Mind, the HDC's 184-page, essential guidebook. Chapters include information about historic preservation, development of the town, guidelines for new construction, and changes to antucket's cultural landscapes and historic buildings.

Clay Lancaster's book, The Architecture of Historic Nantucket, has been out of print since 1972, but continues to be a significant resource for students of Nantucket's architectural heritage through the late nineteenth century. Lancaster' book and many more references may be found on the shelves and in the archives and files at the NHA Research Center, the Nantucket Atheneum, and in the records at the Town and County Building. Preservation Institute: Nantucket students have prepared Historic American Building Survey (HABS) drawings and detailed studies for dozens of island structures (held in the HA Research Center). Historic street and area maps, newspaper clippings, and photographs will complement the research.

The best information on Nantucket's old houses comes from those who devote their working lives to restoring them. Until you are ready to make all the decisions, your most important resources are the people you choose to work with you. The range is broad - from preservation purist (don't change anything) to pragmatic pugilist (gut the place). The Nantucket Preservation Trust will provide you \vith a list of carpenters, craftsmen, and builders who specialize in the restoration and renovation of historic houses.

In general, simplicity, traditional materials, and excellent craftsmanship should guide your work.

These are the qualities that distinguish Nantucket's architecture.

Regional and National Resources If you cannot find answers to your questions about historic preservation on Nantucket, additional historic WI

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preservation resources are located in Boston.

Government agencies include the Northeast Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and the ational Park Service. These agencies are responsible for encouraging and implementing the preservation of structures, sites, and objects that are architecturally, historically, or culturally significant to the nation 's heritage. Educational and informational materials such as publication lists, advisory papers, grant opportunities, legal tools, and references for consultants are available through those sources.

Hundreds of government publications are available through the Heritage Preservation Services, a division of the National Park Service.

Some of the titles in the technical Preservation Briefs series are: No. 4 , "Roofing for Historic Buildings"; No. 9, "The Repair of I Iistoric Wooden Windows "; No. 17, "Architectural C haracter: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character"; and o. 21, "Repairing Historic Flat Plaster: Walls and Ceilings." Copies of these brochures are avai lable at the office of the antucket Preser\'ation Trust.

Private, nonprofit state historic preservation organizations include Historic Massachusetts, Inc., which has joined staff and offices with the Architectural

Conservation Trust for Massachusetts; the Society for the Presetvation of New England Antiquities; and the American Institute of Architects State Preservation Coordinator.

Consider joining your local, regional, and national historic preservation groups so that you will receive the benefits of men1bership, which will include infom1ation and educational materials about preservation advocacy for traditional architecture, cultural landscapes, craftsmanship, and historic interiors.

Coffin-Gardner house detail drawn by Davis Lee ]ahncke, Jr., for the Historic American Buildings Survey.

Patricia Butler is executive director of the Nantucket Preservation Trust.

WHERE TO TURN FOR FURTHER INFORMATION LOCAL Nantucket Atheneum One India Street, P. ( ). Box 808 Nantucket, i\IA 02554 (508) 228-1110 Nantucket Historical Association Edouard A. Stackpole Library and Rc>search Center 15 Broad Street Nantucket, MA 02554 (508) 228-1894: FAX: (508) 228 56 18 Nantucket Historic District Commission 37 Washington Street Nantucket, MA 0255-1 (508) 228-7231: FAX: (508) 325 7572

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Nantucket Preservation Trust 1-l Federal trc>et, P. 0. Box 2999 antuckct, l'vlA 0258-1 508) 228-1387; FAX: (508) 228-1371 REGIONAL AND NATIONAL American Institute of Architects Boston Society of Architects/AlA 52 Broad Street, Boston, MA 02109 (617) 951-1-!33, X 232 FAX: (617) 951-08-15 Historic Massachusetts, Inc. Architectural ConseiVation Trust for Massachusetts -15 School Street, Boston, MA 02108 617) 723-3383: FAX: (617) 523-3782

Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125 617) 727-8-170; FAX: (617) 727-5128 National Park Service, New England Office 15 State Street, Boston, MA 02109-3572 (617) 223-5200; FAX: (617) 223-5022 National Trust for Historic Preservation Northeast Regional Office 7 Faneuil Hall Marketplace Boston, MA 02109 (617) 523-0885; FAX: (617)523-1199 Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities 1-11 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02 114 (617) 227-3956; FAX: (617) 227-9204

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From Fireplaces to Elo0rboards: Historic Nantucket asked ,-;;:....:;-_-=---:;._, Pat Butler and Davzd Woo4, 'Nantucket experts on historic houses) to look at photographs /rom the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) binders held in the Fidouard A. Stackpole Library and Research Center.

Their co1nments on the interior elenzents acco1npany the photos shown here.

The houseJ are listed as they are found in the HABS binders.

1

THE MAJOR JOSIAH COFFIN HOUSE, 1724 The first thing you see in this photograph is the large, walk-in fireplace, used both for cooking and heating the house. The simple mantel above the fireplace and sheathed walls are also typical for the period in which the house was built. The beams and corner posts are exposed, which could have been a colonial revival change to the house.

These two photographs illustrate the stairway built around the fireplace and chimney. In the far right photograph, note the beehive bake oven under the stairs. Before modern construction practices came into place, the chimney came first and was critical to the house's stability.

The English-trained housewrights built everything else around it.

As a result, the houses are efficiently built with little wasted space.

THE MAJOR JOSIAH COFFIN HOUSE, 1724

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Reading Historic Interiors Buder and Wood called this house "typical Nantucket." Note the built-in shelves over the fireplace and the boxed ceiling beams.

Two paneled doors are the earliest found on the island and are seen here with transom lights over them. (Transom lights were originally installed so that owners could safely see if a fire had broken out in one part of the house and to diffuse light into darker rooms.) Also note the small front hall, newel post at the bottom of the stairs, simple front door, and the efficient closet under the stairs - all typical of the period.

Finally, beside the fireplace is a row of pegs (with a basket hanging on one). Before closets, builders set pegged boards into the wall plaster.

BENJAMIN SWIFT HOUSE, 1795 This house was built in 1795, but it was substantially renovated in the nineteenth century. Both pictures illustrate the elaborate molding and doors that were popular in the later period. The fireplaces are smaller (in the photograph on

the right, the fireplace has been sealed off), and decorative rather than useful. The above photograph illustrates the fine painted graining that was popular in the 1840s. Wood said that, for a time, the feather graining was painted in lavender or plum.

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ORANGE STREET HOUSE, 1831 Upon first glance this room looks to be older than its building date.

The wide, practical fireplace and floorboards indicate an earlier period.

However, the paneling on the fireplace closet (two panels as opposed to one) and the built-in shutters with hidden hinges are representative of the federal period.

Butler and Wood deduced that this is a lower-level, servants-only part of the house.

It is a good example of the difference between the public and private rooms built for families in the middle of the nineteenth century.

HENRY COFFIN HOUSE, 1832-35 This house is an example of Nantucket's high style.

Notice the ceiling heights and grand open spaces beneath the stairs and in the front hall area.

The stairway has become a decorative patt of the house - as opposed to access alone.

And on the newel post is a mortgage button, illustrating that the owners have paid off their mortgage.

BACKGROUND I !LUSTRA TIONS HABS EAST ELE\IJ!TION OF 711 E COH/N-CARDNER I lOUSE BY D,l VIS LEE ]AJ-/NCKE. JR

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Bibiliography for Historic Interiors Research Alswang, Hope, and Donald C. Pierce. American Interiors in New England and the South: Period Rooms at the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn, .Y.: Brooklyn Museum, 1983.

tLockwood, Luke Vincent. Colonial Furniture in America.

3d Edition. 3 vols. New York: Castle Books, 1957.

Compiled by

Mayhew, Edgar de N. , and Minor Myers,] r. A Documentary

tBacot, H. Parrott, 19tb-Century Lighting: Candle Powered Devices: I783-IR83. West Chester, Pa.: chiffer Publishing Ltd., 1987.

History ofAmerican Interiors/rom tbe Colonial Era to 7915.

and

Banham,Joanna, Sally Macdonald, and Julia Porter. Victorian Interior Dc.1ign. New York: Crescent Books, 1991.

Brightman, Anna. Window Treatments/or Historic Houses 1700-1850. Preservation Leaflet Series No. 14, Washington D.C.: ational Trust for Historic Preservation, 1968. ornfonh,] ohn. English Interiors 7790-1848: The Quest /or Comfort. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1978.

Betsy Lowenstein

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980. tMontgomery, Florence. Texttles in America 1650-1870. ew York: W .W. onon, 1984. tMoss, Roger W . Lighting/or Historic Buildings.

Washington, D.C.: Presetvation Press (National Trust) , 1988. t Nylander,Jane C. Fabrics/or Historic Buildings. Washington , D.C.: Preservation Press (National Trust), 1988. t ylander, Richard C. Wallpapers/or Historic Buildings.

Washington, D.C.: Preservation Press (National Trust), 1990.

tCooke, EdwardS., Jr. , cd. Upholstery in America and Europe: From the 17th Century to WWI. New York: W.W. Norton, 1987.

tNylander, Richard C., Elizabeth Redmond, and Penny].

Sander. Wallpaper in New England. Boston: SPNEA, 1986.

Ferro, Maximilian, and Melissa L. Cook. Electric Wiring

tPeterson, Harold L. American Interiors: From Colonial Times to the Late Victorians. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979.

and Ligbtmg in fltstoric American Bmldings: Cmdelines /or Restoration and Rehabilitation Projects.

New Bedford: AFC, 1984.

Fowler, John, and .John Cornforth. English Decoration til the 18th Century. Princeton, N.J.: Pyne Press, 1984. tGarrett, Elisabeth Donaghy. At 1-Jome: The American Family 1750-1870. New York: Harry . Abnuns, 1990.

Cere, Charlotte. 19tb-Century Interiors: The Art oftbe Interior.

New York: Hany N. Abrams, 1989. t Howells, John Mead. Lost Examples of Colonial Arcbitecture: Buildings That Have Disappeared or Been So Altered as to Be Denatured. New York: Dover Publications, 1963 . t Kirk,John T. Early American Furniture: How to Recognize, Evaluate, Buy & Care /or the Most Beautt/ul PiecesHigb Style, Country, Primitive & Rustic.

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974.

Praz, Mario. An Illustrated History a/Interior Decorating /rom Pompeii to Art Nouveau. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1982.

Reiclilin , Ellie, Jean Caslin, and Dan Younger. A Photographic Intimacy: The Portraiture a/Rooms, 1865-1 900. Boston: SPNEA and the Photographic Resource Center, 1984.

Seale, William. Recreating tbe Historic !-louse Interior.

Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1979.

Scale, William. Tbe Tasteful Interlude: American Interiors through the Camera's Eye 1860- 1917. Nashville: AASLH, 1981.

Thornton, Peter. Autbentic Decor: Tbe Domestic Interior 1620-1920. New York: Viking Penguin, 1982. tV on Rosenstiel, Helene and Gail Caskey Winkler.

Floor Coven¡ngs for Historic Buildings. Washington, D.C.:

Landreau, Anthony N . America Under/oat: A HistOIJ' of Floor Coverings from Colonial T1ines to the Present.

Presetvation Press (National Trust) , 1988.

Washington, D .C.: mithsonianlnstitution Press, 1976.

tWinkler, Gail Caskey, and Roger W. Moss.

Leopold, Alison Kyle. Victorian Splendor: Re-creating America's 19th-Century Interiors. New York: Stewart, Tabori , and Chang, 1986.

Aimee E. Newell

Victorian Interior Decoration: American Interiors 1830-1900.

New York: Henry Holt, 1987.

tOwned by the Nantucket Historical Association HISTORI C

NA

TUCKET

WINTER

1999

21

Historic Nantucket Book Section

by Caring for Your Historic House Rick Morcom

Heritage Preservation and National Park ervice Charles E. Fisher and Hugh C. Miller, General Editor Clare Bouton Hansen, Project Director Harry N . Abrams, Inc.: New York 1998.

I

F NANTUCKET IS TO RETAI

ITS IIISTORIC

significance we must take care in how we treat her resources, particularly her buildings.

Among the many g uides available on house restoration , one of the best I've seen is Caring for Your Historic House, published by Heritage Pre etvation and the National Park Service. It is a compendium of twenty essays detailing specific areas of concern in preserving older homes. From foundation to roof and out into the landscape, each article, written by xperts in their fields, guides the homeowner through uncovering problems to the best methods of repairing them.

The first article, by Hugh C. Miller, chief hi torical architect for the National Park Service, introduces the criteria on which to base the historic significance f a property. In most cases it is the details that define the character of the structure. Miller also empha izes that maintenance is the key to protecting an older home. He quotes the great nineteenth-century preselvationistJohn Ruskin in his book The p l< E s E R y I N G A M . \ r N "1" A IN ( N r: : Seven Lamps of Architecture: "Take !<Tnt· cTr«AL SYsT•»•~. n 00 , , , proper care of you r monuments and yo u will not need to restore them ." Miller expands on that theme by saying that when faced PAIN't', with a problem , home owners need 1\fi•:CIIAN"lCAI, ANI) v. ....,c ...... ,." '· to think of the whole house a a system and not isolate any particuSYSTEMS, lar area. Recognizing the forces of deterioration and understanding how they affect the house will help to develop a preventive mainte-

CARING FOR YOUR HISTORIC HOUSE I)

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f<"LOOHlN<;,

II MU'r,\Hr-; I 'IU:IOIW\'Nl'IO!'i _\,0

22

H I ST 0 R I C

s,,,:rJONAl. !>.\IlK !otun It h

N A N T UC KET

nance schedule that will increase the life of the house and minimize ilie 11eed for major repairs,

The chapter on exterior paint is particularly informative. As rimes changed the colors used on houses changed dramatically, reaching a pinnacle during the Victorian era. By returning a house to its original paint cheme, the true character of the house is revealed.

Before 1850 paint pigments were ground and mixed by hand and, therefore, were inconsistent in color and ex1 ensive. Seventeemh and l'ifhtt:enth-century houses were minimally painted; common colors were shades of brown, red, yellow, whitl', .md orange. But paint is not just cosmetic; it seals and protects wooden components and acts as an early \\'<trning dt:vice to developing problems. Peeling paint can be an indication of water intrusion of one sort or another. The chapter concludes by indicating the best methods of preparation and treatment of different surfaces and nhtteri<US. The process of convening an early home to one that provides modern comforts (such as plumbing, central heating, and electricity) is also t;tckled in this practical book. O ld houses do not easdv accommodate the tringing of new pipes and wires, for example. ompromises must be made when modernizing an old house, but care should be takt:n to retain as much of the original material and character as possible. The book outlines many methods of preserving the integrity of a building while accommodating the amenities required.

The concluding sections tbJ with the protection of your house- from fire to vegetation, insect, and finan ci<J invasions. It is the responsibility of the owners of a hi toric property to ensure the continued well-being of the house. Many historic houses have great value and can be lost to estate taxes withou t proper financial planning.

Although Cari11gfor Your f lntoric 1lome is primarily a reC renee tool for historic restoration, I fou nd it enjoyabl to r ad. \~hether you are a contractor, an owner, or just interested in preservation, this is a valuable addition to your library.

Rick Morcom

z~r

the 1/A properties manager.

WINTER

1 999

N H A

N E W S

Library Grant Awarded

Festival of Trees

A proposal submitted by library director Betsy Lowenstein has garnered a $2,500 Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities grant to assist the Edouard A. Stackpole Library and Research Center in the publication of a guide to antucket's historical records and genealogical resources.

Nantucket's historical records are located in various repositories including the NHA, the Atheneum, in local government offices, civic organizations, and in churches. These records are of great interest to scholars, historians, teachers, students, and genealogists. Some of the repositories, however, do not maintain complete inventories of the historical records they hold. In order to improve access and to promote use, the library director, with the assistance of local record keepers, teachers, and writers will create a guide.

The guide will be mailed to local schools, libraries, churches, and town offices. It will be sent off-island to public libraries and historical associations on Cape Cod and to archival and genealogical research centers in Massachusetts. The book, entitled Guzde to Historical

at a lecture promoting the use of historical records.

Everyone attending the lecture will be given a copy.

The holiday season/Stroll weekend on Nantucket was heralded with the fifth annual Festival of Trees. It was a smashing success, thanks to the hard work of cochairs Jenny G arneau and Edythe Travelstead, in collaboration with designers Richard Kemble and George Kom, a talented volunteer committee, and the generosity of the many benefactors and four corporate underwriters. The Festival Preview Party was attended by almost four hundred people who, on an especially nilld December evening, flocked to the Whaling Museum to admire the creative energies of forty-two tree designers and fourteen wreath designers. During the four days that followed, over nineteen hundred people included a visit to the Festival of Trees in their plans over Stroll weekend- more than doubling tl1e number from the previous year. This conm1Unity event attracted a great variety of islm1d residents, as well as visitors from the mainland, and provided much needed revenue to further the nlission of the Nantucket Historical Association. The annual report (to be published in April) will include a complete listing of all those who made the event such a huge success.

Year-End Appeal

Letter to Historic Nantucket

As the winter issue of Historic Nantucket goes to press, the board of trustees and executive director Jean Weber join me in tl1m'lking the more than two hundred and fifty members who chose to include the Nantucket Historical Association in their year-end philanthropic distributions. In particular, we are grateful to Bill and Phyllis Macomber for making a special appeal to our Life Members. This year's appeal reminded members of the vital role the NHA plays in both preserving and interpreting the island's history- yesterday, everyday, and always.

We are all delighted that gifts by check, m1d through the transfer of appreciated securities, total more tl1an sixty-five thousand dollars and are still arriving on a daily basis. This support is not only encouraging but is essential as we strive to meet the lofty goals of our nlission with creativity and distinction.

-Jean Grimmer, Director a/Development

Paul R. Judy, author of The Origins and Early Days o/ Below: the Sankaty Head Golf Club, wrote to correct a few of Cyrus Peirce sixth graders

Records and Genealogical Resources of Nantucket, Massachusetts, will be introduced to the public in April

the statements in the fall article, "A History of Nantucket's Golf Courses," by J. C. Gamble, and offered additional infon11ation. A copy of his letter, as well as Ius book, reside in the vertical (Blue) @es of the Edouard A. Stackpole Library and Research Center. We appreciate his research efforts and his corrections to our article. By piecing together his information, the NHA's archival material, and the sources from Gatnble's article, we begin to see a clearer picture of the early days of golfing on the island.

Top: Aerial view of the Festival a/Trees, held this year in the Whaling Museum.

Above: Cochairs Jenny Garneau and Edythe Travelstead.

learn to draw whales with Don Sineti on their annual visit to the NHA.

At right: NHA volunteers (startzi1g second /rom left) Jane Connell, J01ze ]ones, and Angela Marczimo met for an enjoyable reception in October.

HISTORIC

NANTUCKET

WI

TER

1999

23

Give a gift of

membership ... and give members of your family and your friends a gift that reflects your love for Nantucket.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP Every member enjoys the following benefits: free admission to all musewns and historic houses; free use of the Research Center; free admission to lecture series; invitations to events and openings; subscription to the quarterly magazine Historic Nantucket; 10% Museum Shop discount; voting privileges at the annual meeting, and a listing in the annual report.

For further information about membership, please call Reema Sherry at 228-1894.

Become an

NHA Volunteer The NHA encourages year-round members (and nonmembers) with an interest in history and historical artifact to give their time, talent, and expertise to the organization. Volunteers can work with scrimshaw, baskets, silver, ship models, and many other artifacts within the curatorial collections. In the library, whaling logs and ships' papers can be examined, while Quaker tracts, maps, rare books, and photographs are in need of organizatiop. '\ ----j I If anyone is interested in

I

Long-time NH!l docent and volunteer Barbara johnston

volunteering in the library, please call BetsyLowenstein at 228-1894.

For those who would like to work with the curatorial collections at the Gosnold Support Center on Bartlett Road, please call Aimee Newell at 325-7885.