5 minute read
Edgartown
P l an t i n g F i el d W a y
2 Pent St. Davis Ln.Cooke St. Peases Point Way South 12 Edg. - V.H Rd. R ob e r t s Way 4 3
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1Church St.
Main St.
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5School St. High St. South Summer St. 7 South Water St. 11 13North Water St. Fuller St. Cottage St. Winter St.Simpsons Ln. North Summer St. Peases Point Way
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Chappaquiddick Rd. 14
A WALKING TOUR OF EDGARTOWN
A LIVING MEMORIAL TO THE GREAT AGE OF WHALING, the lovely
village of Edgartown is defined by its stately white clapboard houses, rose-covered picket fences and a lighthouse that stands sentry at the entrance to the harbor. Across the harbor is Chappaquiddick, accessible year-round by a small car ferry.
ESTABLISHED IN 1642 as the Vineyard's first (European) settlement, the town underwent a building boom between 1830 and 1845 – the golden era of whaling – when profits from whaling and trade with China brought huge fortunes. Many of the houses in the historic downtown district, and in particular along North and South Water Streets, are built in the Greek Revival and Federal styles popular in that period. Most remain private homes, although several have been converted to shops and inns. Topping some roofs are platforms popularly known as widow’s walks, but more accurately are perches from which to pour sand down the chimney in the event of a fire. 1. VISITOR'S CENTER 29 Church Street. The Visitor's Center provides maps and brochures for tourists and is also the place to hop a bus for other Island towns and South Beach. There is a public restroom. 2. DR. DANIEL FISHER HOUSE 99 Main Street. This stately Federal style residence was built in 1840 for Dr. Daniel Fisher, a medical doctor and entrepreneur who, during the height of the whaling era, was one of the wealthiest men in the country. In addition to founding the Martha’s Vineyard National Bank, he owned what is now the town wharf, a bakery and a gristmill as well as a candle factory, which supplied spermaceti candles to all of the nation’s lighthouses. The house and gardens are owned by the Vineyard Trust. 3. VINCENT HOUSE AND GARDENS Located behind the Dr. Daniel Fisher House, this is the oldest unaltered house on the Vineyard. Built in the 1670s and occupied by descendants of the original Vincent family for 250 years, it was originally located on Edgartown Great Pond and moved to its present location in 1977. The Vincent House and Gardens are owned by the Vineyard Trust. 4. OLD WHALING CHURCH 89 Main Street. Designed by Fredrick Baylies, Jr., the Old Whaling Church and its iconic 92-foot clock tower was built by skilled shipwrights for Edgartown’s Methodist whaling captains and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in New England. The interior of the Old Whaling Church is notable for its elegantly curved ceiling, 1869 Simmons Fisher organ and restored trompe l’oeil murals by Island artist Margot Datz. Now used for town meetings and special events, the church is owned by the Vineyard Trust. 5. FEDERATED CHURCH 47 S. Summer Street. Erected in 1828, the Federated Church is a traditional New England meetinghouse still in use by the Island’s oldest congregation (established in 1642) and was the first church to be constructed by Frederick Baylies, Jr. in Edgartown. The front of the church faces Main Street because there were few, if any, buildings between the church and Main Street at that time. Of note: a chandelier that originally burned whale oil, an 1895 Hook and Hastings organ and the old box pews.
6. VINEYARD GAZETTE 34 S. Summer Street. Built in 1760 by Benjamin Smith, the house is now home to the Vineyard Gazette, the Island’s oldest newspaper. After building the house, Smith later became a captain in the Island militia during the Revolutionary War. Due to the pandemic, tours have been put on hold. But on Thursday nights you just might be able to catch a glimpse from outside of the newspaper being printed. The Vineyard Gazette building is owned and maintained by the Vineyard Trust. 7. CAPTAIN VALENTINE PEASE HOUSE 80 S. Water Street. Captain Valentine Pease, master of The Acushnet, the whaler on which the author Herman Melville sailed in 1841, built the private residence between 1822 and 1836. Captain Pease is reputed to have been the prototype for Captain Ahab in Melville’s Moby-Dick.
8. THE PAGODA TREE 9 S. Water Street. Captain Thomas Milton, who first came to the Vineyard in the early 1800s, brought this tree from Asia when it was a seedling. Planted about 1833, it is the oldest of its kind on the continent. Commonly called the Flame Tree in China, its horticultural name is Sophora Japonica. It shades the home Captain Milton built in 1840, now part of The Harborside Inn.
9. MEMORIAL WHARF Here is where you take the On Time ferry to Chappaquiddick. The wharf’s upper platform offers a great place to sit and view the harbor activities or eat take-out.
10. OSBORNE WHARF, NORTON BOATHOUSE, OLD SCULPIN GALLERY 45, 45A & 58 Dock Street. This section of the waterfront includes the historic Osborne Wharf Building, the oldest commercial structure on the waterfront; the Norton Boathouse, once the headquarters of the Norton family of sea captains; Old Sculpin Gallery, originally used for Dr. Fisher’s spermaceti candle factory, then as Manual Swartz’ boatshop, where he built the catboat Edwina B (moored off the Norton boathouse in summer), and now as an art gallery. All three properties and the Edwina B are owned by the Vineyard Trust.
11. ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 34 N. Summer Street. The stained-glass windows in this 1899 church were made and signed by Louis C. Tiffany. The pulpit is the bow of a dory from the schooner Northern Lights, for many years the largest ship in Edgartown harbor.
12. EDGARTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY 26 Edgartown-West Tisbury Road. 508627-4221, edgartownlibrary.org. The library currently offers express browsing and scheduled appointments for the children's room. Visit website for details and to make an appointment.
13. THE CARNEGIE 58 N. Water Street. 508-627-4440. Once Edgartown’s public library, the renovated and restored landmark includes reading rooms, a visitor center, a gift shop and the permanent exhibition, Living Landmarks ($5 suggested donation to view), which illustrates the history of Martha’s Vineyard through the lens of the 20 landmarks in the Vineyard Trust’s care. Between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, The Carnegie serves as the starting point for a historic walking tour of the Trust’s other Edgartown properties. Visit vineyardtrust.org for updated hours, tour times and pricing.
14. EDGARTOWN LIGHTHOUSE Across from 131 N. Water Street. Located 1/2 mile from Main Street on the beach, it offers views of the harbor and Chappaquiddick. Open on weekends for tours through October 11.
