Annual Report of the Administrator

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GREAT PROGRESS has been made in restoring many of our prints and oil paintings. This work is being done at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and at the New England Document Conservation Center. Money permitting, it will be continued this year until these are in good shape. Actually our art collection in the several buildings is of considerable importance and will receive more attention in the years ahead.

For the first time we are formulating plans for exhibiting contemporary arts and crafts. The president has appointed a committee for this consisting of Miss Mary Gardner, Mr. Reginald Levine, and Mr. Julian Everett. They will formulate plans for collecting and displaying, not only for interest today but with consideration of the future, when what is done today will be a part of Nantucket's history.

Attendance at our exhibits reached an all-time high this year. Income from invested funds and membership donations was also up. This made it possible for us to do some catching up on greatly needed repairs to several of our buildings. This was most gratifying but as I have pointed out before, with one exception, all are old buildings whose needs are never completely satisfied.

We now have full title to "Greater Light," the gift of Miss Hanna A. Monaghan. It will be open to the public five afternoons a week this summer. This will not be included as one of our Historic Exhibits but as an Open House filled with a unique and fascinating collection of art and furniture from several countries.

The Association urged the Board of Selectmen to appoint a committee to formulate plans for the Bicentennial Celebration featuring Nantucket's history and tradition more than a festival. They appointed Rev. Robert G. Metters, Chairman, George W. Jones, and Albert G. Brock, later adding Harry Gordon and Richard Maloney. These men are working diligently for a program we can all be proud of.

During the winter we held several programs at the Peter Foulger Museum featuring Mr. William Neufeld, Mrs. Barbara Johnson, and Mr. Edouard A. Stackpole. All were free to members and well attended. These programs will be continued and expanded this year.

The two museums were again open every Saturday afternoon during the winter. This created a small financial loss but was greatly appreciated by many people and seemed very worthwhile.

The Peter Foulger Museum, especially the library, is successfully filling its mission under Mr. Stackpole's able direction.

ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

Many people, especially college students, have been doing research there throughout the whole year and the number of school classes learning here and at our other buildings has surpassed any previous year; literally hundreds of young people have participated, from here and from off-island.

We have changed the name of the Christian House to the "Nathaniel Macy House, gift of Mrs. George Christian" with considerable reluctance but it is thought that the name of the original owner would have greater historic meaning without lessening the importance of Mrs. Christian's outstanding gift. Mrs. John A. Baldwin is chairman of this most interesting and impressive exhibit.

We are grinding corn at the mill again after giving it many years of rest. Chairman Richard Swain has had the top fixed so it can now be turned and the electric wires for the alarm system have been placed underground so not to detract from its charm. It is regrettable that these wires are necessary but after the fire a few years ago we consider the alarm essential.

Fair Street Museum and the Friends Meeting House with Mrs. Harding U. Greene and Mrs. Alfred M. P. Amey, chairmen, should again be open to the public soon after the new roof, now in progress, is finished. This building has presented no end of problems over several years but I feel sure you will agree that we did the right thing in spending a fairly large sum of money to put it in good condition and that the exhibit planned for it will be an important addition.

Fairly extensive painting, both inside and out, has been done at the Hadwen House-Satler Memorial. Mrs. Phoebe P. Swain, chairman, has done some rearranging which has helped to accentuate the beauty of this magnificent house.

Under Mr. Chace's chairmanship, the Whaling Museum has made great improvements this last year. His complete report is included in this issue.

The Oldest House has had some sprucing up by our new chairman, Mrs. Kenneth S. Baird. We are especially pleased to display a beautiful small block quilt given us by Mrs. Austin Tyrer and completed as a donation by the women at the Nantucket School of Needlery. Hopefully the front roof will be shingled this fall with fire resisting wooden shingles and some needed repairs made on the fireplaces.

More shingling and repairs have been done at the 1800 House. The dishes so attractively displayed on the table have been enclosed in a glass cabinet. Much less attractive but they are very rare and beautiful and the risk of being handled was too great. Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman, the chairman, is considering plans for a new exhibit in the east room. The Quaker manikin in

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

the "Borning Room" has livened up this display and we are hoping to add a child manikin soon.

We are indebted to the Firemen's Association for painting and dressing up the Hose Cart House. This is one of our free exhibits but it has many interesting items. We also exhibit for free the attractive Old Town Office on Washington St. and the Folger-Franklin Memorial off Madaket Road. The former is in the charge of Mr. Chace; the latter cared for by Mr. Francis S. Sylvia.

We have had a request for furniture from the Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Historical Society. They have restored one of the houses built by the group of Nantucket whalemen who migrated there and they would like one or more rooms furnished with period furniture from Nantucket, such as our people took with them when their families left here. Please call me if you could make such a donation.

Mr. J. Richard Daub is in the process of producing a movie for automatic showing in the Peter Foulger Museum. In this, Mr. Stackpole will give a brief history of Nantucket while pictures are being shown. We think this will be an appropriate introduction to the town and museum.

The Archaeology Committee, Mr. Paul C. Morris, Jr., chairman, will conduct another dig this summer with Miss Barbara Kranichfeld, the field supervisor. The number who can be involved is somewhat limited but we hope to have room for all Association members who wish to participate.

We have an excellent staff this year but problems ahead. Several will be leaving early to return to college and we anticipate difficulty filling the positions for September and two weeks in October. Would you like to try this work or know of someone you could recommend either as a volunteer or paid employee?

We are greatly in need of friends with the means and desire to purchase Nantucket memorabilia. For those of us directly connected with the museums, it is always very sad to see important historic Nantucket articles sold off-island and to learn of a Nantucket signature quilt offered for sale in California. I do not know what to recommend but I do know, as you do, that these items are available only rarely and when they are we must try to keep them here or bring them back to the island. Leroy H. True

Macy Family

We had planned an article on this famous family for this issue of Historic Nantucket but it has been unavoidably delayed. Hopefully it will be ready for the next quarterly.