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Historical Stereopticon Slides Feature Foulger Museum Lecture ON SUNDAY evening, August 4, at 8:30 o'clock, an unusual lecture was presented at the Peter Foulger Museum, sponsored by the Nantucket Historical Association, during which the story of Nantucket Town was presented through the medium of old stereopticon slides. Titled "100 Years on Nantucket — 18461946," the lecturer, Edouard A. Stackpole, used these remarkable old views of Nantucket to describe the development of the Town over this century-period, stressing not only the economic life but the social and architectural changes as well. From the earliest known photograph of the Nantucket scene, these venerable glass slides gave evidence of how much of this Island Town has been retained, so that the fact of its unique oldness was doubly impressive as the old views appeared on the screen. Tracing the era of the "Great Depression" of the J 860-1870 period, the lecturer described the development of the community as the "summer business" becomes the chief means of livelihood. Through the 19th century and into the 20th the glass slides revealed both the growth of the town to the Point and Cliff areas and the changes in the waterfront. Of particular interest were the views of the Nantucket Railroad, the development of 'Sconset, and the days when the streets contained only horse and carriage. The coming of the automobile was recounted, with old views to dramatize this important part of the island's history. Also, there were steam boats of long ago, "freeze-up" views, pictures of the first air planes to arrive, and portraits of outstanding islanders of the World War I period. A number of the historic shipwrecks were shown with photographs taken at the sites as well as old paint ings by contemporary artists. The glass slides represented the work of Josiah Freeman, Henry S. Wyer, Maurice Boyer, Harry B. Turner and Marshall Gardiner — an array of photographs that are all historic in the presentation of the Nantucket scene. Edouard A. Stackpole, a well-known authority on Nantucket history, had a most receptive audience, despite one of the warm est nights of the summer.
