Historic Nantucket
A Summer Day on Old Mill Street
July, 1979 Published Quarterly by Nantucket Historical Association Nantucket, Massachusetts
NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President, Leroy H. True Vice-Presidents, Albert G. Brock, George W. Jones, Alcon Chadwick, Albert F. Egan, Jr., Walter Beinecke, Jr., Mrs. Merle T. Orleans Secretary, Richard C. Austin Treasurer, John N. Welch Councillors, Leroy H. True, Chairman Robert D. Congdon, Harold W. Lindley, terms expire 1979; Miss Barbara Melendy, term expires 1980; Donald Terry, Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman, terms expire 1981; Miss Dorothy Gardner, David D. Worth, terms expire 1982. Historian, Edouard A. Stackpole Editor: "Historic Nantucket", Edouard A. Stackpole; Assistant Editor, Mrs. Merle T. Orleans STAFF Oldest House: Curator, Mrs. Kenneth S. Baird Receptionists: Mrs. Margaret Crowell, Mrs. Elsie Niles Hadwen House-Satler Memorial: Curator, Mrs. Phoebe P. Swain Receptionists: Mrs. Irving A. Soverino, Mrs. Richard Strong, Mrs. John Stackpole, Mrs. J. B. Ord 1800 House: Curator, Mrs. Clare Macgregor Receptionist: Mrs. Donald MacGlashan Old Gaol: Curator, Albert G. Brock Whaling Museum: Curator, Renny Stackpole Receptionists: Frank Pattison, James A. Watts, Patricia Searle, Rose Stanshigh, Alice Collins, Clarence H. Swift, Mary Lou Campbell, Anita Dougan Peter Foulger Museum: Curator and Director, Edouard A. Stackpole Receptionists: Mrs. Clara Block, Everett Finlay, Mary J. Barrett, Mrs. Ann Warren, Suzanne Zobel Librarian: Mrs. Louise Hussey Nathaniel Macy House: Curator, Mrs. John A. Baldwin Receptionists: Miss Dorothy Hiller, Mrs. Gertrude Petzel Archaeology Department, Curator, Mrs. Roger Young Old Town Office: Curator, Hugh R. Chace Old Mill: Curator, John Gilbert Millers: John Stackpole, Edward G. Dougan Folger-Franklin Seat and Mem'l Boulder: Curator, Francis Sylvia Friends Meeting House-Fair Street Museum: Curator, Abert F. Egan, Jr. Lightship "Nantucket": Curator, John Austin Shipkeeper: Richard Swain Receptionists: Martin Foley, Barbara Nathan Greater Light - Receptionists, Dr. Selina Johnson, Florence Farrell Building Survey Committee: Chairman, Robert G. Metters Hose Cart House: Curator, Francis W. Pease
HISTORIC NANTUCKET Published quarterly and devoted to the preservation of Nantucket's antiquity, its famed heritage and its illustrious past as a whaling port.
Volume 27
July, 1979
No. 1
CONTENTS
Nantucket Historical Association Officers and Staff
2
Editorial—"The Old Fair Street Rooms"
5
Henry B. Coleman—Nantucketer
7
The Mysterious Ledger of Asa G. Bunker by Blue Bafiiett
10
Legacies and Bequests/ Address Changes
15
Notes on Tuckernuck by Diana Walker
16
Finding the Origins of Nantucket's Portuguese Bell by the Rev. Edward B. Anderson
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Historic Nantucket is published quarterly at Nantucket. Massachusetts, by the Nantucket Historical Association. It is sent to Association Members. Extra copies $.50 each. Membership dues are—Annual-Active $7.50; Sustaining $25.00; Life—one payment $100.00 Second-class postage paid at Nantucket, Massachusetts Communications pertaining to the Publication should be addressed to the Editor, Historic Nantucket, Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554.
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The First Exhibit Rooms on Fair Street
The Old Fair Street Rooms WITH THE REVIVAL of interest in the Historical Association's Fair Street building — or the "Fair Street Rooms," as they were at one time called — another part of our Association's history is revitalized. It was only a few years after the formation of the Nantucket Historical Association in 1894 that the need for a new headquarters became ap parent. The Quaker Meeting House on Fair Street had been purchased and became the first exhibit building. Within a span of eight years it became so crowded that the historic value of the collections was lost by the numbers of items on display. At length, at the annual meeting in 1903, a committee was ap pointed, headed by Henry S. Wyer, to investigate the costs of erecting a suitable structure at the corner of Ray's Court and Fair Street, which would become the formal home of the Association. The committee reported with plans for a fire-proof structure, to be built of cement blocks, and an architect named George F. Watson was appointed to draw the plans. The Quaker Meeting House was moved to the South a few feet. At a ceremony held in July, 1905, the corner stone of the new structure was placed in position, and the firm of Aberthaw & Co., of Cincinnati, Ohio, began the construction. A campaign for contributions launched the fundraising, but a large bequest from NJrs. Susan Wilson Folger enabled the work to proceed to completion in 1905. The stone boulder which had originally served as the door-stone of the home of Sachem Tashama, at the Indian village of Ocawan, near Gibbs' Pond, was moved to Fair Street and placed in the ground before the entrance. In July, the first meeting of the Association took place in the new structure. From that time until 1971 "Fair Street" was the home of the Nantucket Historical Association. Many new exhibits were added; the building became crowded with displays of portraits, furniture, old china and glass, Indian artifacts, whaling implements (until the Whaling Museum was opened in 1930), tools, books, wagons, and manuscripts. Not until the erection of the Peter Foulger Museum was the transfer of this collection to the new quarters in 1971 completed. Only the adjacent Quaker Meeting House remained as an exhibit building, and the Fair Street Rooms were virtually abandoned. In 1976, the potential of the old building was recognized with the opening of the "18th Century Exhibit" developed by Mrs. Harding Greene. The success of this exhibit led to the idea of using the unusual
6
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
lighting in the building for art exhibitions. These affairs have proven so worthwhile that the Nantucket Art Association has planned a series of events featuring arts, crafts, photography and other art forms. The public reception has been heartening. The future of old "Fair Street" will always reflect the flavor of the past. Memories of those officers and members who aided the Nantucket Historical Association in those crucial years will always be a part of its history — Dr. Joseph Sidney Mitchell, the first President, Alexander Starbuck, the great Nantucket and whaling historian; Arthur Gardner and William F. Macy, who guided the course so wisely; Dr. Charles Congdon and Everett U. Crosby, who with Dr. William E. Gardner and Nancy Grant Adams were the able pilots of the ship over the years; Susan E. Brock, the first Curator of the Association, Emma Coleman and Mrs. Elizabeth Worth, the latter still an active member; Mary E. Starbuck, Henry S. Wyer, George Howland Folger, Elizabeth Bennett and Emily Weeks, of the "Old Guard," and Roland B. Hussey and Harry B. Turner, whose contributions through The Inquirer and Mirror were vitally important — all are figures who have become a part of the Association's development at the Fair Street Rooms. Thus, we revive our history through the new use of an old structure. — Edouard A. Stackpole
Henry B. Coleman — Nantucketer
7
WITH THE DEATH of Henry B. Coleman on April 15, 1979, Nan tucket lost one of those sons who may truly be known as a "Nantucketer." Born on this island, March 15, 1901, the son of Wallace L. and Carrie E. (Brown) Coleman, he was associated with community affairs all of his long life. The wide range of his activities was the best indication of the variety of his interests. It was not so much the fact that he belonged to these numerous organizations; it was that he contributed in his own way to each of them. Such interest and devotion to the duties involved brought to him loyal friends, and he commanded the respect of all his fellow workers throughout his career. Following his graduation from the Nantucket High School in 1919, he completed a course at the Mount Hermon School. He then became associated with the national Y.M.C.A., accepting a position at Lawrence, Mass. But the pull of his island home soon brought him back to Nantucket, where he readily found employment. It was in 1931 that he entered into partnership with Dr. Charles E. Congdon in the real estate and insurance business that is still conducted under the name of Congdon & Coleman. He still found time to conduct a physical education course for the Nantucket schools. With the advent of World War II he accepted the director's post for the Civilian Defense, serving as secretary of the Board of Selectmen, as well, but resigned when he entered the U.S. Army in 1942.
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In the years following the war's end, he was called upon to help in several organizations. When the Nantucket Rotary Club was formed in 1951 he became its first President. He served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Nantucket Hospital from 1954 through 1956, and his good judgment was utilized in such organizations as the American Legion, the Sherburne Chapter, O.E.S., the Thomas Turner Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution, the Nantucket Pacific Club. He was one of the founders of the Nantucket Historical Trust, and served as President of the Nan tucket Foundation and the Nantucket Civic League, and only recently retired as the President of the Nantucket Atheneum. For many years he was the Senior Deacon at St. Paul's Church, and was a past Junior Deacon of Union Lodge, F.&A.M. His interests in cluded membership in the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, and the Maria Mitchell Association, and he was a Director of the Nantucket Electric Company and on the Board of the Nantucket Institution For Savings. Many community organizations sought his help, and he always
The Late Henry B. Coleman
HENRY B. COLEMAN—NANTUCKETER
9
responded. He belonged to the three island golf clubs, enjoying the game and the companionship of his many friends. He was especially interested in the Nantucket Historical Association, becoming a Council member in 1951 through 1954. In 1961 he was again elected a Councillor, and served to 1964, when he became a Vice President. From 1971 to 1974 he served as President of the Association. In recent years his failing health precluded his participation in many of the organizations in which he had played a leading role, but his interest in each of them never lagged. Having given of himself so unselfishly, he was greatly missed by his former colleagues. This became more evident whenever a committee or a board of trustees would meet and become aware that the faithful Henry Coleman was no longer available for advice and counsel. Death came to him while he was vacationing in Florida. He was enjoying a visit with a close Nantucket friend there when the fatal heart attack struck. He had observed his 78th birthday only a few weeks before. Despite the nature of his illness, which made the ultimate passing inevitable, he was able to keep up his characteristic cheerfulness. He will always be remembered by his friends for his affable and genial disposition. The Nantucket Historical Association joins his many friends in fond remembrances of a warm and generous personality, and is grateful for the contributions that Henry Coleman made not only to this organization but to Nantucket as his community and his home.
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The mysterious ledger of Asa G. Bunker by Blue Balliett
WATER IN THE sperm oil? A pebble in the Christmas pudding? A prominent Nantucket citizen working as a secret agent for off-Island interests in 1845? The story of Asa G. Bunker adds an odd twist to the most prosperous period of Nantucket's history. Asa Bunker, the son of Hezekiah Bunker and Lvdia Gardner, was horn in 1802. He married Mary Rav, also a Nantucketer, and they had five children: Phebc R., Elizabeth Ann, Sarah G., Lydia G., and Matthew. He came from a large family on the Island, and belonged to the sixth generation of Bunkers on Nantucket. Not much is known about Mr. Bunker's life. As a young man he worked as a school teacher on the Island, and in 1836 replaced Simeon Folger as the Register of Deeds in Town Hall. He served in Town Hall for 32 years, leaving the Registry in 1868. He died in Martinez, California in 1869. Mr. Bunker left behind a mysterious ledger which is now in the collection of account books at the Peter Foulger Museum. The ledger was obviously kept for his own records, for it contains the rough drafts of his private correspondence with a certain W.A. Cleveland in Boston. These letters to Mr. Cleveland report on the financial status and character of prominent tradesmen and businessmen on Nantucket. In providing a means of rating the credit of Nantucket merchants, Mr. Bunker did some rather professional spy work. The ledger begins on May 20, 1845, and ends abruptly on April 21, 1846, two months before the Great Fire. We are given an inside glimpse of Nantucket during the year when the whaling industry had just passed its peak and was heading into a rapid decline. The population of the Island was close to 10,000 at the time. In 1843-5, the record number of 88 whaleships left Nantucket harbor. One year later, in 1846, only 7 ships were fitted out. Asa Bunker was putting together his reports during the most prosperous months Nantucket would see for some time; the assessed valuation of the Island was well over $6,074,374.00. The first entry in the ledger is a letter received by Mr. Bunker in June 1844, requesting his services in establishing a credit rating of Nantucket merchants and manufacturers. The letter, marked "private",
ASA G. BUNKER I£DGER
11
explains the existence of an agency in New York which supplies con fidential information on prospective creditors in the country; the intention was to protect those who granted credit from "the frauds and impositions of designing men" and "irresponsible traders". The agency was of course dependent on its local informants: . . it is necessary to secure the cooperation of one intelligent person in each county throughout the U.S. who will report. . . the responsibility, standing, character etc. of the traders within his county. . . " Mr. Bunker, as Town Register, would have been in an excellent position for collecting material. He took the job. His reports to Mr. Cleveland not only give valuable information about the Island's economy at the time; they also give quick character sketches of individual citizens. Well acquainted with the financial matters of the Town, he not only reports factual findings but offers advice, speculating on the basis of character and past experiences. Mr. Bunker often tempered his facts and figures with personal comments. A typical entry: Frederick Gardner — Dealer in Dry Goods — has a family — was of the Firm of Gardner and Hallett who failed — previous to that of the firm of G. & F. Gardner — originally Frederick Gardner — began very obscurely and rose quick — never thought of a time in which the sun would not shine — if Frederick had not enlarged beyond his ability he would now be a rich man — Frederick paid his private debts of the Firm at 50 percent and took the assets from the assignees — his Brother-in-Law George Alley and some of his Boston Creditors, or those of the Firm assisting him — after this arrangement — his Real Estate stood — and now stands — house worth 5,000 — mortgage 4300 — he might value it higher — the large store on Main Street, formerly occupied by G. & F. Worth 5000 — mort. 2900 dols — the store now in his occupation 3000 — mort. 2000 — probably deals in Boston with his former merchants — hardly ever seen any where but his store — except on Sundays — is very industrious and attentive. Mr. Bunker, with easy access to all the materials in Town Hall, drew his reports from real estate titles, the Assessors' books, Clerk of Courts records, town valuations of personal property, stock holdings, ship ownership, and what he knew of marriage or family connections. Not to be underrated were hearsay and intuition, as in the following: Bassett and Barrett: I understand have discontinued the Junk and Scrap Iron and Copper business — it was said a day or two since that they would go down — what gave rise to this I
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET know not — my informant said that it was in the mouths of two or three individuals — I have neither heard nor perceived anything since — I believe that they have sold out that branch of their business to F.C. Chase — some in the same line may be seeking their downfall — Frederick C. Chase has within a few days started a wagon through town for sale of wares and . purchase of Junk and Scraps —
Occasionally he tempered an unreliable-looking financial situation with a word or two of praise or recommendation, as in the case of George II. Riddell: "Dealer in Dry Goods, mostly staples — has a family — is well acquainted with business — no one better — failed once some years ago, but in real justice to him it should not be remembered. . . " Another kind word (and a pun) was put in for Charles B. Chadwick: "Dealer in Boots and Shoes — has a family — stock mortgaged to Wm. B. Mitchell a Brother-in-Law — his household furniture mort. to C.K. Whitman for say 120 dols — his friends can help him — and he must be sustained — he was away from his family some years and now the best foot is put forward — " Charles Chadwick and George Riddell were probably both Mr. Bunker's old friends. One can imagine Asa surreptitiously scribbling down figures in one of his big ledgers at Town Hall. Despite his apparent readiness to supply any information needed, he was nervous about being discovered, and with good reason. Any one who reported the financial standing and character of his neighbors to an off-Island agency would have been considered to be not only a hvpocrit but a positive louse. Had anyone found out about his reports, he would undoubtedly have been driven from the Island. As Town Register, he held one of the highest offices 011 Nantucket. He was well aware of the risks he was taking: ". . . my acquaintance with the character of Merchants in spires me with the belief that your subscribers on receiving post haste information will be careful not to implicate the informant — should a subscriber in consequence of the above information immediately give Bassett and Barrett to un derstand that he was informed as to the above, how natural would it be for me to be suspected and the more so as they probably do not know of such an Agency — Mr. Cleveland must bear with me awhile — I shall soon get over my qualms — I write not to get reassurance — these things naturally suggested themselves on account of my delicate position. . . " Belonging to one of the old and reputable families on Nantucket, Mr. Bunker was jeopardizing far more than his job.
ANNOUNCING
Scrimshaw ^productions From T h e
Whaling Museum In Polymer Ivory, a synthetic which looks and feels like genuine whale bone Items shown:
Bookends
$100
Susnan's Tooth with base $125 Hollow Tooth napkin rings set of four
$40
BUCKLES: Rectangle with Leather Face
$20
Oval Pewter
$15
A complete list is available on request We also have a list of Nantucket Books
Hand Dipped Nantucket Candles Spermaceti 11" $3.00 Bayberry and Cranberry
15" $3.50 11" $2.50
Available at t h e Whaling Museum Gift Shop o r w r i t e :
NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Box 1016 Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554
ASA G. BUNKER LEDGER
13
In 1845, the Island could boast many successful businessmen and merchants. The less wealthy tradesmen were easier to trace than the shipping magnates: . . it will take some time (to report on them), as they have more facilities for covering up. . . " Asa passes quickly over the most reputable ship owners and manufacturers. Among those he mentions are Joseph Starbuck ("his Mansion and Candle House on one lot 3000 — store on Commercial Wharf 2 shares 1400 — 3 brick houses occupied by his sons each 10,000.00 — Farm 4000 — other Real Estate 1500 — shipping and other personal property 178,250.00 — probably does not hire any money"), and his three sons George, Matthew and William. Matthew Crosby (" . . . it has been said by some that this person is always full of money . . . ") and his son William H. Crosby ("he has 2 uncles worth, each, at least one hundred thousand dollars") are treated with the same brevity. Charles and Henry Coffin (they were to plant the elms on Main Street in 1851-2), the renowned shipping partners, were worth well over $300,000.00. For obvious reasons, a word or two about the finances of these men was more than sufficient for Mr. Cleveland. Among the better-known Nantucketers mentioned by Mr. Bunker are Nathaniel Barney, Samuel Jenks, Owen Chase, and Barker Burnell. Nathaniel Barney (1792-1869) was an eminent philanthropist, merchant, and abolitionist. He and William Hadwen ran a successful sperm oil and candle works. It appears that even the most altruistic of Nantucketers could be hard-nosed when it came to business: William Hadwen and Nathaniel Barney — ship owners and manufacturers — each has family and each married a daughter of Joseph Starbuck. . . The premises on Main Street occupied by their families and on which stands their works are worth 7000 and are owned in company — they have a brick oil shed worth 2,000 dols — and one worth 500 dols — other real estate 700 dols — . . . they own 7/ 8 ship Alpha, $29,750 — 1/3 ship Omega, $10,000 — 1/8 Mariner, $8,000 — 1/6 Hero $2,000 —. . . This house is said to have on hand 4,000 bbls Sperm Oil. . . they have bought largely lately for cash and have been calling in some of their paper — some of the knowing ones say this is a ruse and not the first of the house — this house nevertheless is rich and I set it down as very Good — Samuel Jenks was a distinguished newspaper editor and educator; the brother-in-law of Cyrus Peirce, he helped to set up the Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Lancasterian School. According to Asa's report, even eminent men of letters can be questionable businessmen:
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET Samuel H. Jenks, Editor of Nantucket Warder — age about 58 — has a family — was brought up in the Dry Goods business in Boston — was editor of the Nantucket Inquirer for many years, lately Postmaster — not having so much en couragement as he anticipated it is said that he is about to go into the dry goods business in Nantucket — his wife has homestead at the corner of Union and Coffin Streets worth 2000 dols — they probably would say more. . . I believe that two of his daughters are assistants in our public schools — his wife has opened a school — Jenks is public administrator but has been rather neglectful of that duty — was and I believe n o w i s l i a b l e f o r T r i n i t y C h u r c h 1 5 0 d o l s — s e c u r e d f o r t h a t if the security is good — not an out of doors man and may do well in the dry goods business.
Owen Chase, survivor of the famous Essex disaster, is simply mentioned as being "worth I think 20,000 dols and has five or six children". Perhaps he was too well known to need much comment? Asa's evaluation of Barker Burnell is interesting in light of Burnell's subsequent doings: . . he has been successful in business. . . Burnell is surrounded by Wealth and his friends are very influential — his wife is daughter to Matthew Crosby and one of four children who will inherit from Abial Coffin widow of Zenas, one fifth of her estate. . . No person stands higher in public estimation than Barker Burnell. . . " At the time Asa was writing up his report, Burnell was cashier of the Manufacturers and Mechanics Bank of Nantucket, where he had been since 1841. At 26 years old, he was a very successful young man. He resigned from the bank in 1845, after his election to the Massachusetts State Senate, and in 1846 moved to Boston to serve his term in office. The new cashier, Andrew J . Morton, soon found that there was s o m e t h i n g t e r r i b l y wr o n g w i t h t h e b a n k b o o k s . I t b e c a m e a p p a r e n t t h a t Burnell had mishandled and embezzled the bank's entire capital stock of $100,000.00. A small fortune had been lost to failures among debtors, mysterious overdrafts, and unrecorded checks. T h e sudden bankruptcy of the most active bank on Nantucket helped to precipitate the Island's commercial collapse. His trial was one of the more sensational court scenes in the Island's history. The town was understandably incensed. The Nantucket Inquirer of June 11, 1847 exuberantly described the situation at the bank as a "deplorable exhibition of rottenness". Burnell was, however, acquitted, and left the Island soon after the verdict. H e died in Chile, South America in 1861.
ASA G. BUNKER LEDGER
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O n e w o n d e r s if A s a r e m e m b e r e d w h a t h e h a d written in 1845 a b o u t Burnell, a n d why, in fact, his ledger breaks off abruptly o n April 21, 1846. Did someone catch wind of his spying? Did he receive a warning? Was he afraid, on the eve of Burnell's trial, of ending up in a similar manner? Whatever the reasons, Bunker's correspondence with Cleveland appears to have ended abruptly. Asa was to continue as Register of Deeds for another 22 years, so apparently his brief career as a secret agent remained unknown. Aside from the financial information it supplies, Asa's ledger is in valuable in the way it shows that unlikely marriage of intimacy and big business which held together Nantucket in her prime.
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Notes on Tuckernuck by Diana Walker (continued from the April issue)
DR. HENRY BIGELOW was the first "off-islander" to become a "summer islander". He was, perhaps, one of the most distinguished surgeons of his day, pioneering in the use of ether as a surgical anesthetic. He first found lodgings in the Peter Norton House in 1866, renting it from Charles Dunham. In 1868 Dr. Bigelow began to start the "lodge" on the northwest end of the island (later known as Bigelow's Point) (Notes from Bancel Lafarge). After 10 years of negotiation, he bought the End, ap proximately a hundred acres, from Charles Dunham. The "Bigelow" house was originally used as a gunning camp. Green Plover were the favourite game. William Sohier, one of his gunning mates, engineered a decoy made of metal, and in two sections. They could be placed the one within the other to facilitate carrying. The "lodge" was progressively built, and added on to through the 1880's and 90's. On the death of Dr. Henry Bigelow in 1890, his son Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow became the owner. "He found Tuckernuck an ideal setting for summer sojourns in meditation." He brought many friends who shared his metaphysical habits. Among those who came to Tuckernuck at that time were Theodore Roosevelt, Bishop Lawrence, John La Farge, Henry Adams, Charles Warren Stoddard, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and George C. Lodge. Henry James said of him, "Sturgis like everyone else, is bound to find Paradise in the world. . .He looks for Paradise in absorption in the Infinite. . ("Tuckernuck", E.A. Stackpole, Cape Cod Magazine, 1972). George Cabot Lodge, the son of Senator Lodge, became a frequent visitor to Tuckernuck. He decided on a literary career and wrote several poems about the island. In 1909, a young man in his thirties, he was stricken on 1 uckernuck with an undetermined illness and died. (By description, it is now thought to have been an attack of acute appcndicities.) Dr. Bigelow never recovered from his tragic death, and spent the next two years seeking solitude in Japan. He returned to Tuckernuck in 1912, but it had lost its meaning. Below are two poems written by George Cabot Lodge published posthumously in 1912: Tuckernuck I am content to live the patient day The wind sea laden, loiters to the land.
NOTES ON TUCKERNUCK
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And on the naked heap of shining sand The eternity of blue sea pales to spray. In such a world no need for us to pray The holy voice of sea and air Are sacramented, like peaceful prayer Wherein the world doth dream her tears away We now across the water's fluent gold And age seems blest for the world is old Softly we take from nature's open palm The dower of the sunset and the sky And dream an Eastern dream starred by the cry Of seabirds huming through the mighty calm. To W.S.B. We loved too much for prayer or praise The Golden reach of noontide sea We loved the large tranquility Of flowing distances and days In calm dark sunsets on the blaze Of moonlit waves, the ectasy And spacious thought of liberty Thrilled us in deep and purest way. We loved too much for song or speech The star transcendent loneliness And in the silent tenderness Of hearts thrown open each to each We found the perfect peace that brings A free taste of eternal things. None of the Lodges ever visited the island again until August 1973, when Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. came to Tuckernuck for a day, to see the island where his father spent the last days of his life and the room in which he had died. Stories are handed down through generations about the Tuckernuck feuds, but any small community is bound to have its share. Romance must have also bloomed at times, as the first recorded wedding was held on Tuckernuck on March 18, 1883 between Louis E. Thomas and Linda A. Dunham (Nantucket Argument Settlers], Generally Tuckernuckers went to Nantucket or the Vineyard, for their marriage ceremonies. People were born and died on the island. Everett Chapel was born at the end of the last century in the "Peter Norton House". Fire has always had its toll. In her diary, Kezia Fanning refers to a
NOTES ON TUOKFRNTTCK
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fire on Tuckernuck on October 8, 1786. "Peter Coffin's house at Tuckernuck took fire by heating their oven this a.m., and was utterly consumed as were their barn, grain etc. . .They were left only 2 or three beds, a few chairs. Subscription will be put on foot on the morrow for their relief." Jethro Dunham was burned to death in the first "North Head" which burned to the ground sometime before 1829. The remains of that house can be seen today about 200 yards from the present "North Head". A small marker can sometimes be found on a hill overlooking the Crane's house. Two little girls were burned to death when that house, formerly the "Smith Homestead", caught fire. John R. Sandsbury's house was completely destroyed by fire in 1892 [Nantucket Argument Settlers], At the turn of the century, small Tuckernuckers were always fascinated by the songs and stories that Captain Gibbs sang at his Life Saving station command on Muskeget. The following is about "the backside of Tuckernuck P'int" and has always been famous, or infamous, for the problems it caused. Uncle Nathan Old Uncle Nathan and Old Uncle Sam They built them a sloop of an oyster clam On the backside of Tuckernuck P'int They hoisted the jib to bring her around They down with the helm, and run her aground On the backside of Tuckernuck P'int. Old Uncle Nathan vowed and Old Uncle Sam swore They'd never go to sea in that sloop anymore On the backside of Tuckernuck P'int. Towards the end of the century, Tuckernuck became increasingly popular for a few off islanders mainly from the Boston area. Some came during the summer; some came duck shooting in the fall. Joseph Warren Phinney, of Medford, Mass., and a native of Nantucket, originally came to the island to hunt. He decided to bring his young wife, Priscilla Chase Morris Phinney, also a Nantucket native, for a summer holiday. At first they stayed at the East End View Hotel built in 1882 by Marcus Dunham and his father, Robert [Nantucket Argument Settlers], This hotel was referred to by Nathan Manter, skipper of "The Island Home", after almost being wrecked in a blizzard on February 4, 1882. The steamer managed to anchor near Tuckernuck shoal and ride out the gale. "The boat rode like a duck. When dawn broke we made land close to us, which we first took to be the Clift, but as the light increased we found we were on Tuckernuck and could see the hotel." (Edouard Stackpole)
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET As the hotel turned out to b£ unprofitable, it was pulled down at the end of the century. The Phinneys, however, boarded at the East End View Hotel for several summers. In 1896, after negotiating with Isaac Dunham, they bought North Head. This was the year in which it had ceased to function as a life saving station. One edition of a magazine, called "The Tuckernuck Yoho," was published on Tuckernuck in 1901. According to this publication, at that time only half of the houses were occupied throughout the year. The school was open for a few months each year, with an attendance varying from two to seven people. The permanent population was less than forty. "The inhabitants are hardworking, frugal and above the average in honesty, fair dealing, typical fishermen farmers of the New England Coast, sharing with their fellow townsmen of Nantucket, an intelligence and knowledge of the world and of books far beyond the ordinary. The sea and soil furnish them a living, and they are an exceptionally independent and self-reliant community." ("Yoho," 1901) In the year 1901, telephone communications were inaugurated by the United States Life Saving Station. A cable was laid from Smith's Point to Tuckernuck on December 28th, and on January 6th, 1902, another was laid from Tuckernuck to Muskeget [Nantucket Argument Settlers]. In the beginning of the 20th century, it became apparent tha; this hard life of survival through the Tuckernuck winters would no longer be endured. Gradually the Tuckernuck people found their year long homes on Nantucket or elsewhere. In 1913, the Tuckernuck school was discontinued. The last teacher was Anna Coffin. It was not, however, "officially" abandoned by the School Committee until 1950. [Nantucket Argument Settlers] Two legends have been passed down through several generations. One is the story of Captain Kidd's treasure on Tuckernuck; the other is "The Yoho." Harry Dunham, whose house now belongs to Phyllis LaFarge Johnson, used to tell of an ancient relative, a privateer, who was im prisoned in Dartmoor Prison. Next to him was an old man who was dying. He claimed to have served under Captain Kidd. Harry's relative was told that a treasure was buried on the island of Tuckernuck. Near the Lily Pond, on the way out to Bigelow's Point (now out to sea), was a large purple rock. To the South side of it was buried the Spanish Gold. During various summers people dug and dug. On a particular occasion the treasure seekers were tremendously excited by the discovery of a pile of hones! They turned out, alas, to be those of a sheep. Perhaps it was the
Smith House
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
wrong purple rock but Harry reassured us that the treasure was on the island, somewhere. The other legend is that of the "Yoho." The "Yoho" is a spirit that can lure a person to lose his way through ''pea soup" fog, perhaps ending up in the quicksand of the slough. "Just a voice without a substance in the spindrift of the storm..." We do not know where it all began although we believe it was fabricated at the end of the 19th century, to keep "little Johnny" or "Susie" from wandering too far afield. In the 1920's Joseph Warren Phinney placed a gargoyle, taken from the razing of the old John Hancock Building in Boston, on a bluff on the North Shore. It is known as the "Yoho." As previously mentioned, the origin of the "Yoho" is unclear. Tristram Coffin Dammin, a direct descendant of the original owner of Tuckernuck, gave me this information one summer. He found this poem in a story by John Phillips called "The Sands of Muskeget." It is drawn from an anthology of short stories called A Sportsman's Second Scrapbook.
There was an old whaling captain once, George Coffin by name, who lived his last years on Tuckernuck with occasional trips to a shanty on Muskeget. When he died they found this poem in his journal book, and I will give it here just as it came from the old man's pen, for it shows that even a hard-boiled whaler may grope in his own way for the picturesque and mysterious: THE MUSKEGET LOON When the wind is from the north'ard and the snow drifts in Over beach and cliff and meadow like a ghostly wrath of sin, When Tuckernuck's hid from vision and when barely you can trace Bigelow's House or the Station door or the hand before your face; When the snow is slowly falling, and in vain you Captains try To keep the sail from splitting; when your mittens and clothes won't dry; Then from out the lonely distance comes a sad and ghostly sound —
NOTES ON TUCKERNUCK
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'Tis the Loon that is calling, like the tolling 01 a bell, Like the groaning of a glacier, or like the wailing souls in Hell! In the early hours of morning a fife you think you hear, But that sound I've heard from boyhood so to me it's not so queer. So with oilskins and sou'wester you are off upon the track; But, my boy, be very careful! Are you sure you will come back? For, as thro' the misty snowdrift cold, you follow that, You'll behold a thing unearthly - see a footprint in the sand, Down upon the beach it leads you, to the very water's edge, Down among the swirling quicksands, down upon the kelp ledge — And before you hardly know it, you are floundering in the mire; — And the Loon he still is calling - for his voice will never tire. 'Tis not the wind you hear howling, or the notes of a fife you hear, But the Loon is loudly calling to you its sound so queer; Just a note without substance, and if you want the proof, See the footprints that you follow! 'Oh, my God! He's on the roof!' Before you follow further, or further try to go, Beware of what you're doing. Go slow, my boy, go slow! For if you follow further, and try to find its lair, It will lead you into trouble, into trouble sad and sair! Down where the sand is smiling, down to the rushing tide 'Twixt Tuckernuck and Maddaket on the deadly eastern side, There many a man has perished, there many a widow's made, For the Loon his deadly calling makes a graveyard without spade! Then be warned in time, my boy, and when you hear that sound, Of a far-off note is calling, like the baying of a hound, In the cold and in the snowdrift, when the wind is from the north, 'Tis the Loon that is calling - just a note above the earth, Just a note without a substance, just a swirl, within a pool, 'Tis the bird of old Satan - in the water you're her fool. Richard Heard, a poet, came to the island in 1904, and the following
Isaac Dunham, a Tuckernuck farmer-fisherman.
NOTES ON TUCKERNUCK
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are excerpts irom his poem, it is an obvious steal of George Coffin's verses, written sometime in the later part of the 19th century. When the wind is from the south'ard and the fog comes drifting in Over beach and cliff and meadow, like a ghostly wraith of sin When Muskeget's hid from vision and barely you can trace Dunham's house or Coffin's dory - or the hand before your face. . . Then from the lonely distance comes a sad and ghostly sound Like a view halloo unearthly, like the baying of a hound Like the groaning of a glacier, like the tolling of a bell, 'Tis the Yoho that is calling, like the wailing souls in hell... The rest of "his" poem continues in like manner, substituting a word here or a phrase there, and giving the name of Yoho to the Loon of Tuckernuck. Until now, full credit was not given to the poetic talents of George Coffin. Today, Tuckernuck remains visibly the same as it has in the past two hundred years. It is smaller, by about a third. The farms are gone, there are no domesticated animals roaming the moors, the split rail fences have disappeared, as have the stone property dividers, covered by grass, but the horizons look about the same and there is little change in the general landscape. In Nantucket, Patricia Coffin describes a Tuckernuck autumn. The moorland on Tuckernuck is smoldering, aglow. It is a playback to Nantucket where bush and tree and vine, ground cover and lush late blooming of wild flowers create an iridescence around the cobalt blue of the ponds. The moors are a rampage of color, a veritable VIBYGOR (spectrum), violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red, plus cverv mutation thereof. Under shiny dark green leaves, the bearberries arc Christmas red....autumn's violet dusk sifts in and settles in the lithe forest of twisted low growing oak trees on Tuckernuck. Miss Coffin has not exaggerated this spectacle. She did not mention in her description another panorama that is eye startling.... The purple sea heather encircling the North Pond in the early fall. The two natural elements of fire and water arc still to be feared and respected. In World War II, the U.S. Navy Air Force used Tuckernuck
NOTES ON TUCKERNUCK
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for aerial targets, and the house of Horace Reed, and another house that formerly belonged to Miss Hill, were burned to the ground. Luckily the wind changed, or most of the island might have been destroyed. In July 1959, a fire started inadvertently by a cigarette butt almost created a disaster. The Tuckernuckers were able to almost completely stamp out the fire with brooms and rakes, before a crew of volunteer firemen from Nantucket arrived on the scene. Fog and smoke mixed together, and it was difficult to see where the fire was moving. About 100 acres were burned. In 1976, a fire started by the hot sun causing bottles of water to reflect heat onto the boards of the Reed house's shed. Luckily, Stanley Smith saw smoke, and was able to stop another conflagration. What would have h a p p e n e d t o T u c k e r n u c k if t h e r e h a d b e e n n o o n e o n t h e i s l a n d t o p u t o u t the flames? The Indians have gone; only their legends, camps and burial sites remain. The Ice Age has retreated again, leaving behind its history for those today to study. The sea has taken its toll, relentlessly adding and subtracting from one side or another. Islands have vanished to the depths. Some of the original houses are no longer here. But the character of Tuckernuck still remains, on the sea side, on the moors, in the homes, some of whose inhabitants trace their history back to the earliest days of the New World settlers, and settlers of Nantucket. Those who settled here farmed the land, killed the whale, journeyed for many years thousands of miles away. Does this island, which marked so much the virtues of our American heritage, deserve to be moved into a modern age, and become only one of the coastal resorts where people look through their picture windows and contemplate their golf or yachting race? O r can it remain for those who love it as a place, passed by on the high road of history, a never changing reminder of what men were and may someday be again.
Xantueket's Portuguese Bell "The Old Bell In The Tower."
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Finding the origins of Nantucket's Portuguese Bell by The Rev. Edward B. Anderson "To the Good Jesus of the Mountain (Bom Jezus do Monte) the devotees of Lisbon direct their prayers, offering him one complete set of six bells, to call the people and adore him on his sanctuary. Joze Domingucs Da Costa has done it in Lisbon on the year 1810. THIS TRANSLATION OF the Portuguese inscription on the bell that has been hanging in the tower of the Unitarian Church, on Orange Street, since 1815, was provided by Joaa Jacintho Rebello in 1876 at the request of Mr. Fred A. Wellington. It may not be the most idiomatic English rendition possible: "Made bv Joze Domingues Da Costa, Lisbon, 1810," sounds a bit less awkward to our ears than "has done it in Lisbon on the year 1810," but Rcbello's literal translation adequately conveys the in formation the founder cast into the bell and which Wellington had taken the trouble to climh into the tower to copy. In addition to a copy of the inscription in Portuguese as well as Rcbello's translation, I took a secondary document with me to Portugal in hopes of locating the church for which the Nantucket bell was originally intended and, if possible, the other five bells in the set of six. Mr. Rebello, the Portuguese Vice Consul in Boston, replied to Wellington with a formal and rather quaint little note, the text of which has been preserved in the records of The Inquirer and Mirror which first printed it on August 31, 1878. Thanks to Tom Giffin, I had a copy of that letter. It reads: Boston, May 25th, 1876 Fred A. Wellington, Esq. Dear Sir: I have received your's of the 23rd, and in answer have the pleasure of forwarding you the interpretation of your request. I have to observe to you that Mountain is a place in Lisbon where is a church of great veneration, and for which the bells were made according to the legend (i.e. the in scription on the bell) Consider me Truly Yours, Joaa Jacintho Rebello, V. Consul Anticipating that somewhere in Lisbon I could uncover more in formation about the history of the Nantucket bell, I expected to spend a substantial portion of my five days there climbing around in steeples and
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HISTORIC NANTUUCKET
perhaps even visiting a foundry or two. Rebello's letter seemed unequivocal; "Mountain is a place in Lisbon." There were some doubts about that. H . E . Coffin records in his history of the Second Congregational Meeting House (Unitarian Universalist), 1964, that Charles R. Jov commented on June 27, 1943 that "There is no place in I dsbon called Mountain. T h e Vice Consul was not correct. In the north of Portugal there is the shrine 'Bom Jezus do Monte' near Braga. The bell was cast in 1810 possibly for this shrine." I am indebted to Miss Eleanor Phinney for calling this comment to my notice. By the time I left Nantucket I had found that there are many hills in Lisbon and many, many churches. I preferred to believe Rehello. All I had to do was to find the right Lisbon mountain. I was particularly in terested in two sanctuaries, both of them located on prominent elevations within the old section of the city. The first of these was Largo do Carmo, a Carmelite convent. It had been destroyed in the earthquake that had devastated Lisbon on November 1, 1755. A restoration project had been contemplated but never carried through. It was possible, I thought, that the bells had been cast in anticipation of the restoration but then, when Napoleon's army invaded Portugal and the project abandoned, the bells had been sold to the highest bidder. One went to Capt. Charles Clasbv of Nantui ct. I did not feel I could ignore local Nantucket traditions connecting the bell to a Lisbon convent. Such memories frequently carry more than a grain of truth.. Carmo seemed a likely candidate; but there was a stumbling block. The bell was dedicated to Jesus. The convent was not. I therefore felt more hopeful about a second sanctuary. This was none other than the Lisbon Cathedral. A Romanesque structure dating hack to the twelfth century it, too, had been severely damaged in the earthquake. Unlike Carmo, the Cathedral had been completely restored between the years 1755 and 1810. But there were serious objections to this theory. T h e first was that the Cathedral is adjacent to the tomb of Lisbon's patron saint, Saint Vincent. Would the devotees of Lisbon make no mention of their patron saint in a gift of bells to the Cathedral? T h e dedication was a problem. If there were a "Church of the Good Jesus" in Lisbon my investigations would have been considerably simplified. Alas, there is no such church: St. Anthony's, St. Luzia's, St. Estavao's, St. Miguel's...but no Church of the Good Jesus. The Cathedral is simply the "Se." In that lack of specificity I thought I might have a chance to find five bells. But a second objection remained. Since the restoration of the Se had been completed, why had at least one bell
NANTUCKET'S PORTUGUESE BELL
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intended for its tower been sold by the foundry to an American seaman? "Perhaps," I surmised, "the war had diverted Lisbon's funds to munitions and guns, leaving Da Costa stuck with six bells and no buyer." On my first full day in Lisbon I began to make inquiries. Hampered by a language barrier I started with the English speaking desk clerk at the hotel. "Ah," she said, "this place is not in Lisbon, I think. It is north in Braga where is a church 'Bom Jczus do Mote.' "She must be mistaken," I thought. "There must be a number of churches in Portugal that are built on mountains and dedicated to Jesus. One of them has to be here in Lisbon. Besides, this woman is not even Portuguese. Her family moved here from France." That afternoon we went to Carmo and explored the ruins of the convent and its sanctuary. Even in the modest Carmo museum and librarv we found nothing to tell us anything about bells for a steeple that had never been rebuilt. Then we went to the Se. Here, at least, I could see bells hanging in the steeple. Using binoculars for a closer inspection, I concluded that these bells were so unlike the Nantucket bell in shape and finish that they could not have been made in Da Costa's foundry. When I heard them ring I knew I was right. Nevertheless, I located an interpreter and persuaded her to telephone the Bishop's office in the hope of locating a priest with an interest in the history of the Cathedral. Her initial response set me hack a bit. "I will call but I do not think this is the church. You must go to Braga." When the priest in the Bishop's office repeated the same thing, "Go to Braga," I began to suspect I was going to wind up taking a trip north to the ancient city of Braga, a place I had hardly heard of except in connection with the Portuguese wars of independence. What of Rebello's letter. "Mountain is a place in Lisbon." Could the Portuguese'Vice Consul have been wrong and Charles Joy right? I showed it to my interpreter. She shrugged her shoulders. "Bom Jczus do Monte is a church in Braga," she reiterated. Did everyone in Portugal know about this church except Rebello? (To be continued in October "Historic Nantucket")
