Historic Nantucket
'
The Nantucket Whaling Museum Opened in 1930.
July 1980
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, H. Flint Ranney, Miss Barbara Melendy, terms expire 1980; Donald Terry, Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman, terms expire 1981; Miss Dorothy Gardner, David D. Worth, terms expire 1982; Nancy Ayotte, Mrs. Bernard D. Grossman , terms expire 1983. Historian, Edouard A. Stackpole Editor: "Historic Nantucket", Edouard A. Stackpole Assistant Editor, Mrs. Merle T. Orleans
STAFF
Oldest House: Curator, Elizabeth Baird Receptionists: Margaret Crowell, Elsie Niles Hadwen House-Satler Memorial: Curator, Phoebe Swain Receptionists: Dorothy Strong, Laurel Stackpole, Rosalena Johnsen.Mary Elizabeth Young 1800 House: Curator, Clare Macgregor Receptionists: Florence MacGlashan, Helen Soverino Old Gaol: Curator, Albert G. Brock Whaling Museum: Curator, Renny Stackpole Receptionists: Frank Pattison, James A. Watts, Patricia Searle, Rose Stanshigh, Alice Collins, Mary Lou Campbell, Alfred N. Orpin Peter Foulger Museum: Curator and Director, Edouard A. Stackpole Asst. Director: Peter MacGlashan Receptionists: Everett Finlay, Mary J. Barrett, Ann Warren, Helen Levins, Marjorie Burgess Librarian: Louise Hussey Macy-Christian House: Curator, Laura Baldwin Receptionists: Dorothy Hiller, Andrea Dunlap Archaeology Department: Curator, Cynthia Young, Asst. Betty Little Old Mill: Curator, John Gilbert Millers: John Stackpole, Edward Dougan, Anita Dougan Folger-Franklin Seat and Mem'l Boulder: Curator, Francis Sylvia Friends Meeting House-Fair Street Museum: Curator, Albert F. Egan, Jr. Lightship "Nantucket": Curator, John Austin Shipkeeper: Richard Swain Receptionists: Carlos Grangrade, III, Dirk Roggeveen, Ben Curran Greater Light-Receptionist: Dr. Selina T. Johnson 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 28
July 1980
No. 1
CONTENTS a<vrtT:
Nantucket Historical Association Officers and Staff
2
Editorial: A Substantial Heritage
5
The Whaling Museum by Renny Stackpole
6
William F. Macy—The Man Whose Dream of a Whaling Museum Came True by Edouard A. Stackpole 10 Whaler Luck
15
George A. Grant—Whaleman—First Curator of the Whaling Museum 16 The Development of the Museum Over Half a Century
22
Family Reunions (The Meader Family)
30
Nantucket's Last Whaleship
32
Bequests and Address Changes
33
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.
A Substantial Heritage THE IMPORTANCE OF the whaling tradition to Nantucket has to be evaluated from time to time so that its true significance may never be ignored. In recent years many of our historical assets are being buried under the mantle of that illusionary process called "progress", and we are in danger of this blight spreading. There is a marked tendency to push aside traditions for the sake of expediency. The role of the developer, and the realtor bulk large on the scene. What constitutes an advantage in financial gain becomes a destructive element in the protection of our true assets — our historical heritage. An awareness of these assets is, of course, necessary, but of equal importance is the protection of each of them. With every elective office comes the responsibility of safeguarding the trust which accompanies the office. The average citizen expects those who represent him to serve in the best interests of Nantucket, and this, in a larger degree, means the safeguarding of our heritage. Nantucket has a substantial heritage. In a great measure this is derived from the whaling industry, that seafaring enterprise which has given the Island a remarkable record for accomplishment throughout two centuries. Whaling built this Town; whaling created a race of people who became world famous; whaling and Quakerism developed a tradition that has been the admiration of historians. Just as with the American boast of individual freedom, our Nan tucket heritage requires the protection that eternal vigilance may provide. The Town has the Historic Districts Act as one form of safeguard but this needs constant attention; the Island deserves a similar kind of legal defense to shield the outlying land from the developers. The sweep of the land is an historical asset, and belongs to all visitors who seek the in triguing visual pictures of our American past; and, as a part of our heritage, must be preserved. The Nantucket Whaling Museum is of extraordinary value in that it provides a vivid glimpse of this Island's substantial heritage.
The Whaling Museum by Renny A. Stackpole 1980 MARKS THE Golden Anniversary of Nantucket's Whaling Museum. Founded through the efforts and vision of William F. Macy, President of the Nantucket Historical Association from 1923-1935, the exhibit has come to represent one of the finest collections of whaling materials in the world. Macy himself traced the evolution of the museum to his friendship with Edward F. Sanderson who maintained a summer home at Moors End (being Jared Coffin's first brick home on Nantucket). Sanderson had invested a considerable amount of money and time into a personal collection of whaling materials and at Macy's urging, offered to give it to the Historical Association, if the Council could secure a place to house the exhibit. At the Association's Annual Meeting in 1927, William Macy stated: "I want to pay tribute to Mr. Sanderson for his patience and forbearance in waiting two years and a half for us to take up his one year option, and for the generous terms of the final purchase." Fortunately, at the time that the Sanderson collection became available, an invaluable site appeared on the real estate market, the former Sper maceti Candle factory of Hadwen and Barney at the head of Steamboat or New North Wharf. Built as a brick commercial whaling establishment, the building, a 40 x 90 two-story slate roof affair, was erected in 1847 by Richard Mitchell and Sons. Two years later it was sold to William Hadwen and Nathaniel Barney for $6,200. As abstracted from the Registry of Deeds in Nantucket, the sale included: "the brick oil and candle factory, store, bleaching establish ment and oil shed, and all other buildings thereon, with all the fixtures and tools belonging to the said factory". The candle factory eventually passed into the hands of the son of Nathaniel Barney. Joseph Barney used the structure as his office and storage space when he was the Agent from Nantucket for the Steamship Company. In 1911 Emily M. Treadwell bought the building from the children of
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8
HISTORIC NANTUCKET
Joseph Barney. In 1923 it was purchased by Herbert G. Worth, Byron E. Pease, and Harry A. Tobey, and subsequently sold again two years later to Henry P. Schauffler. Finally, in 1929, the Historical Association acquired the present Whaling Museum. The terms were especially reasonable, and Mr. Schauffler was elected a Vice President of the Association that same year. Being one of less than one-half dozen buildings left from the whaling era, the Whaling Museum boasts the only remaining beam press con structed of oaken timbers. Throughout the years, this important exhibit has been nurtured by the constant guidance of persons who were willing to follow the lead of the first Curator, George A. Grant. The collection of whaling gear, incorporated in the original exhibits of the Museum, was acquired on equally generous terms from Edward F. Sanderson, as previously noted. It was George Grant, the son of Captain Charles Grant, and himself a veteran of whaling, who set up the wonderful array of whaling gear in Sanderson Hall. As a centerpiece, a Beetle built whaleboat attracts the visitor. This boat was recently featured in Willits D. Ansel's definitive study The Whaleboat. As Ansel relates, "the boat has seen considerable service and has shipboard patches and repairs". Captain Grant was a Curator who often was asked to expound about his career as a whaleman. Historian Edouard A. Stackpole remembers one occasion when Grant was asked to recreate the whaleman's cry of "Thar Blows", from the masthead. The elderly gentleman let out such an eerie c.iid boisterous bellow that one woman in the audience slumped in her seat nearly in a faint. Of the sixty thousand visitors who annually visit the Museum, few fail to wonder at the seventeen and one half foot lower jaw of the sperm whale. Brought home by Captain William Cash on the Nantucket whaleship Islander, in 1863, this came from a whale 89 feet long. Gazing about the room, many visitors who first came to the Museum as small children delight in relating how they once sat in the barrel-shaped gamming chair or tried to turn the "shin cracker" or "deck chaser" wheel mounted on a tiller. Others remember peeking into the try pots. Harpoons from every era of whaling are exhibited on the walls: lances, single flue irons, toggle irons, bomb guns, blubber spades and various implements for "cutting in". All the peculiar items specifically hand-tooled for the whaling trade are carefully identified for the visitor.
THE WHALING MUSEUM
9
Perhaps the. most exciting new addition to the Museum was presented to the Association ten years ago by the Nantucket Historical Trust. The Whale Room, which houses the skeleton of a 44 foot finback whale washed up on Dionis beach in 1967, was expertly re-assembled for this special exhibit by Andrew Konnerth of the Woods Hole Oceanographic staff. This exhibit now serves as a monument to what Historian Edouard A. Stackpole calls the early whaling industry. "Like the whale of old, this finback whale came to these shores and became stranded, as if to symbolically seek us out to remind us of the humble beginnings of what was to become Nantucket's greatest industry". During the past winter, a new lighting system was installed in the "Portrait Room". Here the captains, ship owners and wives are nicely displayed. Many of these portraits were executed by the well-known Nantucket artist William Swain. Across the hall one can peruse a variety of items in the "South Seas" room. These relics, from various Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian Islands, remind one of the adventures of Herman Melville after he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands in 1842. George Grant, the first Curator, was born in Samoa, sailed on his first voyage at the age of three weeks, and spent thirty-five years of his life on whalers. Since the major logs and manuscripts, once resident in the Library of the Museum, are now safely cared for in the Peter Foulger Museum, the former library serves as a reading and browsing room. On the ground floor of the building one still finds the replicas, in part, of the boat shop, rigger's loft, cooper's shop, and sail-maker's shop, the result of the planning of W. Ripley Nelson during his tenure as the Museum's chairman. Of course, the fine scrimshaw exhibit remains as one of the finest single collections to be found anywhere. In early August, the Association plans to have an open house to commemorate the first fifty years of this now venerable museum.
William F. Macy — The Man Whose Dream of a Whaling Museum Came True
10
by Edouard A. Stackpole AS WE APPROACH the Nantucket Whaling Museum's 50th an niversary it should be noted that the original concept and the final establishment of this Museum was the culmination of the dream of a Nantucketer - William F. Macy. Like so many Islanders of his time, he was of whaling heritage. His father, William Hussey Macy, was a distinguished Nantucketer, a veteran whaleman, a Civil War soldier, and a remarkable figure in local affairs. The son, William F. Macy, learned the printer's trade in the back shop of The Inquirer and Mirror, and went to the mainland to seek his fortunes. After working in several shops around Boston, he was appointed the first instructor in printing at the Lyman School for Boys at Westboro, Mass. In subsequent years he entered into other business pursuits, being successful in all of them. It was after he opened his insurance agency in Boston that Mr. Macy found time to continue his studies in Nantucket history. A frequent contributor to the columns of The Inquirer and Mirror, his articles signed "Yorick" attracted attention from the very first. His inquiring mind and able pen gave pleasure to many readers, especially Alexander Starbuck, the outstanding historian who was then preparing his monumental History of Nantucket, and to Henry B. Worth. In collaboration with Anna Gardner Fish and Roland Bunker Hussey, Mr. Macy issued the first edition of the "Nantucket Scrap Basket," and arranged for a second edition two decades later, in 1932. Realizing the need for a condensed history of Nantucket, Mr. Macy prepared and published "The Story of Old Nantucket" in 1915. It im mediately filled a need for the serious reader interested in the Island, and the demand through the years brought about its reprinting in 1931. As one of the founders of that unusual organization, "The Sons and Daughters of Nantucket," he worked diligently for the continuance of its spirit and at one time served as its President. For many years he was Secretary of the "Puddingstone Club" of Boston. He was a popular speaker at literary and historical clubs, and often lectured in various parts of New England. A few years before he retired from business to make his home once more on his beloved Island, he conceived the idea of creating a Whaling
William F. Macy — The Man Whose Dream Came True Born July 17, 1867 - Died August 27, 1935
12
HISTORIC NANTUCKET •
Museum on Nantucket. Commencing his "campaign" (as he termed it) for public support, Mr. Macy called attention to the fact that Nantucket was the literal founder of the American deep-sea whaling industry. He appealed to all who were descendants of Nantucket, living on the mainland, to prominent summer residents, to foundations, of all kinds, and to Nantucketers themselves for support in his drive for funds. Fortunately, there was a summer resident of Nantucket at that time who had laid the ground work for Mr. Macy's proposal, and to whom Mr. Macy became a close friend. This man was Edward F. Sanderson, who had been collecting whaling gear and material for a number of years. Mr. Sanderson had purchased the brick mansion on Pleasant Street known as Moors' End, and became an enthusiastic collector of whaling material. His intimate friend, Henry Schauffler, had acquired the old Hadwen & Barney Candle House at the head of Steamboa. "T'harf. It was in this structure that Mr. Sanderson placed much of his collections of whaling gear, including much material he had purchased in England. Knowing that this was an ideal time to launch his campaign, William F. Macy, in 1927-28, increased his appeals for the creation of a Nantucket Whaling Museum. Back in the 19th century his father, William Hussey Macy, had written "Thar She Blows!" - an Island classic on whaling - and with this as an inspiration, his son became a challenging figure, redoubling his efforts, giving every moment he could to his campaign. Mr. Sanderson, lending his support, encouraged all Mr. Macy's efforts. At last, the Carnegie Foundation in response to an inspired appeal, gave $10,000 to the cause, and in 1929 Mr. Macy triumphantly announced that the long struggle for funds had been successfully completed. The Sanderson collection had been promised and the old Candle House could be obtained for the creation of Nantucket's Whaling Museum. Deeds were passed for the conveyance of the structure to the Association in August 1929. Mr. Macy made prompt acknowledgement to his friends and sup porters in 1931, when he wrote: "A warm tribute was paid Mr. Edward F. Sanderson for the generous gift of his great collections, his foresight in receiving and holding the Old Candle House for us, and the liberal terms granted us on its purchase. . . .To his friend, the late Henry P. Schauffler, one of our former vice-presidents, and the man who actually started the movement for this Museum, we also owe a great debt, which we are glad to acknowledge at this time."
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
The year 1929-1930 was a memorable one in the development of the Nantucket Historical Association. Under George Grant's direction the old structure was transformed from the Joseph Barney warehouse to the Nantucket Whaling Museum, and on July 24, 1930, William F. Macy presided at the formal opening. As the culmination of his dream he now experienced the full significance of the achievement. The success of the Museum had a dual value; it not only supplied an appropriate historical asset to the Association, but it provided a vital financial support for the well-being of the entire organization. In 1924, William F. Macy had been appointed the President of the Nantucket Historical Association to succeed Arthur H. Gardner, who died in office in 1923. Upon his retirement from business life, and returning to Nantucket in 1928 Mr. Macy purchased the old American House property, on the corner of Orange Street and Martins Lane, and built the house now standing there. This became his headquarters during his decade of planning and finally establishing the Whaling Museum. These years, however, took their toll and in 1934 he suffered his first serious heart attack. He temporarily recovered, but on August 26, 1935 "Will Macy" died at the Cottage Hospital on West Chester Street. On October 6, 1945, a Memorial Service was held at the Whaling Museum and a carving bearing the name of William F. Macy was placed at the entrance to the main room. The carving was in the form of a ship's stern board and was the work of a well-known craftsman, Geoffrey Wiggins, and was completed at the suggestion of Bassett Jones, a Vice President of the Nantucket Historical Association and a life-long friend of Mr. Macy. The speaker for the occasion was William H. Tripp, Curator of the Old Dartmouth Whaling Museum in New Bedford. "Perhaps the happiest days in Mr. Macy's life," said Mr. Tripp, in his remarks, "was that day in July, 1930, when this Museum was officially dedicated. . . .Although he had wondered on many occasions whether he had undertaken too much, he found in the darkest hour a new inspiration in the discovery that the initials of the Whaling Museum were also the same as his own - W. M.' - and he considered this a challenge to keep on in the fight." Among the close friends of Mr. Macy who were present at the ceremony was Charles A. Selden, who recalled one of William F. Macy's favorite humorous stories. On a research trip to England he met a man of ancient vintage whose name was also Macy, and when he asked him about the ancestral line the Englishman replied: "I can't do much family tracing as my grandfather was shipwrecked on the coast of Cornwall - he was on a ship from Nantucket!"
WILLIAM F. MACY
15
William F. Macy was particularly fond of a poem written by a kinsman, Arthur Macy, titled "Remembrance," read at this time, the concluding lines of which are as follows: "Again, a parting sail we see; Another boat has left the shore, A kinder soul on board has she Than ever left the land before; And as her outward course she bends Sit closer, friends!" Those attending the exercises this year that mark the Fiftieth Birthday of the Nantucket Whaling Museum will find it an opportunity to participate in an observance honoring the whaling traditions of this Island. They will also be honoring the memory of William F. Macy, who worked so diligently to create a Museum for America as well as Nan tucket.
Whaler Luck A whaler from Nantucket town He had the worst o' luck; He sailed far south around the Horn But not a whale he struck. Three years he cruised, north, east and west, From pole to torrid zone, And when he laid his cruise for home, He'd neither oil nor bone. Yet as he sailed around Brant Point, He set his pennant high, And when he tied up to the wharf, He lustily did cry: "We've come home clean as we went out, And we didn't raise a whale, An' we ain't got a bar'l o' ile, But we've had a d—d fine sail."
George A. Grant — Whaleman First Curator of the Whaling Museum THE MAN WHO brought William F. Macy's dream of a Nantucket Whaling Museum to a reality was a man eminently qualified for such an assignment—George A. Grant—whaleman. Here was a Nantucketer who had lived in the full tradition of the whaling industry. Born on October 28, 1857, on the Island of Upolo, in the Samoan or Navigator group in the South Seas, (where his mother had been placed ashore for the event by her husband, Captain Charles Grant), the first sounds he heard were the surgings of the sea on the coral reefs near the hut where he was born. Three weeks later, "wrapped in banana leaves", as he so often described the incident, he was taken aboard his father's ship, the Mohawk, of Nantucket, held proudly in his mother's arms. Fiction, with all its beguiling, would not be quite equal to the re counting of the story of his parents, Captain Charles Grant and his wife, Nancy. Captain Grant was one of the greatest whaling masters out of Nantucket or any port in the 19th century. Mrs. Grant spent thirty-two years at sea aboard whaleships with her husband. The couple's three children were born in the far Pacific Ocean. Charles, the eldest of the three, was born in 1850 on the famous Pitcairn Island; her daughter, Ella, was bom at the Bay of Islands in 1855; and, as recounted, George A. was born in 1857 at Upolo Island. Following Captain Grant's arrival in the Samoan group to recover his wife and baby son, the Mohawk continued her regular cruisings for whales before finally re-crossing the Pacific to round Cape Horn, homeward bound. Fitting out at Nantucket for another voyage never materialized, as the owners sold the ship to New York. But Captain Grant's reputation was well known and he was offered the command of the New Bedford whaleship Japan, and sailed on May 31, 1859, for the Pacific Ocean. But Mrs. Grant found her life ashore on Nantucket, with her children, so completely unlike her years at sea with her husband, that she determined to join the Japan. Taking the youngest child, George, she s a i l e d f r o m N e w Y o r k t o M e l b o u r n e , A u s t r a l i a , o n t h e s h i p B e l l e of T h e West. She had received a letter from Captain Grant telling her he in tended to be at the Bay of Islands in a certain month in 1860, and here the family was reunited. News that the Civil War had broken out was learned several months after the Fort Sumter incident, when the Japan was cruising in the South Pacific.
GEORGE A. GRANT
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Returning to New Bedford in 1863, the Japan was promptly sold to Boston, and Captain Grant was again without a ship. But not for long, as he was given command of the whaler Milton, which sailed from New Bedford in November, 1865, and returned in 1869, after a voyage which yielded 2,800 bbls. of sperm oil — a highly successful voyage, and a "highwater" mark in Captain Grant's career. In 1870, Captain Grant took out the whaleship Niger from New Bedford, and again his wife and son, George, accompanied him on the voyage, which lasted until August 10, 1874. Upon the return of the Niger, George Grant decided to strike out on his own and shipped in New York on board the merchantman Governor Morton, bound for California. Upon arrival at San Francisco he left the ship to get a better berth on board the schooner Seminole, sailing adross the North Pacific Ocean to Yokahama, with a cargo of American wheat below hatches. Loading tea, the Seminole's voyage took her through the China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Indian Ocean, and around the Cape-of Good Hope to Liverpool. After a voyage to Dublin, the schooner returned to New York. It was summer, 1877, when young Grant left New York for his island home. His two years in the merchant service had been exciting, vigorous and pleasant. But the spell of the great sperm whale was in his blood. Only a few weeks did he remain home, then going to Edgartown, signing on the whaler Mary Fraser as boatsteerer or harpooner. The voyage lasted three years. In August, 1880, he again rounded Brant Point. Promotion was next in order. When the bark Alaska sailed out of New Bedford in 1880, George Grant was her third mate. He had stayed home a little longer this time — six weeks. But he had managed to find time to get married. The wedding took place on the 13th of September, 1880, and on the very next day he em barked on the whaleship, bound for the Pacific— a bridegroom for a day! The voyage of the Alaska occupied three years. During a cruise on the Chatham Islands' whaling grounds in the South Pacific there occurred an incident which the old whaleman recalled as one of his happiest. The captain of the Alaska happened to be on deck with his spyglass one morning and sighted a ship. All the officers trained their various types of glasses on the object, but young Grant's were not strong enough to distinguish the vessel's name. The captain, with a twinkle in his eye, let his third mate borrow his spyglass. Grant took one look and cried aloud: "It's the Horatio — my father's ship!"
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
The Captain consented for young Grant to go aboard the Horatio in exchange for her third officer for a two-days' cruise. Going aboard, however, was the highlight of the incident. Neither his father nor his mother had been home when he shipped on the Alaska. The Horatio had been out three years and was filling for home at this time. As the Alaska's boat approached the Horatio's rail, young Grant saw a Nantucket boyhood acquaintance — Arthur Folger — leaning over the rail. Resolving to have a little fun, he averted his face and, as he climbed aboard, kept away from Folger. Going aft quickly, he knocked at the cabin door. His father, thinking it an officer, invited him in without going to the door. As he entered the cabin, his mother, who was seated at a desk across the room, gave him a quick glance, turned away — then looked back at him swiftly: "My goodness, boy!" she cried, bounding out of her chair. "Where'd you drop from!" The mother was soon asking questions of home. Her daughter had been married during her absence, and her first query was: "What kind of a man did Ella marry?" "He's a New York man," replied the son, going on to tell about the wedding. "But, mother, you haven't asked me yet what kind of girl I married." "What! Boy! — you married?" Grant left the Alaska at New Zealand, remaining in the Bay of Islands for a year and a half, returning home in 1884. In 1889, his active whaling career came to an end. Journeying overland to San Francisco, he signed on the ship Young Phenix, Captain Millard, for a cruise in Alaskan waters after the right whales. Returning to the old home port of Nantucket late in 1890, he settled down to a life that took him only a short cruising radius of his island home. His long career afloat, embracing thirty-two years of practically continuous life aboard ship, so became a part of him that the many in cidents occurring therein, though of more than ordinary interest, were but casual bits of sea life to him. What he considered outstanding was a happening like that of Christmas Day, 1872. It was a memorable day for the Niger, his father's ship. During the preceding two months, Grant's father had requested the master of every whaleship spoken that he try to be in a certain longitude and latitude in the South Pacific on Christmas Day — so that each with his wife might come on board and take Christmas dinner.
The Great Sperm Whale's Jaw dominates the east wall of the main room. This 17V2 ft. jaw was brought home from the South Pacific. P. T. Barnum once made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the jaw.
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
And so, on that never-to-be-forgotten Christmas Day, 1872, the masters of five different whaleships, together with their wives, had a fine dinner of stuffed pig in Niger's cabin. Being in a whaleboat when it was "stove" by the powerful flukes of a sperm wnale was not an unusual occurrence for George Grant. And yet, he only mentioned one, and that time marked a most humorous incident. It seems that the whaleship's pet—a monkey—got into the mate's boat one day and hid under the stern deck. The mate lowered and was fast to a whale before the monkey was discovered. Of a sudden, the sperm's great flukes side-swiped the boat, turning her completely over. The second mate came up to the rescue as fast as his men cou,J pull. Young Grant was on deck with his father and was su~ rised to see the second mate's boat suddenly lose headway and the men lean over the oars. His father was watching through his glass smiling. "What's the matter?" asked the puzzled boy. "It's the monkey," laughed his father. "He has been running from shoulder to shoulder of the men in the water that are hanging onto the boat — now he's dancing a jig on the mate's head." The whalemen were fond of pets aDoard ship, no matter if it were a monkey, parrot, goat, or Galapagos turtle. Goats were the most difficult of the lot. A good many ships out of Nantucket in the early days would not whale it on Sundays. Mr. Grant often recounted the yarn concerning the mate who was reading his Bible one Sunday when he was called aft, leaving the Bible on the main hatch. When he returned he interrupted the goat busily chewing on the "good book". The volume was- rescued—but the goat had chewed his way from Genesis to Revelations. All manner of men sailed in whaleships. Take^the steward of the shi" Niger, for instance. He had been a head chef in a Boston hotel until his habit of drunken sprees lost him one position after another. It was then that he took to the sea in a laudable attempt to cure himself. Whether or not he succeeded Mr. Grant did not know, but he was certain that he was the best steward he ever knew. During those first years of the Nantucket Whaling Museum's life, George A. Grant presided in the old brick structure as the captain of a ship aboard his vessel. His tall figure, and alert eyes welcomed the visitors, and when they listened to his accounts of a whaling career they , .felt immediately the authenticity of his remarks. He was not one to give prolonged talks, but he would answer all questions with a patient charm.
GEORGE A. GRANT
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He was habitually a quiet man, and was inordinately courteous in his replies to all questions. To the many visitors who entered the Whaling Museum he was remembered for his role as the last representative of the 19th century whaleman. As he began his final yeai as Curator, at the age of 85, he retained his erect bearing. On occasion, when he gazed from the winnows toward the harbor waters, there was a look in his eyes which belonged to a generation of seafarers of Nantucket that have long since vanished from the scene.
—E.A.3.
George A. Grant Custodian—1930-1942
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The Development of the Museum Over Half a Century
SOON AFTER THE Whaling Museum opened its doors in July, 1930, a series of developments began to mark its history. As it had been practically unused over many years, especially in the last few decades of the 19th century, there were certain problems which soon revealed themselves in the structure. Local contractors were called upon to rectify these flaws, and in every instance the experience of these Nantucket craftsmen became important in solving these problems. Having changed the main floor of the original building, it was found that a lack of ventilation had weakened the floor joists, and considerable tearing out was necessary in replacing them. The old brick walls had little attention over the years and it was important to point up the old brick, and strengthen the window frames. Fortunately, the main timbers of the building were still strong, as were the roof trusses and girts. Considering the necessity of launching the Museum during a period of economic depression, much of this work had to be delayed, but it was not post poned. The main hall had been named "Sanderson Hall", honoring the man who had collected the wide range of whaling material, and worked so closely with William F. Macy in his concept of the Museum. In the arrangement of the material, Mr. Sanderson lent invaluable aid in his identification of the places where he had acquired the original gear. The huge whaleship flag of the Thomas Macy firm hung for over three decades from the rafters of the big room, and the tiller of the old whaleship Lima became a significant part of the room's decor. The familiar try-works, the model of the "Camels" and the "Gaming Chairs" have all remained in their original locations, along with the deck steering wheel. Occupying the most prominent position, the post of honor, is the whaleboat, com pletely fitted for lowering. The big room extending across the entire front of the structure, which for many years was the office of the Candle Manufactury, and in the later years of the 19th century became the tiny office of Joseph Barney, had been designated the "Admiral Folger Room", in honor of Admiral William Mayhew Folger, and many of his books, prints and mementoes placed therein. As the Fair Street Rooms had long since outgrown its tiny library facilities it was determined to install at the Whaling Museum a library devoted to Nantucket whaling history.
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
A committee composed of Nancy S. Adams, Curator, Charles P. Kimball, Chairman, and Edouard A. Stackpole, President, renovated the entire Library in 1944. The logbooks and account books of Nantucket were placed in cases along the walls, with heavy wire as a protection for the framed doors and to provide circulation of air. Books of various categories in maritime history were selected for other shelves. Portraits of shipmasters and shipowners, together with other appointments, enhanced the attractiveness of the room. Tables for visitors who wished to read or rest were installed with comfortable chairs. Several years later all the logbooks were microfilmed, and readers provided for the use of these copies. In 1949 the placement of the original lighthouse lens assembly from the Sankaty Lighthouse was accomplished, with Sanderson Hall selected as the temporary location. The story of the Nantucket Historical Association's acquisition of the lens is an interesting one, and the man who accomplished it has promised to write the story for Historic Nan tucket for a future issue. Two exhibit rooms on either side of the main corridor have proven quite popular over the years. The South Seas room has many unusual artifacts from several Pacific island groups, including ceremonial clubs, paddles and spears. The model of a Maori canoe is outstanding. During the regime of Hugh Chace as Chairman, this room was completely refurbished and improved. Opposite is the Portrait Room, with the remarkable array of portraits of Nantucket whaling masters and, in one case, the wife of the shipmaster occupies an equally prominent position. Chairman Renny Stackpole has recently renovated the display. The large attic of the Whaling Museum had been used as a storage repository for material from the beginning of its career. In 1943, its collections were surveyed, additional material brought in and, under the direction of the Chairman, William E. Gardner, it became the "Archives" of the Association. For the next decade this proved to be an important decision but with the 1970's it was found that the quantity of material brought a problem in proper maintenance. Under the direction of President George W. Jones and Administrator (later President) Leroy H. True, a campaign to salvage the important historical material was launched with highly satisfactory results obtained. With the advent of the Peter Foulger Museum the entire Library of the N. H. A. was removed from the Whaling Museum to the new Museum in 1972. This brought about changes in the former Library Room, and an exhibit of scrimshaw was arranged, with a case built especially for the collection donated by Robert Waggaman. Other displays were established here.
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
One of the most energetic of the Chairmen presiding over the Whaling Museum was W. Ripley Nelson, a Vice President and Council member of long standing. It was Mr. Nelson who brought about remarkable additions to the displays with his installation of what he termed as "Craft Shops" in the basement of the structure. With the aid of Archibald Cartwright, the Custodian at that time, Mr. Nelson in corporated here the Rigging Loft, Sail-Loft, Boat-builders' Shop, Shipsmith's Shop, and Cooper Shop. These were called "Whale Craft Shops", and made valuable additions to the Museum's displays. They add authentic touches to the Whaling Museum and serve as reminders to Chairman Nelson's thoughtfulness and enterprise. In this same year (1958) the reception room, now the sales area, was renovated. A most unusual addition to the displays came in the form of inner and outer iron vault doors, dating back to 1839. These were originally installed for the Merchants & Mechanics Bank, which stood on the corner of Main and Federal streets, and was destroyed by the Fire of 1846. They were taken from the ruins and placed in the Joseph B. Macy warehouse on Straight Wharf, now the Kenneth Taylor Gallery, where they remained until acquired by the Nantucket Historical Association. The three keys necessary to unlock thevault doors hang on the wall close by. One of the most attractive rooms is that facing the reception lobby the Scrimshaw Room. Here may be found some of the outstanding examples of that extraordinary art form first introduced by the American whalemen bearing the mysterious name of "Scrimshaw". Here we find the most popular of these carvings and etchings. Those utilitarian ar ticles, called jagging or crimping wheels, bodkins, swifts, rolling pins, bird cages, clothes pins, sewing boxes, work boxes, and other articles made for the folks at home by the whaleman at sea are on display here. Of great interest arethose especial treasures - the sperm whales' teeth with incisings and engravings which are the most graphic of scrimshaw art. The addition of the "Whale Room" in 1969 helped bring the Museum into a complete whaling center. Through the financial support of the Nantucket Historical Trust, led by Walter Beinecke, Jr., the skeleton of a finback whale -- which came up on the beach at Dionis in 1967 - was salvaged and with professional skill re-assembled and placed on exhibit in a new building also erected by the Trust. This, with exhibits describing the story, and other displays, including a handsome diorama made by Raymond de Lucia, donated in memory of Austin Tyrer, of Nantucket, make most unusual additions to the room. The custodians of the Whaling Museum, who have presided over the important affairs of this invaluable institution, following in the wake of
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HISTORIC NANTUCKET
George A. Grant, have been: Wallace Long, who sailed in windjammers throughout the Western Ocean, a World War I veteran, and a man possessing a remarkable knowledge of schooners in the coastwise trade, who served from 1942 to 1955; Archibald Cartwright, a veteran of a voyage on the whaler Sunbeam in 1902, a descendant of whalemen, a carpenter-contractor, and the retired Chief of the Nantucket Fire Department, who served from 1955 through 1962; James Everett Chapel, a fisherman and Life Saving Station veteran of many years; John Kittila, another Island resident who had been a Coast Guardsman in several stations; with assistants being Earle S. Weatherbee and Bertram Morris, who aided the Custodians in a number of capacities. Then came Captain Leland Topham, whose years as a Coast Guardsman on Nantucket and experience as a fisherman gave him an unusual background, and Clarence Swift, for thirteen years known as "the man who gives the talks", who had a regular following each season. Walter Lindquist served for fourteen years as the Manager-Custodian at the Museum, and was succeeded by the Rev. Frank Pattison, now on duty. The Chairmen of the Whaling Museum Committee over the years have been invaluable in the time and planning they have contributed. To each of them the Association is indebted for carrying on the purposes for which it was established. William F. Macy was the first official Chairman of the Whaling Museum Committee, while also the President of the Association. At his death in 1935, Fred V. Fuller, a close friend, was appointed Chairman, holding the post for a year. In 1936, Charles P. Kimball accepted the post and continued until 1941, when he relinquished the Chairmanship, and the Rev. William E. Gardner agreed to take up the post, which he held until 1951. During the next year Howard U. Chase served as Chairman, resigning when he moved to Florida. At this point. W. Ripley Nelson, one of the Vice Presidents of the Association, was appointed Chairman and for the next twenty years (1952-1972) he became the active and efficient leader in the Whaling Museum's activities. At Mr. Nelson's death, the Association was for tunate in obtaining the services of Hugh W. Chace as Chairman, and he continued in this position until 1979, when he found it necessary to decline re-appointment, and was succeeded by Renny A. Stackpole, the present Chairman. It would require a volume to recount the experiences of a veritable corps of faithful attendants at the Whaling Museum over the fifty years of its history. These faithful workers include a long listing of both men and women, many retired from active roles, who have found their new duties at the Museum rewarding and stimulating. With the initial opening of the 1930 season, Custodian Grant was often alone, although Mr. Macy came
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down each day to serve as a pleasant host to the first visitors. The success of the enterprise soon became known throughout the town, and both shop proprietors, hotel managers, and restaurant owners were directing their patrons to the Nantucket Whaling Museum. In the libury Mrs. Leila Appleton proved a gracious hostess. Clinton T. Macy, a young Nantucketer, served here for a summer term, and Miss Helen Winslow, a teacher and a researcher, took over the post, and soon became recognized as an authority on whaling in her own right. Mrs. Ellen D. Chace followed Miss Winslow, with Mrs. Louise Hussey becoming an assistant. It was Mrs. Hussey who was appointed Librarian at Mrs. Chace's death in 1966, and still serve^ in that important capacity, with the Library now at the Peter Foulger Museum. The list of Receptionists is one containing the names of many loyal workers, and among them Mrs. Bernice Winslow Foye, whose long service will not be forgotten by those with whom she worked. The in clusion of the names of all who have worked as receptionists and sales personnel at the Whaling Museum is now being prepared for publication in a subsequent issue of Historic Nantucket.
Meader Family The reunion this year will be on August 16th in Plymouth, New Hampshire. It will feature a morning meeting and an afternoon tour of Strawberry Banke, followed by a New England Clambake. Anyone in;.rested should get in touch with the secretary, Jane Meader Nye, R.D. 3, Ballston Lake, N.Y. 12019. More Clan Gatherings Should Be Forthcoming It is a source of wonderment why the old Nantucket custom of family reunions is not being resumed. While such outstanding events as the Island Birthday celebration of a number of years ago brought about several of family gatherings, it is to be hoped that a resumption of these enjoyable affairs will become features of our summer or fall events. The opportunities are here, with several of the larger hotels equipped to handle such gatherings, and when the Coffins, Macys, Swains, Barnards, Starbucks, Colemans, Pinkhams, Barkers, Husseys, Joys, Folgers, Gardners, Jenkins and others of the founding families desire a gathering of their clans they will find a welcome in the old Island home.
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Nantucket's Last Whaleship When, in duck pants and shirt of check, Elate, I paced the lighter's deck, A new-fledged proud young sailor. How little I, so salt and bold, Dreamed that my eyes would e'er behold The last Nantucket whaler. Had one, with gift of second sight, Made prophecy (as some one might) That whaling soon would fail, or Foretold that, within thirty years, (The truth, as plainly now appears,) One lonely little whaler, I should, while headed "rounded Cape Horn", Have ridiculed and laughed to scorn the idle, croaking sailor! He ne'er could have persuaded me That I should ever live to see The last Nantucket whaler. Yet "gone's our occupation", now; No longer do our proud ships plough The ocean under sail, or Bronzed-faced young seamen walk our streets, Or sit and tell tales of their feats Performed while in a whaler. No more we hear of "on Japan", "Off Patagonia" or "Tristan", Where blows th' Antarctic gale, or "Adown the Line", or "Archer Ground"; These have an unfamiliar sound, Since not a single whaler Remains, of all the long, proud roll, That once, almost from pole to pole, Defied the howling gale, or Threw canvas to the gentle breeze, And gathered wealth from tropic seas— —We've sold our last, last whaler!
NANTUCKET'S LAST WHALESHIP
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No more we boast our wooden walls; The boy. no longer duty calls To train himself a sailor, Our hundred ships, all lost or sold, (Like Thebes's hundred gates of old,) Exist but in old story told By some grey-bearded whaler. But cheerfully we face the truth; We retrospect upon our youth, But don't complain, or wail, or Blubber about what once we had; It can't be helped, —but give me one sad "Farewell!" to our last whaler.
Note: The above poem was written by William Hussey Macy for The Inquirer and Mirror in 1873, upon the occasion of the sale of the bark R. L. Barstow, the last whaling vessel owned at Nantucket.
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Captain Owen Spooner— Navigator. Developer of "Sunset Longitude". Painting by James Walter Folger in the Peter Foulger Museum.
