The Forgotten Town in the Sea is Rediscovered

THE FORGOTTEN TOWN IN THE SEA IS REDISCOVERED The Beginning of Nantucket's Great Revival — 1870

It was during the "Significant Seventies" -- one hundred and ten years ago -- that Nantucket's potential as a summer resort was first recognized by mainland newspapers and magazines. This town in the sea had gone through a decade of depression, with the collapse of whaling, its dominant industry; the loss of a fis*hing fleet off shore; and the universal decline of its industry. The end of the Civil War found it a community population had gradually fallen to less than half of the 10,000 inhabitants it had boasted twenty-five years before.

The islanders had witnessed a new era from 1868 to 1878. First came a new interest in the graduates of the Nantucket High School; then came the discovery of this island as a vacation spot and the coming of the first "tourists," and the awakening of the summer season. The development of the summer trade was the question of the times, and the Nantucket Steamboat Company took immediate steps to improve the conditions. The Inquirer and Mirror, the island's newspaper, noted a truism in 1868, when it stated, We would not say a word to dispirit our readers, but our tumbling wharves and vacant warehouses cannot be shut from view. We hope that something may be done to rejuvenate this community...."

The Civil War, from 1861 until 1865, brought a new era for Nantucket, and the old town became the banner town of the Commonwealth," and a Grand Army Post was soon established. Attempts at starting an industry included the launching of a shoe factory and a linen-duster firm. But the main efforts of the townspeople were concentrated on the "summer business," improvement of the railroad service to Hyannis, and development of the Nantucket Steamboat Company.

With the advent of 1871, the increase in "strangers" on Nantucket brought up questions of housing and feeding the growing numbers. The town adapted itself well to the situation. The Woods Hole terminus was added in 1870, and a new steamboat, the River Queen, was added to the Hyannis route. The Springfield Hotel was a new addition to the accommodations in 1872, and the area of "The Cliff' became the first place in the old town to find new houses built and the following year increased interest in the development of Surfside, and a renewed interest in the village of Siasconset.

Ocean View Hotel, Siasconset

The increase of visitors swelled, and the steamboat service developed to add additional mail service. The list of new places, called "hotels, saw the opening of the "Sherborn House" and the "Bay View House, on Orange Street, formerly large mansions. The new "Ocean House" (now called the "Jared Coffin House,) sponsored a large "Squantum" at Surfside attended by a happy throng in a variety of vehicles. Devlopers became interested in "sea-side lots," at Great Neck in Madaket, and two Nantucket men, Messrs. Robinson and Ellis, opened up the south bluff in 'Sconset which immediately attracted buyers.

The nation's newspapers began to print accounts of visitors from various residents of the cities who found a "different" kind of sojourn on this "island in the sea." The mainland press printed letters from correspondents; the fashionable news of the day was characterized by writers who quoted celebrities as well as regular customers, who told of their experiences at a different kind of summer resort and described the island in friendly and inviting terms. The St. Louis Post Dispatch and Scribner's Magazine did a travelogue, which was carefully prepared and gave a true flavor of Nantucket. In fact, the latter issue was comparable to an island study, well prepared and accompanied by wood- cuts that illustrated the Nantucket scene.

The Atlantic House, Main Street, Siasconset, in the early 1870s. In the early years of this century the structure was turned sideways and converted into a private residence.

The favorable publicity in newspapers and magazines from St. Louis to New York City soon had a quick response. The large rooming houses - called for the more popular use, "hotels," — were soon filled and prospects for building legitimate hotels were in the offing. The little village of 'Sconset began to grow, and an ambitious number of islanders decided to develop the east end of the island at Wauwinet. The waterfront spruced up and catboats became an attraction. The "Clean Shore" bathing beach became well patronized, and "Two Boats a Day" was a popular slogan for the season, and the sound of the whistle at Brant Point was a welcome to all those who came. The Inquirer and Mirror noted in July 1874: "Day after day our boats bring seventy to a hundred new pleasure seekers to our island. Never were we in better condition to receive and care for all who come."

The biggest surprise of the year came on August 27,1874, when the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, visited Nantucket, coming for the day on board the steamer River Queen from Hyannis. It was an historic event for President Grant, who went aboard a vessel on which he had participated in historic events during these last few weeks of the Civil War.

The note of optimism that characterized Nantucket in the

The Springfield House in the 1870s was located at the corner of North Water and Chester Streets. It was torn down in 1917.

mid-1870s was reflected in the editorial printed in the December 1874, issue of The Inquirer and Mirror, which read in part: ....The unprecedented mode of passenger conveyance to and from our town would never have been accomplished by a desponding view of things....It startled us from our lethargy as a community, and before we quite get over from our surprise...we shall soon be entering upon the advent of another season."

The year 1875 also brought evidence of an awakening community. Isaac H. Folger, of Nantucket, and his partner, S. Heath Rich, established a newspaper, called The Island Review. It continued until 1878, when Folger and Rich moved their business to Brockton, Massachusetts, where they started the Brockton newspaper known as The Enterprise. The population of the Island now approached 3,201, with 890 registered voters. This was also the year when the townspeople dedicated the Civil War Monument, a striking memorial to the valor of the Nantucket men who served in the War between the States.

In 1876, the development at Wauwinet continued with the introduction of the catboat "Lillian" and the steam launch Island Belle, bringing interested folk to the newly created Wauwinet House, "up harbor," the newest attraction at the head of the harbor. Henry Cof-

v • ' • ^

Main Street, Siasconset ca. 1865just before Nantucket's Great Revival.

fin, of Main Street, and his partners, opened the new section on the Cliff to buyers of house lots in the area known as Sherburne Bluffs."

The first telephone was introduced in July 1878, and a new store made its appearance on Main Street - a pharmacy owned by Dr. Franklin Ellis and Dr. Pitman, now known as Congdon's Pharmacy. Arthur Gardner began publication of a newspaper on Main Street, known as the Nantucket Journal, which continued successfully for the next twenty-one years. The Nantucket steamboat line resumed its route to New Bedford after a lapse of 25 years.

In 1878, the Albany Evening Express published an article by Thurlow Weed Barnes, which declared that despite the recent changes in Nantucket certain of the old customs still lingered, and one sea-flavored institution...."to stand today like a rock -the Pacific Club....it is dignified without ostentation; exclusive without foppery; social without wine."

The Significant Seventies" ended with a surge of new ideas that heralded the "Elegant Eighties." In the decade past, Nantucket had emerged into a new world - to become a full-fledged summer resort.