SPRING
1991
V 0 L U M E 39
An Issue of Collections
No. 1
From The Director Diane Ucci, Managing Editor Helen Winslow Chase, Historian Bruce A. Courson, Curator of Interpretation
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Photos: NHA collections unless otherwise credited
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Wartime Whaling in East Indian Seas In l865johnAllenBeebeofNantucketwas among the diminishing number of financially successful whaling masters. He found his "greasy luck" in East Indian seas during the artificial prosperity produced by the Civil War. By Helen Winslow Chase
he news on my office computer screen has recently been a lot brighter than on my home television. Since you're responsible, I want to share the good news. Our 1990 Annual Fund is 10% ahead of the 1989 campaign, the most successful in our history! To date, we have $76, 5 39. 78 - and contributions continue to come in. There are other reasons to be elated. This year's total includes a challenge from four anonymous donors who matched all new or increased gifts up to $20,000. We thank not only these generous individuals, but the 303 givers who got us the extra twenty grand! So far, 477 people have contributed, a 10% increase, and their average contribution remained virtually unchanged at $160.46 . 53.3% ofthesefolksalsogavelastyear,and 16.1% of all our members responded, a very high percentage indeed. Among these givers I must single out our life members. 24% of them participated and produced almost a third of our total. Behind the numbers, shining through, is the thoughtful generosity of all NHA members. You recognize that our membership dues cannot begin to meet ourcostsofoperation. To everyone who has been able to support our work this year, may Irepeat our heartfelt thanks. It is no coincidence that I am writing this letter on Valentine's Day!
-Wynn lee
THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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Future Directions The NHA Museum Support Center
H. Flint Ranney, President Joseph Mclaughlin , Vice President Walter Beinecke, Jr., Vice President Paul A. Wolf, Jr., Treasurer Mrs. Bernard Grossman, Secretary and Assistant Treasurer Wynn Lee, Executive Director
The NHA was founded in 1894, and it assumed the responsibility of safeguarding and displaying historic island treasures. Since tlien those original pieces have aged considerably, and the collections have grown beyond our storage capabilities. The association looks toward a Museum Support Center as a long-term solution. B Dia rr .
Mrs. C. Marshall Beale Max N. Berry Mrs. Richard Brecker Charles C. Butt Kimberly Corkran-Miller Earle Craig John W. Eckman Nancy Martin Evans Mrs. Thomas Gosnell Erwin L. Greenberg
Departments
ADVlSORY BOARD Mrs. Robert Bailey Mrs. Thomas Loring Mrs. Charles Balas William B. Macomber Mrs. Donna Beasley Paul H. Madden Patricia A. Butler Robert F. Mooney Mrs. William Pullman Mrs. James F. Chase Mrs. Herbert Gutterson F. Blair Reeves William A. Hance Susan Tate Donald E. Terry Mrs. Hamilton Heard, Jr. Mrs. Mark White Mrs. Robert Hellman Mrs. john Husted john S. Winter Mrs. Joseph C. Woodle Andrew J. Leddy EDITORIAL BOARD
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What's News at the NHA We couldn't do it without you... Items of Interest The Museum Shop 2
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Mrs. Dwight Beman Robert F. Mooney H. Flint Ranney
Mrs. Arthur Jacobsen Reginald E. Levine Mrs. Earle MacAusland Mrs. William B. Macomber Mrs. Carl Mueller David M. Ogden Richard S. Silvia Susan Spring Whisler Mrs. Bracebridge H. Young
Susan Beegel Tiffney Mrs. jane D. Woodruff Mrs. Bracebridge H. Young
WHAT'S NEWS AT THE NHA
Holly McGowan , theownerof Coastal Design, created a special ambianceatthe Macy-Christian housefor the tour.
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Community Outreach
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vert he winter Mark Fortenberry, Curator of Structures, and Bruce Courson, Curator of Interpretation, teamed up and put together a presentation for the Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers. The idea grew out oft he NHA'sconcem not only fort he preservation of its own properties, but for all historic structures on the island. Bruce and Mark compiled important information directed toward potential buyers or owners of historic houses on the island. Much of the information came from the experience gleaned from the three-year restoration of the Oldest House.
Structures Update
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his winter the NHA Structures Department focused its attention on our property on Howard Street, Greater Light. When the 1991 budge t was established, funds were allotted to perform necessary repairs to Greater Light, form er h ome oftwo Quaker sisters from Philadelphia. During the past few months the NHA shop has been filled with windows, glass cutters, and canisters of putty. Each window being repaired consisted oLsixty-seven stained glass panes in diamond shapes. Prolonged exposure to the elements necessitated the removal and replacement of all the glazing along the sides of each pane of glass. Mark Fortenberry, Curator of Structures, and his assistant, Rick Morcom, used a siliconized acrylic latex glazing material for this process. This substance prevents any further water penetration and stabilizes the entire unit. The same procedurewascompleted on all the exteriordoorsat Greater Light that contained glass. In addition to structural repairs, Greater Ught received well-deserved attention to its interior environment. Mark Fortenberry and Michael Jehle, Curator of Collections, aa::ompanied Ernest Conrad, an environmental engineer from Landmark Facilities, Inc., through Greater Light, as well as the other museum properties. Mr. Conrad's company in Norwalk, Connecticut, specializes in environmental surveys of museums and historic structures. While examining the NHA properties they looked fort he effects of weathering on the structures. They investigated sunlight entering the building; the degree of ventilation in the basements, attics, and crawlspaces; and evidence of moisture damage
The Historical Association wants to help people confronting structural problems in their historic homes to resolve them while maintaining as much original fabric as possible. Through problems encountered at the Oldest House, as well as other museum properties, the NHA has found a myriad of solutions to preserve as much historical integrity as possible. Bruce and Mark designed and distributed at the realtors meeting a pamphlet that listed problem areas, measures that could be taken, the estimated cost of those measures, and the results that could be anticipated . It is the NHA's hope that this valuable information will reach homeowners attempting to preserve their own piece of Nantucket history. If you have questions, concerns, or interest in this area, please call the NHA office at 228-1894.
Photo -jenny Garneau
Christmas House Tour
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ast November, the Christmas House Tour organized by the Friends of the Nantucket Public Schools included two of our historic houses. The Macy-Christian House, at 12 Liberty Street, was one of the houses on the tour and the Thomas Macy House at 99 Main Street was the venue for the reception. The Thomas Macy house is an entertainer's dream, and the Friends created a wonderful Christmas scene in the already luxurious surroundings. The Macy-Christian house, on the other hand, presented a few problems. It has been on the comer of Walnut and Uberty Streets for at least the last 245 years and testifies to the changing times and lives of those who lived there. It was difficult to know how to decorate this house without destroying the old world feeling. Holly McGowan, owner of a successful designstudio, Coastal Design, came to the rescue. Her subtle hand transformed the MacyChristian house with live winter foliage. She created a warm and festive atmosphere while retaining the integrity of this important Nantucket house. It is professional services like Holly's, given to the association free of charge, that enable us to participlte in community events and help keep our expenses as low as possible . Thank you, Holly.
due to fluctuating levels of humidity. Mr. Conrad had several suggestions that would have an immediate impact on the properties. In Greater Light's case the basement was identified as the main source of its humidity problem. Following the survey a corrective measure was taken to provide more ventilation in the area. Mark and Rick installed new doors with screened louvers in place of the two existing trap doors on the north side of the crawlspace. These louvers work in harmony with the natural air currents to create the ventilation necessary to eliminate a substantial amount of the identified moisture source. While Mark and Rick attended to Greater Ught, Richard Swain, the miller, was very involved with the workings of the windmill. One of the miller's ongoing concerns about the mill is its gearing mechanism. Extensive use and exclusively To volunteer assistance with NHA memwooden parts make vigilant investigation and bership coordination for two or three halfperiodic maintenance necessary parts ofDick's job. The maintenance he performed over the win- days a week, calljo Sullivan, 228-1894. ter was on the main drive gear which contains sixty-two wooden teeth. Each tooth is held in place by a wooden wedge that loosens over time. Dick numbered and checked each individual tooth, performing the necessary adjustments. As with Greater Light and all other NHA properties, work on the mill continues. At theNHA shop, Mark Fortenberry, CuratorofStructures, removes glazing
from one ofGreater Light's arched windows.
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Photo - D1ane U ca
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War, or threat of war, raises the worldwide price of oil. Today it is petroleum and during our Civil War it was whale oil. In 1865]ohnAllenBeebeofNantucket was among the diminishing number of whaling masters to find his "greasy luck."
Wartime Whaling In East Indian Seas By Helen Winslow Chase
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he experiences of]ohnand Lydia Beebe prewar 1860 his Governor Carver accounts av- In the six years of their marriage she had spent aboard the bark Brewster of New Bedford eraged $1.31-l/2 per gallon; in mid war 1863 only six months with her husband. They had both make an exceptionally well-documented record Brewster's accounts averaged $1.78 per gallon. grown lonely for their marital companionship of a profitable, Indian Ocean whaling venture The increase reflected the premium of gold, the and hoped to start a family. like other Nantucket during the artificial prosperity produced by the advanced rate of exchange, and Civil War infla- couples who had gone to the whaling grounds Civil War. Before they returned home to Nan- tion fueled by a heightened demand for whale together,John and Lydia weighed the hazards tucket, the Beebes had taken walks in the Moluc- oil then in shrinking supply as the United States of such a voyage, including the latest jeopardy cas, the famous Spice Islands where nutmegs, whaling fleet diminished. As a result, j. & W. R from marauding Confederate raiders, and demace, and cloves had first attracted the Portu- Wing&Company of New Bedford, Brewster's cided that Lydia could go. guese, English, and Dutch in the sixteenth cen- new owners, lost no time in re-outfitting the bark Her copybook journal of conscience does not tury. Together they had observed unfamiliar and hiring the capable Captain Beebe to return provide much detail about her new life. There cultures there and in New Guinea. They had also to the Indian Ocean. are equally terse notations among Brewster's survived a chase by an enemy vessel, a hurriThis time Lydia did not want to stay at home. papers, official logbook, and account book. cane, a near-shipwreck, a cholera epiAjournal kept by Third Mate Marshall Keith, demic, and insubordination bordering Captain Beebe's journal log, and his remion mutiny. niscences written in retirement also bring John, twenty-seven, son ofjohn and the voyage into sharper focus and give inPatience (Allen) Beebe and a rising young sight into the demands that the whaling inwhaleman with a promising career, had dustry made upon those who pursued profmarried Lydia, nineteen, in Nantucket its in the waters of the world. onJuly 23, 1857. Seven weeks later, on Saturday, October 17, 1863, began his first command, he sailed to the Inwith rain showers, but the weather in New dian Ocean in the bark Governor Carver Bedford improved as the day continued. of Westport in the New Bedford Cus:oms Lydia waited on shore while john and owner District. At the time Nantucket's failing joseph Wing went to the customshouse to industry prompted ambitious island sign the necessary clearance papers. Then whaling masters to sail from mainland they accompanied her to the vessel. By noon ports. His next voyage, in 1860, was in all hands had arrived. The "wind being the bark BrewsterofMattapoisett. Each ahead," the steamer Union towed Brewster time he returned to home port with a full out of the harbor. The bark then beat down ship and rejoined his bride on Nantucket. the bayunderfullsail. AteightintheeveLydia, the daughter of lemuel and ning Mr. Wing and other visitors left with Mehitabel (Conant) Jones, was prim, the pilot, taking the letters that Lydia and brown-haired, and blue-eyed, with a trim others had written during the day. figure. She was not quite as tall as the Brewster, built at Cohasset, Massachusturdy, light-haired, black-eyedJohn, setts, in 1843, had made the transition from who was just under five feet six inches. merchant ship to whaleship in 1857. Its Having grown up on Nantucket, Lydia heavy construction would withstand the already knew that their marriage would strain of the huge carcasses that would be consist oflongseparations punctuated lashed alongside. At 225 tons, the vessel, by the brief reunions that were the patsmall by contemporary whaling standards, tern of whaling family life. measured 97 feet 5 inches in length, 23 feet Captain John Allen &ebe rosefrom seaman to captain in the In such critical times she realized that Jorecastle-to-quarterdecktraditionbetween 1847 and 1869. He 2 inches in breadth, and 10 feet 7 inches rising sperm oil prices would motivate won respect as a tough 11 Old Man, 11 a whalingprofessional, and a in depth. Having more than once evaded John to set sail again in short order. In successful master mariner. the Confederate "pirates" preying on the
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whale fleet, john Beebe was already familiar with the bark's idiosyncrasies. On the Atlantic passage southward, lookouts had the double responsibility of watching for enemy vessels as well as for whales. Paradoxically, Captain Beebe was using charts and sailing directions prepared by Matthew Fontaine Maury, who had since joined the Confederate Navy with the rank of Commander. Not until Brewster had crossed the Equator in early December was there any sense of relief among her crew, but continued vigilance was necessary. If Brewster were attacked, john planned to run her ashore and escape into the jungle with lydia and his crew. Once he had passed the Brazil coast, the next most dangerous area would be Agulhas Bank off the southern tip of Africa where Confederate vessels harassed homewardbound ships under United States registry. little whaling took place in the Atlantic in spite of the hopes of all on board. The tryworks were first lighted on November 21 to boil two blackfish (pilot whales). The first sperm whale, a large one resulting in eighty-three barrels of oil, was taken by the larboard boat on December 16 in the vicinity of28 10'S and 22 l4'W. The Cape of Good Hope was less than two weeks away. Attempts to capture right whales were unsuccessful. Captain Beebe assigned lookouts at all three mastheads, but no whales were taken until Brewster reached the East Indian cruising grounds. Brewster's cabin, stateroom, and quarterdeck became lydia's sea-girt world. At all times a passenger, she had no role in the business of the voyage. Required to establish her own routine, lydia's daily ritual was made up of household tasks, taking tea, and reading her Bible. Sewing and crocheting, walking on the quarterdeck, writing letters, and reading were frequent pastimes. She and john were both extremely literate. They enjoyed many conversations about the books they brought aboard ship. A skillful needlewoman, lydia constructed a seemingly endless succession of sacks, washdresses, shirts, and undershirts. Washing clothes with salt water was seldom satisfactory. johnoftenhelped herwiththe heavier items or took over when she became seasick. To assist him, she soon learned to work the ship's longitude.johntaught her how to steer a course and how to keep close to the wind. Early on their next voyage, she would make friends with a new ship's boy and teach him to steer. lydia, a woman of deep Christian conviction, faithfully observed the Sabbath, the apex of her week. Shaded by the quarterdeck awning, she watched the endless repetition ofshipboard duty -scrubbing, painting, mending sail, repairing gear- and scanned the horizon for sails, landfalls, and whales. If whales were sighted on a Sunday, its religious significance was quickly ignored by john and the men. His determination to whale on the Sabbath troubled the pious
lydia and caused her to confide to her diary her fears that their happy Earthly union would not continue in Heaven. By january 4, 1864, Brewster had safely doubled the Cape of Good Hope and headed south in the Indian Ocean along commercial shipping lanes. Captain Beebe was confident that the Confederate menace was miles behind. Owned by Quaker merchants, Brewster was not fitted for fighting. However, by the time the sun had risen "a hand-spike high" and the wind had increased to gale proportions, the lookout sighted a large ship in the lifting fog. The intruder immediately set canvas in defiance of the weather and shifted studding sails from side to side as Brewster
and the "doctor" (ship's cook Manuel Gulot) became better acquainted. Near the end of the voyage she fried "wonders" (bread dough) to use up extra flour. Oncesheexpresseddisappointment when her coconut pudding was lost "pan and all out of the stem." Perhaps she even made the "Beebe Gingerbread" which had been a popular item in Grandfather Nathan Beebe's bakeshop. Propelled by the prevailing westerlies, Brewster sailed onward making at least 250 miles daily to the "south east trade limit" off Australia. The bark pressed north along a course familiar to British East Indiamen toward Sandalwood Island (Sumba) and through the Straits ofTimor in damaging winds of hurricane force. It reached cruising grounds among the Molucca Islands.
- .Whale stampsJrom an entry in john Beebe's jou mal record the taking oftwo ten -barrel sperm whales by Brewster's larboardandwaistboats. changed course several times in quick succession. In retirement john Beebe mistakenly remembered the enemy as the Confederate raider Shenandoah, which did not operate in the area until the following December. He recalled the encounter vividly: "We ... were nowcarryinga fearful strain that threatened at times to take the whole top hamper out of the ship ... [while] the stars and stripes shook our defiance from the mizzen peak. ... " losing ground, the enemy employed auxiliary steam power to come within two miles of the fleeing bark before it was obscured by dense fog. In the morning the enemy had disappeared. Brewster headed south and west toward the East Indies. Onjanuary 2l the first sight of land since leaving New Bedford was towering, volcanic Amsterdam Island, its black rocks capped in clouds. Here and at neighboring St. Paul Island one could provision the bark with glittering "rock cod" and cook a fish on the line in one of numerous thermal springs. Menu planner and cook in her own home, lydia was interested in this latest method. She had already sampled with approval cowfish, skipjack, and porpoise liver, delicacies unfamiliar to her New England palate. Welcome in the galley only by invitation, lydia might occasionally be permitted to use the galley stove to produce a special treat after she
The Moluccas consisted of three large islands: Gillolo (Halmahera), Ceram, and Bouru; several groups of islands, including Xulla, Batchian, Oby, Banda, latta, Ceramlaut, Goram, and Mattabella; and the keyislesofAmboina, Ternate, and Tidore. These names appeared with great frequency as landfalls in journals of the voyage. The archipelago extended nearly 35,000 square miles between Celebes and New Guinea. The islands were covered with luxuriant vegetation, their world-famous spices, tropical fruits, rare woods, sago, and other crops. Most of the Moluccas were mountainous, and many were volcanic. john Beebe thought that the Goonong Api, or Burning Mountain, was a memorable sight, "vomiting forth a fiery flame" toward a star-studded sky of stereopticon clarity. Fornearly a year and a halfBrewstercruised the Banda Sea, the Molucca Passage, and the Ceram Sea toscourthe shoal-infested straits of the islands. It was considered a good omen when, on February 16, 1864, the tryworks were relighted for the first time since mid-December to process two ten-barrel whales. By mid-May twelve were captured in the Banda Sea. Whales Nos. 14 through 46were taken in the Molucca Passage during the southeast monsoon season, which ended in November. Then luck changed. The northwest monsoon season in the Banda
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Hardtack is jettisoned northwest ofNew Guinea to make morecasks availablefor oil. The Century Magazine- December 1891
Sea was unprofitable . In February 1865 in the Ceram Sea, it was discouraging to Brewster's crew to watch Mary of Edgartown taking whales. ReturningtotheMoluccaPassage,Brewsterspent another unsuccessful month of intricate navigation. On April 3 the vessel headed for the Gillola Passage into the Pacific Ocean toward the northwest coast of New Guinea for better prospects. Brewster remained in the vicinity of New Guinea until june 19, 1865, with continuing success. Whales Nos. 62-70 were taken. The crew celebrated the l,OOOth barrelofspermoil with fresh doughnuts. As more casks were needed for oil, flourwasevenstored underthe Beebes' bed in bags sewn by Lydia. On May 29 the contents of ten barrels ofbeef, two casks of molasses, and four casks of ship's bread were jettisoned. With mixed feelings john watched the hardtack float ina wideareaofseveral "acres" around the bark. Although proud of his greasy luck, he deplored waste. On june 21 Brewster entered Dampier Straits to return to the Molucca Passage. On june 29 the last whale, No. 71 , was taken by the starboard boat. By july 8 the bark's company was homeward bound with at least 1,150 barrels of sperm oil (a full ship) and a treasury of memories of native peoples and distant lands. Periodically, whaleships put into port for wood, water, "recruits" (provisions), and repairs. Such necessary interruptions to whaling routine were welcome. Shore leave forthecrewalternated between starboard and larboard watches. The captain usually went ashore to meet with local authorities, bargain for fresh produce, and do perhaps a little trading on his own. Whether representing the owners or himself, johnBeebewasknowntodriveahardbargain. Ifthe vessel required added days forrepairs, he and Lydia stayed on shore, leaving First Mate Albert Brown on board to supervise the work. Lydia preferred the more civilized communities. At Victoria, a town of 6,000inhabitants on
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the shore with Second Mate Heman Weeks to gather shells, she attracted a growing crowd of curious natives armed with fierce knives. Her apprehensive husband quietly ordered his crew "to shoot the boat off the beach the moment [all] had stepped into it...," and they escaped in a volley of stones. john and Lydia resolved to take no more "excursions among a people no further advanced in civilization." In May 1863 Brewster lay in Dore Bay at Mansinam on the New Guinea island ofManasoury for wood, water, and fresh "recruits." Five hundred feet from shore in fifteen feet of water were bamboo houses, thatched with palm leaves that were secured with coconut fiber cord. Sometimes as many as twenty-five Pa puans occupied a single dwelling, which was approached by ladder bridges that were removable for protection from coastal marauders or from mountain cannibals. The dark-skinned inhabitants seemed docile, but on shore Marshall Keith saw several skulls taken when the natives were ina "Savage state." At least six feet tall with well-developed physiques, they towered over Brewster's crew. When two aborigines demanded rum, cautious steward jose Santos provided sizable draughts of cider vinegar. Next day Captain Beebe assured the malcontents that they had been served "rum" from hi.s private stock and that its failure to affect them was a tribute to their "hard heads." john and Lydia were fascinated by Papuan mores. A strict division of labor designated males
Amboina, she enjoyed her Dutch hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Mands. Lydia adopted native dress for daytime wear and tried to communicate in Dutch and Malay. She and john were impressed when Governor and Lady Andrie Wiltens ordered their coach and span to take the Beebes and Mandses home after a visit. Temate, famous for its cloves, was a favorite stopping place for whalemen and merchantmen . There Lydia admired the substantial brick homes of the affluent Dutch. The native bamboo dwellings seemed less able to withstand the persistent tremors of the triple-crested volcano that dominated the island. john, however, was more satisfied with Kema on Celebes where he obtained sweet and Irish potatoes, yams, fowl, hogs, coconuts, bananas, oranges, lemons, and peanuts in trade. The bark's bottom received copper sheathing against ternado-worm damage. Lydia approved that the school day began with a Bible selection. Both were disappointed that their mail had been sent to the dead-letter office in Singapore. Injanuary 1865johntriedtosell five dozen hoop-skirt frames, before they rusted, to a local trader at Great Banda. Here the Malay women were bare-breasted and wore skirts which they wound closely about them. Doubtful of the hoops' sales appeal, the trader took the merchandise at half its value . The ladies quickly bought out the supply and delightedly displayed them outside their skirts. john disliked being outwitted in a trade, but he was amused by the bizarre fashion he had initiated. At Go ram the Beebes learned the need for caution in dealing with indige- BirdofParadisebroughtfromNewGuineatoNantucketby nous populations who rarely had con- john and Lydia Beebe. Papuan hunters projected arrows from tact with white men and never with long blowpipes to kill the birds and preserved them with white women. As Lydia walked along tobacco and cajepoota oil.
A Papuan bamboo house with thatched roofdrawn by a Du Perry expedition artist (1 822 -25) at Dare Bay, New Guinea. Brewster's company observed such structures built for communal living and safety. Counesyoflhe Phillips Ubrary, The Peabody Museum of Salem
as hunters, fighters, and fishermen. At night the harbor was dotted with the reflections of flickering torches as the men speared fish attracted to the illuminated surface. The men also built the houses and their canoes. All other tasks were considered women's work. Excess population was controlled by drowning imperfect babies and unwanted females at birth. The infirm and aged were pushed out to sea in open canoes by their mourners after a ceremonial farewell. Trade opportunities on Manasoury were excellent. Limes, breadfruit, bananas, coconuts, and palm oil were safe to buy, but the greedy cabin boy, taken with "colic pains" that required several powerful emetics, learned that the natives were not above selling poisonous nuts for a desired trinket. john knew that the brilliant birds of paradise would be worth ten dollars each at home: the native hunters killed them with arrows projected from blowpipes nearly five feet long and then preserved them with tobacco and a few drops of cajepoota oil. Lydia considered the handsome birds, as well as the beautiful nautilus shells in her collection, to be "God's miracle [s]." Mansinam was Lydia's favorite port. There Christian conversion required persistent devotion. At church services the natives turned in their idols only to replace them. Parents had to be
bribed with penknives or fishhooks to send their children to the mission school. In ten years only one Papuan soul had been saved by the three German missionaries. Lydia and john established a warm friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Geissler, whose son was born the day before Brewster departed. Bima Bay at Sumbawa wasjohn's least favorite port. Its strict Dutch trade monopoly produced few bargains for the voyage home. In addition, he contracted a fever aggravated by an infected tooth that broke while being extracted. On August 8 he put in at Soerabaya,java, a decision he later regretted. It was, nevertheless, here the ship's company learned that the Civil War had ended with Lee's surrender. The ten-day stop for repairs had been necessary, but john thought that the toll in efficiency and the subsequent loss of life from cholera, contracted in that port by an "imprudent" crew, made it a costly delay. Marshall Keith noted that women came from shore "to see if they could find a husband." He thought that "Sourabay" would be a good place to stay "for ever." Lydia was intent on a safe return to her family and friends at her beloved Methodist church, although the sights and sounds aboard the forty-two vessels at anchor in this harbor must have interested her. Most highlyprized was the chance to speak
another American whaleship. Whenever possible the visiting officers and crews "gammed," exchanging news from home, whaling information, personal experiences, stories, songs, and entertainment. A confining shipboard environment suddenly expanded into the cosmopolitan totality of the whaling industry- a reality which whalemen took for granted -as they conversed knowledgeably about the world's waters, ports, and peoples. In October 1864 Lydia spent two days aboord Gazelle of New Bedford to visit Captain Daniel andjane Worth. NodoubtLydiatriedtosolace the unhappy jane who was still grieving the loss of the son born five years before when Daniel was at sea. Did her guest see the children's toys and trinkets or the tiny bed and the dolls with which jane sometimes played "pretend mother?" It was good to share confidences with another American whaling wife. Perhaps members of Gazelle's company entertained john and Lydia with "exciting tunes of old melodies from home" played on the two violins, the flu tina, the tambourine, and the "coal" (cold) chisel on board the vessel. The two couples probably celebrated Lydia's twenty-seventh birthday before they parted. The small number of whaleships spoken by Brewster resulted from the choice of less-fre(continuedonpage 10)
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quentedgrounds, thedangersofthetimes,and to push on to the island of St. Helena for repairs. apt to take "a cup of sage tea before retiring." Although John Beebe had a reputation for the decline of the industry. From time to time The morale of crew members, concerned for their the bark sailed in the Banda Sea in company with own safety, was now at its lowest ebb. fairness and never asked his crew to do anything New Bedford whaleship Mary Frazier or Sea Queen Esprit de corps was difficult to develop and he would not do himself, he was a strict discipliofWestport,Brewster'smost frequentcompan- maintain on a whaleship's company of twenty- narian. This,aswellasthediscomfortsoftropiion. MaryofEdgartownjoinedBrewster, first in eight, ranging in age from thirteen to thirty-six, cal cruising grounds, could breed discontent the Ceram Sea and later off Goram and north- was mainly from the New Bedford Port District. among the men. Through thin walls Lydia ofwest New Guinea. Brewster spoke the bark llli- Names and aliases suggest that several were Cape ten heard, but did not repeat, rough complaints nois on its way to the Okhotsk Sea on April6, Verdeans living in the "Fayal" section. Others by the boatsteerers at second table. After six months at sea, boatsteerer William 1865. After cruising briefly with Osceola 2nd, were from New England and New York State, Macomber, skillful with the harpoon but unable another Wing bark, on july 8, 1865, Brewster and one was from Nova Scotia. set her course for Kema and to accept authority, was sent home on the Mary after the the long voyage home. On July 13 Brewster followinglitanyofpettyindrove eight feet onto a wallsubordinations: drunkensided coral reef in the Rores ness on duty; fist fights with Sea. Employingtwotonsof the officer on watch; ropes improvised gear, anchors, on the running rigging mysspars, and hawsers in conteriously cut; missing equipjunction with the windlass, ment; missing food from the Captain Beebe successfully pantry; violation of the protocol of the chase by striking a applied Archimedes' principle of the fulcrum and the whale for which the larboard lever to free the endangered boat (first mate's) and starvessel. He hoped that the exboard boat (captain's) were tensive repairs, which were competing; numerous necessitated by this rough "Growls" (backtalk) to the captain; failure to return from emergency treatment and which were made afteiWards shore leave at sunset; and at Soerabaya, would enable pulling a knife on Fourth Brewster's timbers and conMate Manuel Rodgers, who struction to survive the long was also the captain's boatjourney home. Thenewsof steerer. Lydia prayed that his inventive solution and Macomber would "lead a cool judgment in this near new life" on the Mary. Forwreck further enhanced his tunately, he was no longer aboard Brewster at St. Helena. reputation as a master rnariner. There, while John and Lydia relaxed by visiting John had little rest or relief from worry in the lndian Longwood and the site of Ocean. As the bark passed .Napoleon's grave, eighteen of the Brewster's company indolently through the Straits of Sunda, he nursed filed a formal complaint with Lydia and the crew through the U. S.consul. He refused aseriouscholeraepidemic to interfere, convinced by contracted at Soerabaya. In John Beebe's assurances that spiteofherillnessLydiaasadequate repairs had been Homeward bound. Across the Indian Ocean two men each operated two pumps connected by a sisledJohn in burial services sweep that wasattachedtothemainmastinordertopumpas manyas20,000strokesdaily. made. When the insurgents, for Henry Little, Samuel The Century Magazine- December 1891 then back at the ship, reOsbome, and the young - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - spondedimpudentlytothe The problems of ship government on captain's assessment of the bark's condition, he Nantucketer, Edward B. Fisher. Propulsion by the strong southeast trade Brewster duplicated those on most whaleships. ordered three of the "weakest element" to be winds through long swelling seas opened the Unsavory, hazardous working conditions com- locked below. Then he drew a hidden revolver wound made by the biting reef. Choked by lumps bined with long hours, hard work, bad food, from his breast and threatened to blow out the of coal that escaped in the hold, the pumps had monotony, illnesses, injuries, inadequate medi- ringleader's brains. All involved were placed in to be cleared innumerabletimesunderthecap- cal attention, crowded quarters, and insensitive irons. When each had finally come forward to tain's strict supervision, frequently in a gale of associates. Always there was the gigantic sperm shake hands with the captain in renewal of their wind or rugged sea, to achieve the number of whale to destroy, the danger of sharp tools, and mutual agreement, a near mutiny had been strokes required daily- often as many as 20,000. the flames of the trypots or their boiling con- averted and discipline was restored. They came around the Cape of Good Hope tents. At least five times one ofBrewster's boats On October 11, 1865, Brewster began to trace in a heavy southeaster, heralded by a sky so black was stove by a whale. Seasickness and prickly the wind belts of the Atlantic Ocean northward that it became necessary to "light the binnacle at heat were common ailments. Illnesses like di- to enter the Gulf Stream a month later. By this noon in order that the helmsman might see the arrhea and colds were treated with aconite, bel- time Brewster's pumps were going constantly. points of the compass." The captain gave orders ladonna, or pulsatilla. Lydia, when stricken, was John considered her to be a "commercial cof-
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fin." On November 21 the tryworks were taken down. On November 28 the bark, its cargo intact , entered New Bedford harbor to the satisfaction of the owners and to the delight of those who had endured this eventful whaling cruise. The aging vessel would not survive its next trip. Brewster's 1863-65 voyage was American capitalism at its best and its worst. The 1, 130-barrel cargo, whichsold primarily at $2.42 per gallon, was valued at $89,131.10. In spite of the inequities of a highly involved system of debits and credits, Brewster's officers managed to earn a good percentage ofthe profits. Based on his l/12 (8.5%) "lay," Captain Beebe averaged $9.61 a day. This voyage was his most lucrative. He had enhanced his reputation as a superior example of the tough "Old Man," the pro- Retiredfrom the sea, Lydia and john Beebe pose with their daughter Alice (enlarged below)outsidetheirGreekRevival home at 72 fessional whaleman and the Centre Street in the 1890s. successful master mariner. is a testimonial to the good faith Unfortunately, the seamen and green hands in the future of the industry by with lays from l/140 to 1/225eamed less than merchants who protected their a dollar a day. These wages were lower than those community of interests in whalof unskilled workers engaged in far less dangering through such investments. ous jobs on shore. By contrast, the owners, most And it is the record of wartime of whom had private businesses that depended profit in a declining industry that on the whale fleet, nearly doubled their investhad held an important place in ment in the voyage. Wing's profits during the the American economy for more Civil War years were about three hundred thouthan a century. sand dollars. Obviously, capital risk took preceThe forces that would dedence over hard work and personal jeopardy. stroy the whaling industry had While such whaling ventures were made already been in operation profitable by full cargoes, high prices caused by throughout the decade. Petrooil shortages at home and abroad, and the inleum products were replacing flationary thrust of a wartime economy, they nevwhale products in homes and facertheless fostered a false impression of continutories. The decrease in ing prosperity in the industry. Whenjohn and whaleships, the increase in the Lydia sailed from New Bedford in the bark Xancosts and lengths of voyages, the tho in postwar 1866, sperm oil prices peaked at attraction of mineral wealth and $2.55 per gallon. When the Beebes returned from the Indian Ocean in 1869, prices were down to record of this venture is a reservoir of data for homestead lands in the West, the competition $1.81-1/2 and would drop to $1.36-2./3 per gal- such disciplines as anthropology, sociology, for investment capital against such rising induslon the next year. In 1869 john retired from the psychology, geography, meteorology, naviga- tries as the New England cotton mills, a century sea and became active in town affairs. Like him, tion, engineering, economics, and history. of unregulated exploitation of the whaling Nantucket was no longer engaged in whaling. The voyage is a record of the professional grounds, and the Civil War itself would all afIn conclusion, the 1863-65 East Indian cruise whaleman pursuing his highly dangerous occu- fect adversely the recuperative powers of the inof Captain john Allen Beebe in the whaling bark pation and dealing with a variety of crises and dustry. In the twentieth century fortunes are still Brewster was a dangerous enterprise in perilous routine hazards. It is the story of the affection being made from inflationary wartime oil prices, times. The voyage not only has individual char- and Christian piety of Lydia, the whaleman's wife, but the individuals who benefit are now "capacter and identity but is also a digest of many who accepted the terms of a difficult and uncom- tains of industry," not whalingcaptai.ns i.n the aspects of the industry. The unusually complete promising existence to be with her husband. lt tradition of john Allen Beebe.
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I WE COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU... I Inventory
Assistance
Holiday Spirit Supplied by Volunteers
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arly in October, Maureen Dwyer dropped into the NHA's lap! She was looking for We would also like to thank the members employment until she started her graduate work renzi.ed time of the year. Christmas Stroll, the House Tour, andend-of-yearparties of the Christmas String Quartet, Mrs. C. Marshall in january 1991. Though the Historical Assoleave everyone exhausted and ready for the quiet Beale, Ms. Mimi jones, Mr. Peter Dunwiddie, and ciation couldn't offer her paid employment, oflong winter months. This is why we feel that a Mr. Bruce Courson, who performed a selection Maureen enthusiastically welcomed the opporspecial thank-you is in order for all those who of dassi.c Yuletide music throughout the evening. tunity to volunteer her time, energy, and experhelped us stage yet another successful Holiday And finally, a special thank-you goes to jenny tise. Maureen received her B.A. in European Ahlborn who almost single handedly ran the Studies from Mount Holyoke College and worked Party extravaganza right in the middle of it all. Both the jared Coffin House and the Har- kitchen, making sure that the steady flow of re- at the Folger Shakespeare Library in bor House donated enormous platters ofhors freshments never dwindled! Washington, DC. d'oeuvres, which we Maureen started her volunteer experience added to tables already The Christmas party at 99 Main was agala affair and our volunteers made it by rolling up her shirtsleeves and assisting Migroaning under the possible. In the right foreground, NHA treasurer Paul Wolf talks with member chael]ehle, Curator of Collections, in the closweight of contributions Richard Loftin. ing of the properties. This included dusting, vacuPhoto- Diane Ucci from NHA members uming, and carefully storing objects from the and staff. Thanks for collections for the winter. After the collections these go to: Mr. and were safely tucked away, Maureen and Michael Mrs. Charles Balas, approached the massive task of the infamous inMrs. Hamilton Heard, ventory. Jr., Mrs. Bracebridge Because t~ NHA holdings are numerous and Young, Jr., Mrs. H. Flint diverse, the proper inventory of these collections Ranney, Mrs. Herbert is a time-consuming, detailed project to be inGutterson, Mrs. David volved in. Maureen brought an eagerness and Ogden, Mrs. june enthusiasm to the project that was contagious! Graves, Mrs. Holly The 1800 House and the Oldest House were the McGowan, Ms. jenny first properties Michael and Maureen inventoGarneau, Ms. Cindy ried. Maureen would review the accession recBranch, and Ms. Kim ords and fill out information cards on each arCorkran. ticle recorded, checking for any inconsistencies. She also worked on the very extensive scrimshaw collection. The NHA's inventory project is generating new interest all the time, and additional volunteers have joined the endeavor. Maureen has been very helpful in integrating and orienting new people into the process. Hildegard Van Lieu, a iscum Diven, now living in Arizona, spent dedicated volunteer from the past, has many summers as a young man in 'Sconreturned to lend a hand with the invensetwithhisgrandparents, the H. Manning Cartory as well. Currently, she is very inpenters. During those happy times he and his volved with the textile portion of the friends played together, and they were photocollections. The NHA could not function graphed over and over again When one of those as effectively if it did not have people like friends,joan Pennock Craig, wrote an article Maureen, Hildegprd, and others who give about 'Sconset in Historic Nantucket, his childtheir time to various projects, such as the hood memories were stirred up. These memoinventory. Maureen has become so inries inspired him to search for records of his youth. terested in her work at the Historical AsWhen he found them, he recognized how imsociation that she has decided to postportant they were in recalling a way oflife durpone graduate school to continue doing ing a particular time. He donated more than 175 more "hands on" museum work. Her expersonal photographs and many other items to perience as a volunteer at the NHA made the NHA Research Center. They have now besuch an impression that she is considcome an important part of the Audio-Visual Colering the museum field as a possible calections. Thus is the history of life on Nantucket reer. She will be joining the NHA staff preserved. Do you have such treasured records Volunteer Maureen Dwyer is busily engaged in the NHA on a part -time basis in March, and we you might like to share? Call the Research Cen- inventory project. Here she concentrates on the association's welcome her to our ranks. terat 228-1655. scrimshaw collection.
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Memories Preserved
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Photo- Diane Ucci
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The NHA,founded in 1894, assumed the responsibility of safeguarding and displaying historic island treasures. In response to the continued aging and growth of the collections, the Association looks toward construction of a museum support center.
Future Directions: A Museum Support Center Text and Photos by Diane Ucci
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hen the Nantucket Historical Association was founded in 1894, its first president, Dr.]. Sidney Mitchell, recommended the purchase of the Friends' Meetinghouse on Fair Street. This was the first property acquired to house the treasured articles that the NHA had begun to collect and presetve. Shortly afterward, a pressing need for more space became evident, and in 1896 plans for a new building were already under way. It was determined that the new structure should be constructed with new methods and materials. ln 1904 the Fair Street Museum was built of cement and steel, then considered the best fireproofing materials, but by 1952, NHA holdings had again increased to such an extent that the Fair Street Museum was no longer adequate for both storage and exhibition purposes. Even though the Association continued to acquire additional properties, the collections outgrew their capacity to house them. In 1988 the organization was again forced to close an exhibition space, this time the Peter Foulger Museum, in orderto meet the ever-increasing demand for storage space. Tills step was seen as an interim solution because the building has relatively stable temperatures, but it was unfortunate because the Peter Foulger had almost 11,000visitorstheyearbeforeitclosed to the public. The NHA would ideally like to keep as many as possible ofitssites open to the pub-
lie, but the current, overcrowded conditions do not allow for this. The island's history continues to evolve, and precious objects are still being added to the collections. Those that were donated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries require much greater care than they did in the past. They have aged andbecome far more fragile, requiring state-of-the-art presetvation and storage techniques. The curatorial staff at the NHA has the expertise and background to create the appropriate environment for the collections, but they lack the proper facilities to do so. In the current storage conditions at the NHA,
(Above) The Quaker Meetinghouse is currently used to store paintings. While there is noheatinthebuilding, adehumidifierhas been installed. Poor access to this site makes it difficult to store and remove objects. Oeft) The Peter Foulgerhas relatively stable temperatures and houses a vast array ofobjects. (right) Until recently, many ofthe maritime collections were housed in theWhalingMuseumattic, which was originally used to soften spermaceti wax. The wax enjoyed temperatures in excess of ninety degrees ,butthecollectionsdidnot.
the collections will not endure for the next two orthree hundred years. Certainobjectsarealready showing visible damage. During the last twenty years research in the museum field has brought about a more complete understanding of how collections deteriorate. It has revealed that extreme fluctuations of temperature and humidity are two of the most damaging factors in this process. Wooden objects, paper, and paintings are especially vulnerable to these changes because they absorb moisture as ternperatures rise and give it off when the temperature drops. For example, during this kind of fluctuation the paint on a wooden surface will expand and contract at a different rate from the wood itself, resulting in serious cracking and peeling. Such conditions exist in the attic of the Hadwen House where stored objects are exposed to harsh temperature extremes. The standard ideal temperature for most collections storage is seventy degrees. When a ten-degree rise in temperature occurs, however, the rate of deterioration doubles. During the summer months the temperature in the Hadwen House attic can climb to more than 100 degrees! While certain glass and ceramic objects are not as susceptible to this process, organic materials such as wood and textiles have sustained serious damage due to this exposure. In order to ensure the maxi-
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(left) The pram, armoire, and textiles pictured in the Had wen House attic are susceptible to temperature extremes. Drynessfrom summer heat results in cracking and peeling of wooden objects. (right) Though glass and ceramic items stored in the Had wen House attic incur less damage than wood and textiles during exposure to temperaturefluctuation, it isJar from being an ideal storage environment.
mum longevity of our holdings, the NHA needs to meet current standards of preservation. It is widely recognized in the museum field that the construction of proper storage facilities is, dollar for dollar, the most cost-effective method of preserving collections. To look more closely at NHA collections and storage facilities, Ernest Conrad, an environmental engineer from Landmark Facilities, Inc., in NoiWalk, Connecticut, inspected them on site and completed an environmental survey in january of this year. He examined fluctuation of temperature, humidity comrol, and amoum of light enteringareasas factors that influence the state of the collections. Mr. Conrad suggested some short-term measures to solve certain problems that his inspection revealed. For example, he identified Greater light's basement as the crux oft he building's moisture problem. To remedy this, our Structures Department installed cellar doors with screened louvers for better ventilation. This is one of many cost-effective measures that could be put into place immediately, but a much more in-depth approach is necessary as we look at the future of the collections. The NHA began looking toward the future last spring when it exchanged land below the Old Mill for a commercial lot outside of town. With the building of a Museum Support Center
in mind, one of the benefits of this exchange was the acquisition of a plot that would not be subject to the building constraints within the old historic district. The new center needs to be designed and built around the specifications of the collections, and adaptive reuse of an existing historic structure is thus impractical. Alarge prefabricated structure is more suitable for these purposes, although the NHA will conrinue to be historically sensitive whenever possible. The design for the Museum Support Center will include a space for the NHA shop, where, collections are worked on and exhibits are prepared and fabricated. For the last five years it has been located behind Marine Home Center in a space generously donated first by Sherburne Associates and now by First Winthrop Corporation. However, on December 31, 1991, the space will no longer be available to the NHA Structures and Interpretation departments. The vision of a Museum Support Center is therefore even more timely because it would not only house our collections in the proper conditions but give usa placewheretheycanbe researched andrestored. It will alleviate the crowded conditions of our "temporary" shop where maneuvering larger objects is very difficult, where ceilings are low, and there is no natural light. For proper exhibit fabrication and building restoration, the
Imerpretation and Structures departments need adequate space, lighting, temperature, and storage area for their materials. Though the work and collections storage areas will be completely separate, housing them within the same building allows for optimum communication between the Collections, Structures, and Interpretation departments and focuses their combined energies on the care of the NHA's treasured historic objects and their exhibition. To make this dream a reality will require a substamial commitment of NHA resources. Already in hand are the buildable lot and more than $4D,OOO of the proceeds from last year's Amiques Show. For the next phase of our fund raising, an anonymous donor will give $50,000 if the trustees raise an additional $250,000 by September 1991. Practicality and necessity motivate our building the Museum Support Cemer. It is a long-term solution to our needs and includes a mechanism for growth and change. At this time it is more than prudent to care for our collections in a way thatensurestheirplace both in the island's history and in its future . With a stable, clean, and organized facility where collections are properly sorted and secured, they become a more accessible resource to the community and the museum world at large.
Architect MarkAvery has designed the proposed supportcenter. His sketch below shows the southfaceofthebuildingwith the addition to the left, which will house the NHA'sshopfacilities.
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Memories from a Member
ITEMS OF March26
INTEREST
Three Entertaining Evenings with the NHA
Magic Lantern Slide Show Peter MacGlashan, registrar and photo an:hivist, will feature antique glass slides of Nantucket dating back to the nineteenth century. Many of the slides have never been published and viewers will be asked to participate in the identification. Authentic "photographer's cheesecake" will be served as a throwback to the days when egg whites were used in the preparation of photographic plates, leaving numerous yolks for other uses.
April9 Women at Sea -Women at Home jacqueline Kolle Haring, Curator of Research Materials, will present material about the women who put to sea during the whaling era. She will read letters and log entries from journals kept by the women on board the whaling vessels. Mrs. Haring will~ touch upon the lives of the women who were left behind and how they spent their time.
April23 - - - - - - - - Over the Fence
Gayl Michael, Assistant Curator of Research Materials and an accomplished actress, will treat the audience to amazing bits of gossip and trivia that reveal what life on Nantucket was really like during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The material has been gleaned from the NHA's extensive manuscript collections, and most of it we have rever dared to publish, but what harm can be caused by a bit of gossip "overt he fence• to our members...
Lectures will be on Tuesday evenings at 7:30in the Whaling Museum. The series is free toourmembers with a nominal fee for non-members. We hope to see you there!
ANewlmageforan Old Organization
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here is a new look at the NHA that came about in response to the upcoming centennial. To heighten the public's awareness of the Historical Association's mission, we wanted to create an icon that represented all fa:ets of who weare and what we do. However, identifying a single symbol that encompassed maritime, agricultural, and summering themes was next to
"1994
1894 NANTUCKET
In the Fa111990 issue of Historic Nantucket we featured "Tales of'Sconset." On the cover appeared a photograph of Lillian Burgess sitting inside the Central Market. lillian was the granddaughter of Richard E. Burgess, who owned the market. Mr. Richard H. Illingworth, an NHA member, saw the photograph and contacted us with some additional information. Lillian's mother died when she was just a baby and her father, Eugene, remarried. From his second marriage Lillian gained a brother, Todd, and a sister, Marge. Marge is still alive, and it is she who provided Mr. Illingworth with more facts about Lillian. Lillian died a single woman at age sixty-nine on Armistice Day in 1961. She lived in East Wareham at the time.
Oops! In our last issue of Historic Nantucket we seized the opportunity to list all our hardworking and dedicated docents. However, despite all the proofreading, we managed to leave out a very important person: Mary Lou Campbell. Mary Lou has been working at the Whaling Museum for over ten years. She splits her time and enthusiasm between lecturing and greeting the public at the front desk. Mary Lou has been a member of the Nantucket Historical Association for more than fifteen years and has also volunteered her energies at the Peter Foulger. We are very grateful to have devoted employees like Mary Lou among our docent staff.
Genealogy Group This fall the new genealogy group met for two training sessions with Historian Helen Winslow Chase, NHA Curator of Research Materials jacqueline Haring, Town Clerk joanne Holdgate, and Atheneum Librarian Barbara Andrews provided information about island repositories. Anita and Edward Dougan described their experiences using computer software to organize genealogical data and gave many helpful hints. Nantucket families being researched by group participants include Aguiar, Austin, Bartlett, Brock, Cady, Chase, Coffin, Dunham, Folger, Gardiner, Gardner, Holdgate, Larrabee, Starbuck, Winslow, and others. Ifyou are interested in attending future meetings of the genealogy group or if you have any Nantucket family information to share, contact Historian Helen Chase at 228-166 7 or 228-1181.
year restoration the NHA bridged the past and future by preserving the building's historical HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION integrity, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques to save its original fabric. The new symbol is not impossible. The Oldest House chimney was se- meant to replace the old, but to heighten the lected because ofits age and importance and as public's awareness of the increasing importance an example of the NHA's most recent efforts in of the NHA as it approaches a one-hundred-year historic preservation. During the almost three- celebration.
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THE MUSEUM SHOP On july Fourth weekend 1983, the Museum Shop opened its door for the first time, signaling a new era for the Nantucket Historical Association.
This era was ushered in through the guiding hands of Grace Grossman, who had devoted two years to developing this extension to the NHA education program. With the completion of this process, the challenge of running a successful gift shop was under way. During her involvement Mrs. Grossman was a Historical Association council member who shared her time and extensive experience as the former Chairperson of Merchandising for Old Sturbridge Village. Her skills enabled her to create a shop with an ambiance unique to Nantucket. A wealth of talented island craftsmen and women made furniture, silver, baskets, and other artifacts and reproductions representative of eighteenth- and nineteenth- century island life exclusively for the shop.
Within the Museum Shop are three rooms, each with its own distinct environment. As you enterthe shop you have a feeling of a period country store where you can purchase candles, jellies, and other household necessities. As you walk through to the dining room, you come upon the finest New England reproduction furniture, china, and other decorative items. Just off to the side is the book room, which contains a full selection of Nantucket histories and whaling accounts, as well as classic children's books and toys. During the past eight years the Museum Shop has continued to bean interesting shopping experience and provides necessary revenue to assist the Nantucket Historical Association in its mission to inform and enlighten residents and visitors about the island's rich and exciting history.
The Museum Shop Eighteenth- and Nineteenth- century Reproductions and Adaptations Featuring Fine China, Furniture, Brass, and Silver Adjacent to the Whaling Museum, Nantucket (508)-228-5785 Members of the Historical Association are entitled to a 10% discount upon presenting their membership card.