Historic Nantucket Fall 2017

FALL 2017 | VOLUME 67, NO. 2

A PUBLICATION OF THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

IN THIS ISSUE: Holmes & Pease: Carpenter-Builders of Nantucket NHA Department and Program Updates Upcoming Exhibitions New Publications from the NHA NHA.ORG / NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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FALL 2017

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VOLUME 67, NO. 2

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Thomas Macy (I & P Macy) Warehouse depicted on a late-nineteenth-century water company map MS1000-6-5-7

Kelly Williams PRESIDENT

Victoria McManus VICE PRESIDENT

William J. Boardman TREASURER

Michael Cozort CLERK

Sarah Alger Patricia Anathan Josette Blackmore Susan Blount Anne Marie Bratton

and the Gosnell Executive Director

4 President of the Board of Trustees and Trustee Emerita

5 New Trustees 7 Departing Trustees 8 From the Ashes:

Thomas Macy Warehouse

14 Holmes & Pease:

Carpenter-Builders of Nantucket

20 Upcoming Work at the Old Mill 22 Hadwen House: A New

Period Garden

24 Celebrating Maria Mitchell

Cam Gammill John Hilton Wendy Hudson Carl Jelleme

25 Big Changes at the

FRIENDS OF THE NHA VICE PRESIDENT

Whaling Museum

26 Recent Acquisitions 28 Nantucket Agricultural Society

“Album Quilt”

30 Digitization of Research

Library Collections

31 Youth Mentorship Program

Launched

33 Special Events 34 Publications from the NHA

HISTORIC NANTUCKET (ISSN 0439-2248) is published by the Nantucket Historical Association, 15 Broad Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Periodical postage paid at Nantucket, MA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Historic Nantucket, P.O. Box 1016, Nantucket, MA 02554–1016; (508) 228–1894; fax: (508) 228–5618, info@nha.org.

For information visit nha.org. ©2017 by the Nantucket Historical Association. a l l p h o t o s b y n h a s t a f f u n l e s s o t h e r w i s e n o t e d .

HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

Wylie Collins

William Little

at the Research Library

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Olivia Charney

and her Legacy

29 Recent Acquisitions

Contemporary image of the Thomas Macy Warehouse by Eileen Powers with overlay of Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) drawing by Mitchell A. Brown (1967).

Chip Carver

Hampton Lynch Carla McDonald Kennedy Richardson Marla Sanford Janet Sherlund TRUSTEE EMERITA

Daisy Soros Carter Stewart Jason Tilroe Phoebe Tudor Finn Wentworth PR I NT E D I N T H E U SA O N R E CY C L E D PA PE R , U S I N G V EG E TAB L E-B AS E D I N K

3 A Message from the Board President

Jay Wilson FRIENDS OF THE NHA PRESIDENT

Alisa Wood David D. Worth Jr. James Russell GOSNELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE M. Chris Manning EDITOR

Elizabeth Oldham COPY EDITOR

Eileen Powers/Javatime Design DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION

This issue of Historic Nantucket comes to you as we begin to celebrate Festival of Wreaths and Festival of Trees. Once again, the community and our sponsors have come out in strong support of these warm and enriching programs. For this, and the myriad other ways in which you support the NHA, we thank you.

In the spirit of giving thanks, we take the opportunity both to acknowledge departing trustees and welcome new ones. You will read about the accomplishments of those who served this organization so admirably over the past eight years and become acquainted with those joining our ranks.

The Thomas Macy Warehouse is the primary focus of this issue. This historically important structure needs attention, and the trustees are committed to ensuring that the architectural and structural integrity of the building is secure. Chris Manning, our new Obed Macy Research Chair, eloquently describes the many lives of this 171-year-old building. Other articles in this issue are forward looking, giving you an opportunity to learn about new initiatives and programs.

With respect to our educational initiatives, watch for the introduction of a new Mentorship Program designed for Nantucket High School juniors and seniors.

We intend to “beta-test” the program this coming winter and spring in anticipation of a full-year rollout in September 2018. The program is geared toward Nantucket’s talented youth who have an interest in working in a museum setting while earning a competitive wage. The program is a companion to the NHA’s vaunted Internship Program, to which 150 college students applied for seven coveted slots last summer.

We plan to expand this program to year-round, and, as always, preference will be given to island residents.

Early in 2018, we look to the stars. A partnership with the Maria Mitchell Association will result in a spectacular exhibition celebrating Maria’s 200th birthday. Visitors will also see substantial upgrades to exhibits in the Candle Factory as our Chief Curator designs a narrative arc that expands on the storyline

beginning in Gosnell Hall. These upgrades will draw heavily from our treasured collections and allow you to explore more of our shared history through direct interaction with art and artifacts.

We are particularly enthusiastic about our major summer exhibition in the McCausland Gallery that is focused on Nantucketers and their boats. We seek input from members and the community as we wish to present artifacts, models, and memorabilia that will bring this story to life. In the continuing effort to advance scholarship, soon you may enjoy a new hardcover book written by Michael Harrison that looks at highlights of the collection, which we will release in conjunction with our signature fundraising event, the popular Nantucket by Design week. In addition, we look forward to producing a second, expanded edition of Susan Boardman’s and Betsy Tyler’s popular volume on embroidered narratives of Nantucket’s notable women titled Sometimes Think of Me, which has been out of print for several years. A multiyear initiative is also under way to leverage technology so that the visitor experience is enhanced through better access to the collection.

We hope you are as excited as we are about the strength of this venerable 123-year-old institution and the amazing opportunities that lie ahead. In that regard, we hope that you will include the Nantucket Historical Association in your charitable giving at year-end and will assist us in bringing Nantucket’s extraordinary stories to the broadest possible audience.

The association is buoyed by the strength and conviction of its membership, and, as such, the success of the Annual Fund is a reflection of the commitment we all have to our shared mission.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, & Kelly Williams and James Russell

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PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kelly Williams

Kelly was elected president of the board in July and has served as a trustee since 2014, having served as chair of the Development Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Kelly has had a distinguished career in private equity, having founded the Customized Fund Investment Group in 1999, which specialized in customized investment programs for institutional investors and was sold in 2014. Prior to entering the finance world, Kelly was an associate with Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. She graduated magna cum laude from Union College in 1986 with a degree in Political Science and Mathematics and received her JD from New York University School of Law in 1989.

Kelly has dedicated herself to advancing diversity in the financial-services industry and serves on many notfor-profit boards focused on this important issue. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of the Greenbrier Companies (GBX). Kelly is active in the arts and historical preservation and serves as a member of

the Board of Commissioners of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Olana Partnership. Kelly also serves as a member of the Investment Committee of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Union College, and is cochair of its historic $300-million capital campaign. She was also recently elected to the board of trustees of the National Philanthropic Trust. Among many recognitions she has received, she was named in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 as one of the Most Powerful Women in Finance by American Banker Magazine. Kelly and her husband, Andrew Forsyth, were married on Nantucket in 1990 and have been active in numerous charitable organizations on the island, including the Artists Association of Nantucket, the Nantucket Preservation Trust, and the Community Foundation for Nantucket.

TRUSTEE EMERITA

Janet Sherlund

Janet Sherlund served on the NHA Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2017. Janet became involved with the NHA in 2000, when she joined the Antiques Show Committee. Five years later, she was named chair of the event. Soon thereafter, her strong commitment to the NHA’s mission was recognized when elected board president in 2009, a position she excelled in for eight remarkable years, through June 2017. Janet was omnipresent and actively involved in every committee of the board, allegedly missing only one meeting in her tenure. She chaired the extremely successful Campaign for the NHA, traveling extensively to meet

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

with supporters and ensuring the campaign’s success in raising more than $12 million for endowment and capital purposes by 2016. Janet and her husband, Rick, have graciously hosted umpteen NHA receptions at their Nantucket and New Jersey homes, and generously supported every fundraising appeal with enthusiasm and extraordinary philanthropy. In recognition of her achievement and years of service, Janet was named Trustee Emerita in 2017.

WELCOME NEW TRUSTEES

Cam Gammill

Cam Gammill grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut, and landed on Nantucket in 1998 when he took a position as mate on a charter fishing boat. His first job out of Colby College was at Vineyard Vines, where he served as the head of their sales team and retail division. In 2009, Cam changed lanes and entered Nantucket real estate.

Cam’s passion for history can be attributed to his grandfather and his love of old wooden ships and scrimshaw. Cam was

married in 2005 to Julie Milligan, daughter of Frank Milligan, former executive director of the NHA. Their wedding reception took place at the Whaling Museum.

Cam is currently the owner or co-owner of three Nantucket businesses. In addition to being a principal broker at Fisher Real Estate Nantucket, Cam is a partner at Bill Fisher Tackle and Bill Fisher Outfitters, a charter fishing company operating out of Madaket.

Wendy Hudson

Wendy Hudson is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She is a graduate of Hawken School and Smith College, where she studied ethical philosophy. In 1988, Wendy came to Nantucket for the summer after studying for a semester with the Maritime Studies Program of Williams College and Mystic Seaport.

She and her husband, Randy, co-founded Cisco Brewers in 1995, the same year they got married. She also started working at Nantucket Bookworks that same year, purchasing the store in 2000. She later

purchased Mitchell’s Book Corner in 2012.

Wendy co-founded the Nantucket Book Festival and is a frequent decorator and past chair of the NHA’s Festival of Trees.

With twenty years of small business and civic experience (she is a past president of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce and current member of the Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission), Wendy loves collaborative efforts and looks forward to finding ways for the NHA to further its vision within the community and position itself for its next exciting chapter.

Carla McDonald

A former marketing executive, magazine columnist, and host of a weekly arts segment on the Austin news, Carla McDonald currently serves as the founder and editor in chief of The Salonniere, the nation’s leading website dedicated to the art of entertaining. Before founding The Salonniere, Carla spent more than twenty years in marketing, first in New York and then in Texas.

During her fifteen-year career in New York, Carla led the consumer marketing practices at Hill & Knowlton and GCI, two of the world’s largest PR firms, and was named one of the best PR people in the

country by PR Week magazine and one of the “best 40 under-40 business people” by Crain’s New York Business.

In 2001, Carla moved to Texas to become Chief Marketing Officer of a venture-backed startup that she helped to rename and reposition. The company was sold a year later. Carla then founded Dynabrand, a PR firm that grew over twelve years to become one of the highest-revenue, independent PR firms in Texas. An advocate for arts and education causes, Carla serves on a variety of nonprofit boards in Austin and Nantucket.

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WELCOME NEW TRUSTEES

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Marla Mullen Sanford

In 2000, Marla earned her BS in Psychology from Rollins College where she played varsity soccer. Immediately following college until 2006, Marla worked as a sports agent in New York City specializing in athlete representation and sponsorships. Her career in this field carried her through a firm acquisition

by Octagon Sports to founding her own sports-marketing firm, M3 Management.

In 2007, Marla switched gears and co-founded Territory Real Estate, a revolutionary web-based real estate firm providing flat-fee representation exclusively to

residential Massachusetts home buyers while continuing to grow her passion for interior design. In 2015, what started out as a side project became a reality when Marla launched Nantucket Sole, a chic seasonal women’s shoe company that puts out two limited-edition styles a summer. Marla resides in Boston with husband, Terry Sanford, and daughter, Sailor, and continues to pursue her passion for interior design—completing eight interior design projects on Nantucket in 2017 alone—and running Territory Real Estate and Nantucket Sole.

Daisy M. Soros

Daisy M. Soros grew up in Hungary and graduated from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. She came to the U.S. on a student visa, enrolling at Columbia University. She later attended the New York School of Interior Design and NYU’s School of Social Work, and has worked extensively as a counselor to terminally ill patients and their families.

Daisy is chairman of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, which supports two years of graduate study for thirty fellows each year. She is a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell

Medical College where she also serves as founding chairman of the Dean’s Council. She is an advisory director of the Metropolitan Opera, an honorary trustee of International House, secretary on the board of the New York Philharmonic, and a director emerita of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She also serves on the boards of the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the American Austrian Foundation, the Foreign Policy Association, and Venetian Heritage.

Mrs. Soros has two sons, Peter and Jeffrey, and is the proud grandmother of five grandchildren.

Carter Stewart

Carter Stewart is a managing director at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a venture philanthropy that funds and helps scale early-stage nonprofits around the world. Prior to joining DRK, Carter served as the presidentially appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. In this role, he was responsible for prosecuting federal crime in a district that included Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton.

Carter also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and chaired the Attorney General’s Child Exploitation Working Group.

He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in San Jose, California, and he was a

HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

litigator at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP in Columbus, Ohio, and at Bingham McCutchen LLP in San Francisco, California.

Carter received a JD from Harvard Law School, holds an MA in Education Policy from Columbia University, and received his BA in Political Science from Stanford University.

His family has been coming to Nantucket for five generations, and his mother, Isabel Stewart, preceded him on the board in 2001– 09. He is particularly eager to help the NHA broaden its appeal to diverse audiences and to continue to enrich our present and future by knowing and celebrating our past.

THANK YOU DEPARTING TRUSTEES

Franci Neely

Ana Ericksen

Maria Spears

Franci Neely served on the NHA

Ana Ericksen served on the NHA

Maria Spears served on the NHA Board

Board of Trustees from 2009

Board of Trustees from 2013 to

of Trustees from 2014 to 2017. During

to 2017. During her tenure, she

2017, during which time she chaired

her tenure, she was a member of the

chaired the Committee on Trust-

the Interpretation & Education

Housing & Properties Committee

ees & Governance, served on the

Committee and served on the

and the Development Committee, on

Development Committee and the

Communications & Marketing

which she provided leadership for the

Campaign Steering Committee,

Committee. Ana and her husband,

Heritage Society, of which she and

and chaired the 2011 August

Michael, were co-chairs of the 2014

her husband, Bill, are members. On

Antiques Show Dinner. Franci has

Antiques & Design Show. Ana has

behalf of the NHA, Maria and Bill have

graciously hosted numerous gath-

been active with the 1800 House,

graciously hosted many receptions and

erings on behalf of the NHA at her

both teaching and taking classes

dinners at their homes in Nantucket

homes in Nantucket and Houston,

in decorative arts and crafts. On

and New York. In 2015, the Spears were

and generously supported the

behalf of the NHA, the Ericksens

honorary chairs of the Antiques &

NHA through membership; events;

have hosted a number of receptions

Design Show. The following year,

annual, capital, and endowment

at their Nantucket home, including

Maria chaired Nantucket by Design’s

campaigns; and special projects,

an annual gathering for summer

Design Luncheon and VIP Cocktail

including the Nantucket film. She

interns. As generous supporters, the

Party. Generous supporters of the

is also a member of the Friends of

Ericksens have contributed to the

NHA’s annual, capital, and endowment

the NHA.

NHA through membership; events;

campaigns; membership; events; and

annual, capital, and endowment

special projects, the Spears are also

campaigns; and special projects.

members of the Friends of the NHA.

Maureen Fennessy Bousa

Dennis Shapiro

Maureen Fennessy Bousa served on the NHA Board of Trust-

Dennis Shapiro served on the NHA Board of

ees from 2013 to 2017. During her term, Maureen chaired

Trustees from 2009 to 2017. During that time,

the Collections & Exhibitions Committee; served on both

he was a member of the Collections & Exhibi-

the Housing & Properties Committee and the Development

tions Committee. He and his wife, Susan, have

Committee; and led the Ad Hoc Events Committee (2014).

generously supported the NHA through annual,

In 2016, she chaired the inaugural Nantucket by Design

capital, and endowment campaigns; member-

week, the NHA’s new major summer fundraiser. Maureen and

ship; events; and donations to the Research

her husband, Edward, have been generous supporters of the

Library collections; and special initiatives,

NHA in all areas: events; membership; annual, capital, and

including publishing projects such as the

endowment campaigns; and special initiatives, including ex-

upcoming book on highlights of the collections.

hibitions. In addition, they have graciously hosted events on

The Shapiros are members of the Heritage Soci-

behalf of the NHA at their homes in Nantucket and Florida.

ety and the Friends of the NHA.

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By M . C h ris Manni ng O b e d M a cy Re s earc h Chai r

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

M I T C H E L L A . B R OW N F O R HA B S , 19 67. P R EC E D I N G PAG E: C O NT E M P O R A R Y I M AG E O F T H O M AS M AC Y WA R E H O U S E BY E I L E E N P OW E R S

Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) drawing of the Thomas Macy Warehouse

For passengers disembarking from the Hy-Line ferry, the Thomas Macy Warehouse may be one of the first of Nantucket’s many historic buildings they encounter. he large brick edifice at 12 Straight Wharf was constructed in late 1846 by Thomas Macy (1787–1864), a prominent Nantucket whale-oil merchant and descendant of first settler Thomas Macy. On July 13 of that year, Nantucket’s infamous “Great Fire” consumed the town’s wharves and commercial district, including every building on Straight Wharf. The Macy Warehouse was one of the first buildings to be constructed after the fire and the first socalled “fire proof” building on the island.

According to architectural historian Clay Lancaster, the Thomas Macy Warehouse is one of twenty-one historic public buildings on Nantucket constructed of brick and one of only thirteen buildings known to have had a slate roof. It is probably no surprise that Macy elected to construct the warehouse of these fire-resistant materials. To a community reeling from the devastating losses of the inferno so fresh in their minds, the bright, new building may have seemed like a phoenix, rising from the ashes of the charred town.

NA NTU C K ET WE E K LY M I R R O R , JA N UA RY 3 0 , 18 47

“Fire Proof” construction of the Thomas Macy Warehouse

AN ARCHITECTURAL GEM At 171 years of age, the Thomas Macy Warehouse is the oldest surviving building on Nantucket’s historic waterfront as well as an outstanding example of nineteenth-century commercial waterfront construction.

Another large brick building similar to the Thomas Macy Warehouse can be found at 13 Broad Street. Built the following year, in 1847, it formerly housed the Hadwen & Barney Candle Factory and currently serves as the NHA’s Whaling Museum.

The Macy Warehouse is a two-and-a-half-story, five-bay industrial building with load-bearing walls of red brick over a heavy timber frame. The building has no known architect and no original plans of the building have been identified. Although a relatively simple structure, it displays notable elements of the Greek Revival style, which was popular in the mid-nineteenth century, including a corbelled brick cornice and pedimented gable on the south-facing façade. The front-gabled roof was originally clad in slate, and a granite datestone inscribed “1846” is centered above the loft window in the south gable. Both the front and rear entrances are unusually wide, with double-leaf doors that would have allowed bulky cargo and supplies to be moved in and out of the building for transportation to and from the nearby wharves.

The warehouse’s large, multipane, wood-framed windows with sills and lintels of rough-faced granite allowed ample light to enter the building at a time before electricity. Remnants of iron pintel hinges and shutter dogs are found at some window openings. Although wooden or iron shutters were incorporated into

NHA.ORG / NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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M I T C H E L L A . B R OW N F O R HA B S . 19 67

The Windlass If you’ve ever been to the second floor of the Thom-

the building’s original design—most likely intended to provide protection from fire, theft, and/or inclement weather—historic photographs indicate that many of the shutters were removed within the first two or three decades after the building’s construction and all appear to have been removed by the end of the nineteenth century.

Inside, the building has a large, open layout that allows flexibility of use. The exposed brick walls, large hewn timber beams, and floorboards of varying widths give the building character and embody its industrial function. So, too, does the building’s windlass—one of two once found in the building—which made it possible to hoist heavy crates and barrels to the upper stories for storage.

as Macy Warehouse and looked up, you may have M ITC H E LL A. B R O WN FO R H AB S. 19 67

noticed the windlass. A windlass is an apparatus used to lift heavy objects—in this case, shipping cargo and supplies—by means of a horizontal cylinder or spool around which a rope is wound. The mechanism for the windlass at the Thomas Macy Warehouse is located in the attic loft near the front of the building and consists of a large wooden spool with gears of wood and metal.

At the end of the thick rope wound around the spool is a metal lifting hook with a wooden pulley, which can be lowered through a hatch to the second floor. A similar opening between the first and second stories originally existed but has since been covered.

There is evidence that a second windlass was once located near the north side of the building, but is long gone. Windlasses would have been essential to the function of the waregoods and supplies to be hoisted to the second story and attic loft for storage.

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

P H O TO BY E I L E E N PO WE R S

house, allowing heavy

HISTORY OF THE THOMAS MACY WAREHOUSE Thomas Macy was the eldest son of Nantucket historian Obed Macy (1762–1844). Macy was extremely active in the Nantucket community and was involved in both the antislavery and temperance movements. Like his father before him, Thomas made his fortune in the whaling and shipping businesses—he was part-owner of at least two ships, the Phoenix and the Potomac—and “engaged in the importation and manufacture of sperm oil, till within a year of his death.” His house at 99 Main Street, another NHA property, is a material reflection of his business success.

In September 1846, he purchased a parcel on Straight Wharf from Levi S. Starbuck, a fellow Nantucket merchant, for $500. The deed of sale described the parcel as “a certain tract of Land in said Nantucket situated on the North side of Main Street, bounded on the South by Main Street, on the East by land of Benjamin Gardner 4th, on the North by a highway and on the West by land of Thomas Macy aforesaid, containing six Rods & a half, […] being a tract of land on which my store stood previous to the fire on the 13 of July last.”

Historic sources indicate that Macy constructed the building to serve as a chandlery and warehouse to store supplies and cargo related to his shipping and whaling enterprises and was not intended to function as a commercial storefront or manufacturing facility.

When Thomas Macy died in 1864, ownership of the warehouse passed to his sons, Isaac Macy (1818–87) and Philip Macy (1819–1901), and to his daughter, Mary Swift Hussey (1828–1907). Four years later, Mary

and her husband, Valentine Hussey Jr. (1826–90), sold their interest in the warehouse to the brothers.

After their father’s death, the Macy brothers continued to use the building as a chandlery and warehouse for their own business interests under the firm name of I. & P. Macy, a partnership they had formed around 1840. By the 1860s, however, Nantucket’s golden age of whaling was over. According to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and historic photographs, in the later years of the Macy brothers’ ownership, the building was used to store shingles and lumber, perhaps rented out to a carpenter or other tenant.

Although Isaac Macy died in 1887, his brother Philip continued to own the warehouse on Straight Wharf until his own death in 1901. In his obituary, Philip Macy was described as “perhaps, the last of the Nantucket whaleship owners and candle and oil manufacturers, although retired from active business for the last thirty-five years,” further suggesting that the Macys leased the space to other business interests.

After the deaths of the Macy brothers, the warehouse was inherited by their children. Philip Macy’s portion was acquired by his daughter, Mary Eliza Macy,

Late-nineteenth-century photo of the Thomas Macy Warehouse GPN2684

Portrait of Thomas Macy P1349

NHA.ORG / NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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while Isaac’s portion fell to his sons, Thomas and Isaac, and to his daughter, Lydia. In 1904, Thomas and Isaac conveyed their interest in “a certain tract of land with the brick store thereon” to their sister. The following year, Lydia and Mary Eliza sold the property to James A. Holmes Jr. and B. Chester Pease, carpenter-builders who had recently established a partnership under the firm name of Holmes & Pease. In 1915, Holmes & Pease dissolved their partnership and Holmes continued to occupy the Thomas Macy Warehouse under the firm name of Holmes & Co. When James A. Holmes Jr. died suddenly in 1932, his son, Roswell Holmes, continued to operate the family business out of the warehouse for several more years. (For more on Holmes & Pease, see the accompanying article in this issue.) n August 1944, the Nantucket Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit founded to provide “services for the benefit of Nantucket which might not otherwise be done,” purchased the Thomas Macy Warehouse from the estate of James A. Holmes Jr. The building underwent an extensive renovation that cost approximately $15,000. Unfortunately, a hurricane that struck the island on September 14, 1944, shattered a third-story window and the sudden change in air pressure blew out the south half of the slate roof. The decision was made at that time to replace the slate roof with asphalt or composition shingles.

After renovations were completed, the Nantucket Foundation offered use of the property to Nantucket’s art community, which had recently lost its Easy Street Galleries. The new Kenneth Taylor Art Galleries opened

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET / FALL 2017

July 1, 1945, and was named Sanborn Fire Insurance Map in memory of a founding of 1887, showing the member of the Nantucket building’s use as storage for Foundation who had beshingles and lumber queathed a large sum to the foundation used in the renovation of the warehouse.

Later that year, the Artists Association of Nantucket was formed, with the Thomas Macy Warehouse serving as its base of operations.

In 1980, the Nantucket Foundation began the dissolution of the organization, transferring its real estate assets to the Nantucket Historical Association, a process that was finalized in 1984. The NHA continued to offer use of the building to the Artists Association of Nantucket until 1988, at which time the NHA adapted the building for its own exhibition needs as the Nantucket Museum of History, which opened the following June in part to house exhibitions while the Peter Foulger Museum (now the NHA Administration Building) was being renovated. In 1996, the NHA began renting the first floor to the Sailor’s Valentine Gallery, Box Office Nantucket, and an antiques gallery while continuing to use the second floor as a welcome center and overflow exhibit space. In 2003, the Sailor’s Valentine Gallery relocated to the upper floor and the first floor of the Thomas Macy Warehouse was leased for commercial use.

Currently, the NHA is making preparations to repair and restore the Thomas Macy Warehouse in order to ensure the preservation of one of the earliest surviving historic buildings on Nantucket’s waterfront. Plans for the restoration of the exterior will seek to remedy the

Deteriorated masonry at the Thomas Macy Warehouse

PH O TO BY E I LE E N PO WE R S

Damage sustained by the warehouse after the hurricane of September 1944 P11788 On the night of Saturday, April 19, 1975, a devastating fire ignited the Straight Wharf Theatre, adjacent to the

most urgent structural issues, including repairing the underlying roof structure and installing a new slate roof to match the original; the installation of copper gutters and downspouts; repairing deteriorated masonry and parge coatings; and preservation of the sixteen wooden windows and casings. Completion of this first phase of work will result in a structurally sound, weather-tight, secure building and provide a strong foundation for interior improvements in a future second phase. The NHA is in the process of seeking funding to support the exterior restoration of this important historic building. Stay tuned for future developments.

east side of the Thomas Macy Warehouse. Although the theatre was completely gutted, the Macy Warehouse lived up to its “fireproof” claim, in large part due to the efforts of the firefighters who managed to keep the blaze from spreading. The warehouse did not survive unscathed, however. Bricks on the east elevation were charred to the extent that many had turned white from the intense heat.

The ends of some interior timbers abutting the east wall were also charred. The damaged brickwork was repaired or replaced later that spring, but the scars of the building’s trial by fire can still be seen in places.

PH39-B2-1

M. CHRIS MANNING is the NHA’s new Obed Macy Research Chair. She recently relocated to Nantucket from Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she worked for a cultural resource firm for the past three years. Manning received her M.A. in Historic Preservation and her M.S. in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology from Ball State University and her B.S. in Historic Preservation with an emphasis in Historic Site Administration and minors in History and Archaeology from Southeast Missouri State University. She has been working in the heritage-resources field for twenty years and has contributed to projects and publications on a wide variety of research topics spanning ten states and the District of Columbia.

NHA.ORG / NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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Circa 1909 photo of Straight Wharf and the Thomas Macy Warehouse when it was occupied by Holmes & Pease.

By M. Chris Manning Obed Macy Research Chair

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Carpenter-Builders of Nantucket

n 1905, James A. Holmes Jr. (1866–1932) and B. ChesWyer himself had been a carpenter for many years. ter Pease (1874–1959), carpenter-builders, contracUpon his retirement in 1905, he sold his interest in the tors, and building movers who had recently estabcompany to B. Chester Pease, another junior member lished a partnership under the firm name of Holmes of the firm. The two men joined forces to form Holmes & Pease, purchased the Thomas Macy Warehouse on & Pease and purchased the Thomas Macy Warehouse Straight Wharf from the Macy heirs. Although the early to use as their shop and base of operations, updating history of the building and the Macys has been fairly the building with electricity and installing specialized well documented (see the previous article in this issue), carpentry equipment. little has been written about the later occupants.

After only ten years, Holmes & Pease dissolved James A. Holmes Jr. was the son of a Nantucket fishtheir partnership, with Holmes continuing to occupy erman who, instead of following in his father’s footsteps, the Thomas Macy Warehouse under the firm name of entered the carpentry trade as “a mere lad,” working Holmes & Co. B. Chester Pease went into business for for some time under noted Nantucket architect-builder himself, building a small shop behind his house on Charles H. Robinson (1829–1915), which provided him North Liberty Street, which was eventually converted to the opportunity to work on some of the grand cottages housing and still stands at 6 Lily Street. and hotels of the late nineteenth century. (For more on In 1932, James A. Holmes Jr. died suddenly. In his Robinson, see Historic Nantucket, Vol. 38, nos. 3 and 4).

Holmes also worked by himself, erecting small cottages and doing general carpentry projects, but in 1897 he entered into business with William H. Wyer as a junior partner under the firm name of W.H. Wyer & Co., builders, contractors, and “general jobbers.” Their workshop Advertisement for was on Straight Wharf in a small Holmes & Pease in the building just west of the Thomas 1909 Nantucket Directory Macy Warehouse, and the firm may have rented the warehouse from the Macy brothers for storing lumber and other materials.

During his time with Wyer, Holmes helped construct many of the early summer cottages on the Cliff, at Beachside, and The Thomas Macy Warehouse, on Brant Point. occupied by Holmes & Pease,

as depicted on the 1909 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

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obituary, he was described as “the leading contractor and builder on the island and employed the largest number of mechanics in carrying on his business from year to year. A skilled mechanic himself, there was no job too large or too small for him to tackle, and the accommodating spirit which was always manifest in his dealings made him sought after not only for constructive work but for advice.” His son, Roswell M. Holmes, assumed management of the family business, which continued to operate out of the Thomas Macy Warehouse. In August 1944, he sold the building to the Nantucket Foun- Dissolution of Holmes & Pease announced in the Inquirer and dation, thus ending the building’s nearly Mirror, January 2, 1915 forty years of use as a carpentry shop.

PROLIFIC BUILDERS AND MOVERS Although Holmes & Pease, and its successor, Holmes & Co., maybe one of the lesser-known Nantucket-based carpenter-builder firms, they completed hundreds of projects on the island. In 1916, Holmes & Co. was listed as one of five Nantucket carpentry firms—by far the largest, with nearly two dozen employees. In 1927, the Inquirer and Mirror reported at least twenty-six projects completed by the firm between October 1925 and October 1926. They handled a wide variety of projects, including the construction of new houses and commercial buildings, extensive restoration and remodeling of older properties, large additions to existing buildings, and general carpentry work.

Another specialty was the construction of waterfront structures such as piers, Hill Cottage at Tuckernuck, destroyed by fire in the 1940s SC699-27 bulkheads, landings, floats, boat houses, and bridges, including the Massasoit Bridge over Long Pond, rebuilt in 1932. for which their large workforce and specialized gear They were even known to have constructed a few boats were uniquely equipped. In 1906, they floated a house in their workshop. across the harbor from Coatue to Wauwinet. On TuckerHolmes & Pease were also prolific building movers— nuck, the company moved several houses back from the at least forty buildings are known to have been relocated eroding bluff, including the Hill cottage in 1908 and the by the firm—and were often enlisted to do complex jobs residence of Dr. William S. Bigelow in 1924.

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The Nantucket Spa under construction by Holmes & Co. A24-5b

DOWNTOWN PROJECTS Although an exhaustive list of their work has not been compiled, historic newspapers provide some idea of the breadth and scope of their accomplishments. In 1910– 11, Holmes & Pease completed an extensive remodeling and expansion of the former Quaker Meeting House (later the People’s Baptist Church) on Centre Street for John Roberts, owner of the Roberts House. Work on the annex included raising the roof, adding a second story, and constructing a kitchen addition to convert the building for use as a dining room to serve the adjacent boarding house. The building at 29 Centre Street currently houses the Lemon Press, Centre Street Bistro, and other businesses.

In 1920–21, the firm removed the old Holiday Inn at the northwest corner of Orange Street and Martins

Circa 1925 Photo of Main Street, looking southwest. A sign for the Nantucket Spa is visible on the left.

Lane and constructed in its place a new residence for William F. Macy at 31 Orange Street, which still stands today. A few years later, they constructed a small cottage at 35 Pleasant Street, which also survives.

Another major project completed by the company was the construction of a new commercial building for the Anastos brothers on the south side of Main Street in 1925–26. The two-story brick building, designed by architect L.C. Newhall of Boston, was described at the time as “fire-proof and of a very pleasing design.” In May 1926, the Nantucket Spa officially opened, offering a soda fountain, ice cream, and other refreshments. Today, the building at 26–32 Main Street is occupied by Quidley & Co., Haberdashery New England, and the White Elephant Loft.

’SCONSET The company also worked on numerous projects in ’Sconset. In 1906, the firm constructed a beachfront bathing pavilion for businessmen Albert G. Brock and Roland B. Hussey, which offered “hot sea water baths” and housed the island’s first swimming pool. The venture was short-lived, however, and in 1919 the building was converted into a cottage known as “The Buoy,” serving as the summer residence of the Williams family for at least seventy-five years. (For more on the history of the ’Sconset Bathing Pavilion, see Historic Nantucket Vol. 44, no. 2).

Other ’Sconset buildings erected by Holmes & Pease and Holmes & Co. include the wireless telegraph station built in 1907–08; the McCreary cottage known as Lewellyn Lodge, located at 30 Main Street and completed in 1916; and the W. N. Appel cottage on Sankaty Bluff, constructed in 1922.

In addition to new construction, the firm also worked on other ’Sconset projects, including additions and The bathing pavilion at improvements to The Siasconset Beach, built in Owls Cottage, formerly at the 1906 by Holmes & Pease. corner of Ocean Avenue and The advertisement on the side Cottage Avenue; Sans Souci of the building reads “Bath at 26 Broadway; actor RobHouses, Swimming Pool, ert Hilliard’s summer home, Hot Salt Baths.”

Sleepy Eye, and its guest cottage, Wide Awake, on Morey Lane; William and Frank Jefferson’s summer home at 10 Sankaty, later known as Hedged About; and the Siasconset Casino, among others.

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The Holmes & Co. crew working on the Harris house near Capaum Pond P9485

THE NORTH SHORE Several substantial projects were completed by the company on the island’s North Shore, including some of the area’s most prominent summer homes. In 1909, they made additions and alterations to seasonal resident Charles A. Snow’s Ventnor Cottage, formerly located at 27 Lincoln Avenue. The building was eventually torn down in 1990. A much more modest endeavor completed by the firm in 1914 was the construction of a summer cottage at the Cliffs for Chauncey H. Blodgett, which still stands today at 4 Mooer’s Avenue. In 1911, Holmes & Pease constructed a bungalow designed by Nantucket architect Eliza Codd, framing out the cottage in their shop before moving it to the Wannacomet area.

Holmes & Co. began work on a large summer residence for Julian H. Harris of Detroit in 1930. The home, situated on the north shore atop a bluff just west of Capaum Pond, was said to be “the largest summer residence on the island,” being 170 feet long. Designed by architect Alfred R. Shurrocks, the building still stands today on a

ten-acre, beachfront lot at 3 East Tristram Avenue.

Two years later, the firm completed another large summer home for the Russell family just west of the Harris home, with a frontage of 140 feet. This was the last major project led by James A. Holmes Jr. At the time of his death on June 29, 1932, “he was putting the finishing touches on the extensive summer home of Mr. and Mrs. B. F. W. Russell at Dionis, which […] furnished employment for thirty-odd mechanics all winter and spring, and is now nearing completion.” The building still stands at 17 East Tristram Avenue.

Under the leadership of James’ son, Roswell Holmes, the firm continued to undertake large-scale projects on the North Shore, including the construction of a summer home at Beachside for Robert Minshall in 1938.

The seventeen-room, beachfront house, named Blue Waters, was designed by New York architect William E. Sheperd and can be seen today at 57 Hulbert Avenue.

Circa 1935 aerial view of the North Shore and Capaum Pond, showing the Harris and Russell homes at Dionis P8041

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Circa 1905 postcard of the Wauwinet House.

The addition built by Holmes & Pease is on the left at the rear. SC478

OTHER WORK Besides summer and year-round homes of all shapes and sizes, the firm also completed work on a number of hotels and inns, many of which had been built in the late nineteenth century and were due for updates and expansions. In 1905, they constructed a large two-story addition to the Wauwinet House, originally constructed in the 1870s. In 1911, they moved the Workman Sanitarium building to a lot near the Sea Cliff Inn to be used as an annex for the hotel, completing major renovations on the structure; and in 1925, the firm constructed a large, three-and-a-half-story addition to The Breakers on Brant Point, nearly doubling the hotel’s capacity.

Holmes & Pease were fortunate to have launched their business at the turn of the century when the island economy was experiencing a revival as a tourist destination. Whether constructing large summer residences on the North Shore or quaint cottages in ’Sconset, restoring eighteenthand nineteenth-century homes or “modernizing” the downtown commercial district, the firm helped shape the physical appearance of the community, leaving behind a legacy that enhanced the architectural character of Nantucket.

The Breakers before the addition, left, and after. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1923 and 1949.

The large, three-story addition to The Breakers, 42 Easton Street, 1943. P22551

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UPCOMING WORK AT THE

Old Mill

By M. Ch ris Mannin g

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HISTORIC 20172017 HISTORIC NANTUCKET NANTUCKET // FALL AUTUMN

Deteriorated cobblestone track at the Old Mill

ou may have noticed that the spinning white sails of the Old Mill were unusually still this summer; running the mill in its current condition could potentially damage the structure.

The NHA is committed to responsible stewardship of the irreplaceable historic resources entrusted to its care, including the 270-year-old Nantucket icon on Mill Hill. The Old Mill is the oldest functioning windmill in the country and was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1992. It is of the smock-mill type, which has a fixed body containing the machinery and a cap that rotates to face the sails into the wind. The cap is rotated via a tail pole con-

The existence of this track was unknown for decades, until the 1960s when it was uncovered and once again put into use.

nected to a spoked wheel that runs along a cobblestone track encircling the structure. The existence of this track was unknown for decades, until the 1960s when it was uncovered and once again put into use. Over the years, the surface of the track has become uneven, with some sections completely eroded away. When the wheel is moved along this uneven surface, the cap wobbles, placing stress on the structure of the mill. To remedy this problem and ensure the mill can be safely and responsibly operated next season, the NHA will begin the process of leveling the cobblestone track and conducting other necessary repairs to the structure and site soon.

Historic photograph of the Old Mill before it was purchased by the NHA in 1897 P4193

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Nantucket’s “Golden Age” during the first half of the nineteenth century was also its first golden age of horticulture and gardening, pursuits embraced by

PH O TO BY E I LE E N PO WE R S

PH O TO BY E I LE E N PO WE R S

many of the town’s prominent men and women.

A New Period Garden B y K athr i na Marques Ga rd en and L ands c ape Manager

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owever, unlike the stately homes they graced, most of the lovely formal gardens of the downtown area would not survive past the nineteenth century. Fortunately for the gardener seeking to recreate a formal garden inspired and informed by those of the earlier period, there is adequate information in the archival record to do just that. A new period garden has just been completed behind the NHA’s 1845 Hadwen House at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets.

This is not the Hadwen House’s first such garden.

In 1978, the Nantucket Garden Club, which had taken over maintenance of the Hadwen garden at the request of the NHA, hired landscape architect and garden historian Rudy Favretti to create a design for a period garden appropriate to the house. The design (elegantly simple lawn areas bordered by plantings of nineteenth-century varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers) was completed in 1980, providing a beautiful oasis of greenery for all to enjoy.

In 2014, NHA properties maintenance staff began

R EC O N S T R U C T I O N P H OT O S BY K AT H R I NA M A R Q U E S

Opposite page: Planting begins with the boxwood design, summer 2016 The completed garden, summer 2017

discussions with the Garden Club about the possibility of redesigning the upper portion of the Hadwen House garden at the Summer Street end. The lawn had sunk down and the encroaching ivy had become increasingly more difficult to manage. With plans already in place for a newly restored fence around the house and garden, funded through a 2015 Nantucket Community Preservation Committee grant, it seemed an opportune time for an overhaul. With generous support from the Nantucket Garden Club through its Community Grant Program, the new garden area was completed in the spring of 2017.

This garden, directly inspired by actual nineteenth-century Nantucket town gardens, is informed by research undertaken at the NHA Research Library and Archives. Articles, letters, notes, plant lists, and two HABS (Historic American Buildings Survey) garden plans provide us with a consensus of what the important elements of a Nantucket town garden of the mid-nineteenth century were: a sense of enclosure, boxwood bor-

ders, sand paths, a variety of plant material, succession of bloom, and the presence of fruit trees; all of those elements are combined in the new period garden.

The goal of this project was to create a garden with the look and feel of a nineteenth-century Nantucket town garden. Beyond the design elements, the plants also are a major factor in a successful outcome. Most, but not all, of the plants selected for the garden are heirloom varieties appropriate to the period. Some are more modern varieties or cultivars selected for improved hardiness and/or disease resistance, most notably the boxwoods and roses. As many plants as possible match those described in research material and known to be present in Nantucket’s golden-age gardens.

Maintenance of the Hadwen House garden is an ongoing joint effort of the Nantucket Garden Club and the Nantucket Historical Association’s facilities maintenance department. The public is welcome from dawn to dusk.

Did you know?

The public is also welcome to visit our two other period gardens.

The Greater Light garden on Howard Street was restored (along with the house) in 2011. It still has the original layout created by its owners, the Monaghan sisters, in the early 1930s, along with some of the original plant material. The Oldest House garden on Sunset Hill was created in 2006 as a “housewife’s kitchen garden” to complement the 1686 house. It contains a variety of herbs, greens, and flowers commonly grown during the colonial period.

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Maria Mitchell and her colleague Professor Whitney with the Fitz telescope at Vassar College P618A

Maria Mitchell, 1818–89 P16858

Michael R. Harrison Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator The NHA and the Maria Mitchell Association are collaborating on an exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Maria Mitchell—Nantucket native, educator, and the first female astronomer in America. Using artifacts from both organizations’ collections, plus loan items from the Nantucket Atheneum and private collections, the exhibition will explore Mitchell’s background, influences, and life on Nantucket; her contributions to science as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College; the legacy she left through her students; and the continuing relevance of her work today.

Maria Mitchell (1818–89) was the daughter of William and Lydia Mitchell of Nantucket. Benefitting from the Quaker belief that both women and men should be educated, she attended local schools and learned mathematics, surveying, and navigation from her father. As a young woman, she helped her father conduct astronomical observations and calibrated navigational equipment for the island’s mariners. In 1836, she became the first librarian of the Nantucket

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Atheneum. On October 1, 1847, Mitchell discovered a comet while observing the sky from the roof of the Pacific Bank, where her father was an officer. Publication of the comet discovery brought her fame, a gold medal from the King of Denmark, and election as the first female fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She left the Atheneum in 1856 to travel extensively in Europe and North America. In 1865, she began her tenure at Vassar College, where she taught for twenty-three years. She instructed her students to learn by doing, and demonstrated that scientific achievement was as available to women as it was to men.

The exhibition will open in March 2018 at the Whaling Museum and run into fall 2018. It is co-curated by Jascin Leonardo Finger, Deputy Director & Curator of the Mitchell House, Archives, and Special Collections at the Maria Mitchell Association, and Michael R. Harrison, NHA Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator.

Mary and Austin Strong A33-32

Diorama by artist Raymond deLucia.

The curatorial staff will be hard at work this fall and winter making numerous improvements to the exhibits in the Whaling Museum. An important diorama showing the harbor in 1842, created by the artist Raymond deLucia in 1976, has been beautifully reassembled and installed in the Hadwen & Barney Oil & Candle Factory near the historic lever press.

Other oil-refining and candle-making exhibits will be consolidated around the lever press, freeing space for new displays about whale ecology, immigration to Nantucket, and stories of historic whaling elsewhere in the world. In addition, the Mezzanine Gallery will display significant paintings donated by the Friends of the NHA, and we will enhance the permanent display of the one-of-a-kind artifacts in the collection from the infamous Essex tragedy. As you ascend to the roof deck, enjoy the fabulous underwater photography by Eric Savetsky.

At our sites, look for new and improved interpretive signage, and an exhibition on the Nantucket Art Colony at Greater Light, revamped exhibits at the Hadwen House, and an outdoor sculpture exhibit at the Oldest House.

NANTUCKETERS AND THEIR BOATS A new major exhibition exploring the relationships between Nantucketers and their boats will open at the Whaling Museum this summer.

Community input is sought as we build out this important exhibition.

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2017.0006.001

RECENT ACQUISITIONS The NHA has made two important acquisitions through the generosity of the Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association.

Michael R. Harrison Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator

he first is a scrimshawed sperm whale’s tooth depicting the whaling ship George Clinton of Hudson, N.Y., purchased at auction in July and now on display in the Whaling Museum’s Scrimshaw Gallery.

The town of Hudson was founded by eighteen Nantucket families after the American Revolution devastated the island’s economy. Located a hundred miles upriver from New York City, the town was far from the threat of foreign privateers and thrived as a whaling port into the 1830s. From 1834 to 1838, Captain Samuel Barrett of Nantucket commanded the George Clinton on a whaling voyage to the Pacific. This tooth depicts an encounter with a shoal of sperm whales near remote Enderbury Island in 1835. The ship’s log, now at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, records the day: at 3 PM saw [whales] put of[f] struck 4 got three at 6 PM got them along Side Lattr cut them in at 9 made sail to SE at 11 began to boil.

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2017.0009.001

Homeward bound in January 1838, the George Clinton wrecked in fog on the New Jersey shore. The entire crew survived, and 1,459 barrels of sperm oil were salvaged.

This tooth is one of two known from this voyage, although the identity of the engraver who made it is unknown.

The second recent acquisition is a painting of the clipper ship Midnight by the Chinese artist Hing Qua, created around 1860. The Friends purchased this work at an island auction in August. Nantucket captain George Brock commanded the Midnight of Boston from 1858 to 1865 and again from 1870 to 1872. On one voyage to San Francisco, Captain Brock took along his wife and young daughter, Susan. In her memoir, Doubling Cape Horn, Susan recalls her father taking her on deck during a storm and saying, “Now look hard and try to remember what you see, for there are not many little girls who ever see Cape Horn.” During the same voyage, Susan sewed a quilt square that is now in the NHA collection. Susan Brock was later the first curator of the NHA, a position she held for forty years.

This painting complements many other Brock family items in the NHA’s collection, including Chinese porcelain and clothing brought to Nantucket aboard the Midnight, gold flakes from Captain Brock’s time in the California Gold Rush, and a commemorative watch presented to him when he commanded the sister vessel Noonday. The painting demonstrates Nantucketers’ participation in diverse maritime activities beyond whaling and provides a window for telling stories about Nantucket families on shipboard. The purchase of this piece by the Friends keeps the painting on island and allows it to be put on public view. It will hang in the Whaling Museum starting in the new year.

These artifacts were purchased for the permanent collection by the Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association, who have contributed many of the most significant additions to the NHA over the past thirty years. These include the 2008 purchase of two paintings of the whaleship Spermo from the 1820s and the 2011 purchase of Back of Nichols’ Barn, ’Sconset, an oil by George Inness.

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NANTUCKET AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

“Album Quilt,” 1856 Jennifer Nieling Project Costume and Textile Specialist

P H OTO S BY J E FF A L L E N

Nantucket Agricultural Society “Album Quilt,” 1856 Gift of Charles Clark Coffin in memory of his grandfather, Charles Frederick Coffin 1970.2.1

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he inventory of the NHA’s costume and textile collection continues, funded through a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museums for America, Collections Stewardship program in 2016. Costume and Textile Specialist Jennifer Nieling and her two interns have completed cataloging and rehousing the bulk of the women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, as well as bonnets and shoes. They are working this fall in the quilt and coverlet collection of more than sixty pieces. The team is rediscovering some old favorites, such as a patchwork quilt (1970.2.1) made in 1856 to celebrate the founding of the Agricultural Society of Nantucket and exhibited at the first of the island’s many Agricultural Fairs. Made in the style of a “friendship” or “album” quilt, the piece features squares signed by dozens of Nantucketers of the time, many of whom helped make the quilt.

Various squares also feature poetic and moral sayings and agriculture-related illustrations. A poem published in the local newspapers during the fair celebrated some of the quilt’s imagery, including “Gardner with his plenteous horn / In Album Quilt displayed,” “Mrs. Mitchell’s eagle proud / In center-piece outspread,” and “Mrs. Fosdick’s model plough / With not a line misled.” The quilt was a highlight of the exhibits at the 1856 fair, and we are happy to have it now as a highlight of the association’s collection.

Postcard from MS545 Frank Chester Adams Letters, 1917

RECENT ACQUISITIONS at the Research Library Amelia Holmes Library & Archives Manager

2017 RESEARCH LIBRARY ACCESSIONS Joseph M. Chase Power of Attorney, 1848 Gift of Jonathan Swain, San Francisco, California Three family photographs, undated Gift of Jonathan Swain, San Francisco, California Autograph letter to Jared Coffin from Obed Ray Jr., February 2, 1841 Gift of Sara Brewster, Ossining, New York Ledger of Nantucket residents compiled from the 1870 federal census Gift of Cindy Burnham, Descanso, California Photograph of Wallace Adams, 1929 Gift of Dunnie Tawney, Baltimore, Maryland Letter from Mary E. Starbuck to Amelia Day Campbell, December 8, 1920 Gift of Dennis Shapiro, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Willam P. and Mary Dickinson Herbert Ephemera Collection, 1974–2005 Gift of Miranda Ferrara, Grosse Pointe, Michigan Journal of William M. Barrett on the ship York, 1849 Gift of Diane Egan, Nantucket, Massachusetts Robert Macy Letters, 1828 Robert C. Macy Letters, 1865 Gift of Lauren Macy Flahive, West Covina, California Frank Chester Adams Letters, 1917 Gift of Carl Anderson, Pittsfield, New Hampshire

his summer, Mr. Carl Anderson of Pittsfield, New Hampshire, donated to the Nantucket Historical Association a remarkable collection of eight letters and postcards that he had found in a barn on his property. During the 1917 summer season, nineteenyear-old Frank Chester Adams came to Nantucket to work as a bellhop at the Sea Cliff Inn. His letters, addressed to his mother back home in New Hampshire, paint a vivid picture of Adams’s experiences working at the hotel and his life on-island. [Figures 1 & 2] The Sea Cliff Inn, built in 1886, flourished during the heyday of Nantucket’s grand hotels, and Adams provides behind-the-scenes glimpses of the inn throughout the summer season. In early July, for example, he described the hotel as barely making expenses, but by mid-August the bellhops were “turning people away at every boat.”

His letters are also a window into early twentieth-century leisure for the working class on island.

He includes a bulletin from the First Congregational Church, a photograph of friends, and a program from the Sea Cliff Inn orchestra. Adams describes his frequent swimming excursions and working a double shift so a friend can play baseball with men stationed on the USS Ranger. In nearly every letter, Adams laments the absence of cars on island, and even confessing that sometimes he “go[es] down to the tailor shop and smell[s] of the gasoline they use to clean garments with.”

On August 10, 1917, the first Nantucketers drafted to serve in the war were examined in Barnstable, Massachusetts. In several letters, Adams mentions the draft and its impact both at home and at the hotel. In the collection’s final letter, Adams looks to the future. He explains his decision to enlist and lays out what he sees as the pros and cons of his decision. Unsurprisingly, he plans to join the Motor Transport Division, where he hopes to remain safe and “get plenty of experience overhauling and repairing.” He admits he’s homesick and longs to be back on the farm, but still wants to “do [his] bit” in serving his country. Adams closes this final letter with an enthusiastic, “Hotel closes 1 week from today! Three cheers!”

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Amelia Holmes Library & Archives Manager

A page from the log of the Washington MS220-252-27

Research Library & Archives contains some of the crown jewels of the association’s collections. t safeguards written records of the island’s people and economy over a span of 360 years and includes irreplaceable logbooks, journals, personal and business papers, recordings, and photographic images.

The Research Library has begun a concerted and organized effort to digitize selected portions of the collection in order to advance the NHA’s public-education mission.

Digitization allows important items to be more readily available to patrons near and far, creates preservation copies of important works in case of natural disaster, and allows for easier collaboration with sister institutions.

Part of this digitization effort is made possible through a $40,000 grant from the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee in 2018. “Digitizing the Nantucket Whaling Logbooks and Journals” will fund the digitization of forty-one logbooks and journals documenting whaling voyages originating in Nantucket.

Terrance D’Ambrosio, the Northeast Document Conservation Center’s Director of Imaging Services, visited the Research Library in September 2017 in order to provide a digitization cost estimate based on logbook condition and to transport the selected logbooks to the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachu-

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setts. There, imaging services staff will create digital copies of the logbooks and generate preservation metadata to ensure their long-term care and accessibility.

Once digitization is complete, the logbooks will return to the Research Library along with their digital surrogates, which will be made available to the public through the library’s website.

The Research Library is also working with the Boston Public Library to digitize the NHA’s map collection. In partnership with Digital Commonwealth, the Boston Public Library digitizes materials from cultural heritage organizations throughout Massachusetts, and then makes them available through DigitalCommonwealth. org. With more than 600 maps in the collection, the Research Library aims to both preserve and increase access to this rich resource of Nantucket history. Staff are working with a volunteer to finalize a complete inventory of the NHA’s map holdings before sending the collection to Boston for digitization. Once digitization is complete, the maps will be returned to the Research Library, and the digital surrogates will be available to the public on both the library’s website and through DigitalCommonwealth.org.

YOUTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED Evan Schwanfelder Manager of Education

his deep, extended, and potentially life-changing Youth Mentorship Program is focused on students at the Nantucket High School. The Education Department will “beta-test” a year-round museum-based program this winter and spring. Our goal is to mentor a cohort of juniors and seniors interested in the arts and humanities through an immersive, paid experience, thus fostering a love of learning and appreciation for working in a professional milieu. Our supposition is that the NHA has both the unique assets and resources to mentor qualified students so that their after-school experience here over the course of a year or two will positively impact their lives.

Under the guidance of the lead educator, students will pair up with supervisors in various departments, aligning student interests and abilities with institutional needs. Students may scale their involvement by opting in for a trimester or choosing to participate year-round.

Learning will revolve around preparing students for the twenty-first-century workforce. Projects that stimulate innovation skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication skills including media literacy, social skills such as collaboration and team-based projects, and career and life skills will be encouraged.

When interest is displayed in a particular area, further exploration will be encouraged. This experience is intended to place students on a trajectory toward college preparedness and lead them on a path to higher education. The NHA will provide opportunities as students move through college and support this transition in the form of internships and employment opportunities.

Over the long term, we hope to have former mentees return to the NHA as staff, thus creating a virtuous cycle whereby our whole community will ultimately benefit.

2017 Night Watch at the Whaling Museum, a program for Nantucket Elementary School students

NANTUCKET BOYS & GIRLS CLUB The Education Department is collaborating with the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club to provide unique and engaging programs that connect island youth to history.

Our first project began this fall and partners with the media lab and photography club there. NHA educators and professional photographers from Nantucket visited every week in the afternoon to introduce middle school students to the NHA’s photography archives and provided instruction in fundamental photography skills. Students then headed into the field to visit historic sites and recreated their own historic photos for display on social media and on island.

MUSEUM IN MY SCHOOL Each year the NHA is privileged to work directly with teachers in the Nantucket Public Schools, grades pre-K through fifth grade. This legacy program, titled Museum in My School, enriches the lives of approximately 725 students and runs October through June.

Museum in My School aligns with Massachusetts state standards and provides hands-on learning experiences. Students get to handle artifacts that are carefully chosen and grade-specific and that lend themselves to interpretation and study. For example, third-grade students respond to and create their own Wampanoag-style arrowheads after learning about the originals. Final presentations of original artifacts and their facsimiles are exhibited at the elementary school. This program is sponsored by Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Trust.

NHA.ORG / NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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LIFE-LONG LEARNING PROGRAMS For over a decade, hundreds of students of early American decorative arts have honed their skills at the 1800 House. This coming summer, we eagerly anticipate course selections that will allow you to immerse yourself in authentic Nantucket traditions—learn from expert instructors, practice and develop your skills while referencing the NHA collections, and participate in a collegial environment. Look for new collaborations with on- and off-island partners as we celebrate Nantucket’s rich tradition of historic arts and crafts.

NHA EXPANDING ITS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM The NHA Summer Internship Program is lauded nationwide with over 150 college and graduate students applying for seven coveted slots.

These interns play a critical role, helping with strategic projects that are matched to their expertise. The goal is to build on this success and develop a robust year-round program. Imagine students on the island in the fall, winter, spring, and summer, spending a week, month, or semester diving deeply into projects and learning directly from our museum professionals. This is happening as you read this article.

We are delighted to report that Roger Williams University, Princeton University, Salve Regina University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges have already signed up to participate, in addition to previous and ongoing collaborations with the University of Florida’s Preservation Institute Nantucket (PIN) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. We fully expect this list of institutions to grow over the coming year.

During the dark and cold months of February, March, and April, look to the NHA for light and warmth. For island residents, the museum will drop its admission fee and request a donation only. The intention is to offer a beautiful and welcoming indoor space for students, families, and seniors to enjoy, socialize, and congregate.

CONTRIBUTE TO NANTUCKET HISTORY

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Kick off the holiday season on Nantucket with the nineteenth annual Festival of Wreaths at the Whaling Museum, with lead sponsorship by Marine Home Center. This community event features an array of wreaths beautifully crafted by local businesses, nonprofits, schools, and organizations that are displayed during the week of Thanksgiving. Visitors may bid on their favorite wreaths in a silent auction to benefit the NHA’s year-round outreach efforts. From traditionally decorated greens to unconventional materials, the Festival of Wreaths perfectly captures the creativity of Nantucketers at the beginning of the most festive time of year on the island. This year’s chair is Penny Dey.

Festival of Wreaths Hours

Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year on Nantucket at the NHA’s twenty-fourth annual Festival of Trees, our highly anticipated winter tradition that begins during Stroll weekend and transforms the Whaling Museum into a festive wonderland for the month of December. This event features over eighty community-crafted trees designed by local merchants, nonprofit organizations, artists, children, and more. This year’s chairs are Beth English and Mark Donato, and sponsorship is provided by Marine Home Center, with additional support from many island businesses.

Festival of Trees Hours

The Festival of Wreaths is open Wednesday, November 22; Friday, November 24; and Saturday, November 25 from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. and Sunday, November 26, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Closed on Thursday, November 23, for Thanksgiving Day.

The Festival of Trees is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through December 24, and daily from December 26 through 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free for NHA members and children under six, $5 for year-round Nantucket residents, and $20 for general admission.

Join your friends at the Whaling Museum for a special evening filled with the sights and sounds of the holidays at A Night of Holiday Magic on Saturday, December 9. Gaze at the amazing assortment of trees in the Whaling Museum, sing along to holiday carols, make ornaments, and much more. Enjoy an array of festive performances from local music and dance groups, and raise a cup of cheer in the Discovery Room where seasonal treats await you. This community program is free for all children and NHA members and just $5 for nonmember adults. A Night of Holiday Magic is presented with generous support from the Community Foundation for Nantucket’s ReMain Nantucket Fund.

NHA.ORG NHA.ORG / / NANTUCKET NANTUCKETHISTORICAL HISTORICALASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION

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PUBLICATIONS from the NHA New Book to Explore Highlights of the Collection The association’s unique collections, spanning hundreds of years of Nantucket’s history, will be the focus of a new book to be published by the NHA in June 2018. Michael R. Harrison, Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator, has picked fascinating artifacts from across the association’s many collecting areas to tell stories and reveal the richness, variety, and humanity of the island’s past.

The book will showcase both famous treasures and rarely seen gems. Among the treasures will be the Cataract fire engine, which was involved in the Great Fire of 1846; Walter Folger Jr.’s astronomical clock, designed to tell the time, date, phases of the sun and moon, and the tide at ’Sconset; the length of twine sailor Benjamin Lawrence made during the three months he spent in an open boat after the Essex disaster in 1820–21; and a fragment of stateroom paneling that washed up on the island’s south shore after the ocean liner Andrea

Doria sank. Less well known are Native American John Candanoo’s 1745 indenture to learn whaling; a friendship quilt made for the first Nantucket Agricultural Fair in 1856, signed by dozens of island residents; silversmith Benjamin Bunker’s drafting tools, which later belonged to William Mitchell, father of astronomer Maria Mitchell; and William and Mary Herbert’s shellfish licenses, used for scalloping in 1960. One hundred objects in total will be featured, spanning the fine and decorative arts, furniture, technology, whalecraft, costumes and textiles, scrimshaw, manuscripts, and photographs. Publication is supported by a gift from Susan and Dennis Shapiro.

Back by Popular Demand The NHA is pleased to announce that it will be publishing a revised, expanded, hardcover second edition of Susan Boardman’s and Betsy Tyler’s 2010 book, Sometimes Think of Me: Notable Nantucket Women Through the Centuries.

The new edition will contain additional content from Boardman and Tyler and will be available for purchase at the NHA Museum Shop next summer.

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For a unique holiday gift, why not send a special Nantucket memory?

Visit the NHA photo archives online, select any historic image from our collection, and have it printed, ready to frame, and delivered to your doorstep.

NANTUCKET BOOKS

REPRODUCTION MAPS CHILDREN’S TOYS JEWELRY HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS

The Museum Shop is open until the end of the year, or shop online anytime.

Remember, NHA members always receive a 10% discount.

11 Broad Street • Shop online at nantucketmuseumshop.org

PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT NANTUCKET, MA AND ADDITIONAL ENTRY OFFICES

P.O. BOX 1016, NANTUCKET, MA 02554–1016

Nancy Chase is making a difference Renowned ivory carver. Descendant of whaling captains. Authentic Nantucketer. A person with a generous heart. These are some of the words family and friends have used to describe Nancy Chase.

Nancy was passionate about Nantucket and its history, and she demonstrated this as a lifetime member, supporter, donor to the collections, and trustee of the Nantucket Historical Association.

She was also a member of the Heritage Society, which recognizes those who in their wills make bequests or other provisions for the NHA. Nancy believed in supporting her community and wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, both young and old. She accomplished this through a major bequest to the endowment in 2016. Today, Nancy’s gift is helping the NHA support many of the community-centered activities that she cared about—from maintaining the historic properties to presenting artifact-rich exhibitions to offering educational opportunities for children.

You can become a member of the Heritage Society by including the NHA in your estate plan. Planned gifts take many forms— from gifts of cash and artifacts to gifts of real estate, insurance policies, and retirement accounts—and can provide you with tax benefits.

The Heritage Society: Planning Today for the NHA’s Tomorrow