NPT Fete 2022 Program

NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST

17th Annual August Fête

Quintessential Quidnet

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022

SIX O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING

Proudly Supporting Nantucket Preservation Trust

We admire the work of Nantucket Preservation Trust. As they have preserved the historical architecture of Nantucket, we at Silvercrest strive to preserve the capital of our clients through high-quality investments and risk management.

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate our 17th Annual August Fête

Quintessential Quidnet

We are thrilled to host this year’s Fête in Quidnet. With its special charm and unique rural character, it is unlike any other part of the island. We celebrate Quidnet’s many well-preserved examples of late-19th and early- to mid-20th century vernacular architecture.

Enjoy cocktails and hearty hors d’oeuvres as we tour historic Quidnet village. Nantucket Catering Company & LegaSea Raw Bar Music by the Shep Cats Thursday, August 11, 2022 • 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Special Guided Leadership Neighborhood Tour at 5:30 p.m.

“One thing is certain—Quidnet is unique and important to Nantucket’s history and needs to be protected and preserved. Preservation means protecting what is there, not constructing or reconstructing what has never been. Preservation means saving the historic houses, not demolishing the old and replacing them with new homes that do not reflect the special qualities and local building traditions.”

–Elizabeth Calvit, The Evolution and Development of Quidnet, 2000

Below: Quidnet, c. 1940s

Quidnet History

Asmall village on the eastern shore of Nantucket Island, Quidnet is both representative of the development of the island and unique. Originally a Native American settlement, Quidnet is now primarily a summer resort, and a year-round home to a hearty few.

The meaning of the word Quidnet, sometimes referred to as Aquidnet Point or Quidnit, is not clear. The area that is now Quidnet was likely used as a meeting place, or “Wammasquid,” where Native Americans gathered. In the 1600s on Nantucket, there were four Native American settlements, each governed by a sachem. The sachem Wauwinet was the leader of the area where Quidnet is located. One of Wauwinet’s sons, Nicanoose, succeeded him as sachem. Nicanoose’s grandson-in-law, Daniel Spotso, reigned as sachem from 1664 to 1704.

"Quidnet later became an important dory fishing station, and by the 1890s, there were twenty dories fishing regularly from Quidnet’s shores. Fishermen built shacks used to house the crews, and huts to clean fish."

Dories at Quidnet, early 20th century

When the white European settlers purchased the island, the English took the west end, and the Native Americans kept the east. The Wampanoag, not believing any one person could own land, believed the English had purchased the rights to use the land. The English believed that they had exclusive rights to own the land in perpetuity. Soon, they took over all of Nantucket, although they had never purchased the eastern end where Quidnet and Siasconset lie.

Daniel Spotso was one of many Native Americans who found it difficult to survive on the English controlled island, and in 1722 he sold his land to a group called the Freeholders.

By 1700, Quidnet was an outpost used for fishing and whale-sighting. There were several small fishing shacks or huts and a tall mast used for spotting fish. In addition to the Quidnet station, there was a fishing station on the opposite side of the pond, called Sesachacha fishing station. As shore whaling declined, many of the Sesachacha fishing buildings were moved to ’Sconset, while others were moved to Quidnet.

Quidnet later became an important dory fishing station, and by the 1890s, there were twenty dories fishing regularly from Quidnet’s shores. Fishermen built shacks used to house the crews, and huts to clean fish. A large portion of Quidnet was home to the Norcross Farm, which was later subdivided and sold off into lots for those wanting to build summer homes.

Part of Quidnet’s appeal has always been its simplicity. A 1920s brochure described Quidnet as “a place for people who are bored with the sophistication of the usual summer colony and want solitude or the simple gaiety which [was] common anywhere in the country thirty years ago and [is] harder to find today than buried treasure.” The early resort buildings in Quidnet are simple, evocative of Nantucket’s vernacular building traditions.

Today, Quidnet retains much of its charm and historic integrity. Its relative remoteness is no longer a hindrance to development, and like many neighbors on the island, Quidnet’s twentieth-century resources are particularly threatened. While part of Nantucket's National Historic Landmark and the Nantucket Historic District, Quidnet does not currently have its own advisory board, like ’Sconset, Madaket, Tuckernuck, or the old Historic District. Its importance, however, cannot be overstated.

Our Tent Site Overlooks Sesachacha Pond

A physical reminder of Nantucket’s glacial formation, Sesachacha Pond is the island’s largest kettle pond. This brackish water pond is 43 feet deep. Much of the pond is surrounded by conservation land owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, called the Sesachacha Heathlands Wildlife Sanctuary. Cains Pond, a small pond off Sesachacha’s southwestern corner, is connected to the larger pond when the water is high.

Native Americans used Sesachacha Pond to fish, building piers of large rocks they hauled to the pond so that they could walk along the rocks and spear fish in deeper part of the pond. When the pond is open to the ocean, the remains of these piers are still visible.

View of Quidnet from the beach, c. 1920s

In recent years, the Town of Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department experimented with growing oysters in the pond. The pond attracts 300 recorded bird species.

Follow our walking tour to learn about Quidnet and its unique history.

Top: Sesachacha Pond with boathouses, c. 1910

Below: Sesachacha Pond with fishing boats, c. 1900s

Sesachacha Pond, c. 1970s

Miniature ’Sconset Cottage

Nantucket Preservation Trust’s Sense of Place Exhibition & Auction offers bidders the chance to bid on unique, handmade items from dozens of Nantucket makers and artisans. Among the special auction items this year is a custom-built miniature re-creation of a charming ’Sconset cottage. Volunteers led by Gussie Beaugrand, Beth Davies, and Michael Sweeney have spent countless hours creating a representation of an Underhill Cottage that you might see on Pochick or Evelyn Street, a model of modern living in a historic home. The completed miniature has two bedrooms and one bathroom with custom hand-dyed gray shingles; hand painted walls and trim; custom furniture; decorative wallpaper; miniature artwork by Nantucket artists; and a kitchen complete with a 1920s-style porcelain sink and AGA stove. The floorboards were custom made from reclaimed roof sheathing found in a circa 1847 house on Orange Street. Thank you to the volunteers who made this unique project possible!

By the Numbers:

1 inch : 1 foot scale

39 in. x 24.5 in. x 19 in.

Wall shingles: 2,308

Roof shingles: 3,461

Windows: 14

A 1920s brochure described Quidnet as “a place for people who are bored with the sophistication of the usual summer colony and want solitude or the simple gaiety which [was] common anywhere in the country thirty years ago and [is] harder to find today than buried treasure.”

Sense of Place Business Sponsors

Nantucket Preservation Trust is grateful to these Island Businesses for their support. Together, we are working to preserve our island’s unique and timeless Sense of Place.

Become

a

Member

of

The Nantucket Preservation Trust is a nonprofit, membershipsupported organization formed in 1997 whose members are dedicated to the preservation of the island’s historic architecture. Membership Form

Name:

Email:_

Name (as you would like it to appear in print):______________________________

□ I want to learn about NPT volunteer opportunities. sense of place society

Sense of Place Society members receive special invitations to tours and events, and acknowledegment in NPT’s Ramblings.

(valid with Student

_____ Enclosed is a check made payable to the NANTUCKET PRESERVATION TRUST ______ Charge my Visa/MC/Amex #_ Exp in the amount of $_ Name on Card ______ My employer will match this gift. Please enclose gift form. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Kampkozie, c. 1910s

Thank you for supporting Nantucket Preservation Trust’s 17 th Annual August Fête

Quintessential Quidnet

Sense of Place Exhibition & Silent Auction

August 8 –15

A selection of carefully curated one-of-a-kind pieces by local artists and artisans and experiences inspired by the qualities that make Nantucket unique. Visit our Sense of Place Exhibition at 11 Centre Street and bid online via 32auctions at: bit.ly/NPTAuction22

Bidding closes August 15th at 8:00 p.m.

Nantucket Preservation Trust is most grateful to our underwriters, sponsors, and Fête leaders.

2022 AUGUST FÊTE CONTRIBUTORS

With gratitude to Silvercrest Asset Management and PURE Insurance & Nantucket Insurance our corporate underwriters for this year’s August Fête.

We extend a special thank you to Ann and Greg Swart for opening their home and Bill and Amanda Liddle for providing our tent site and Kathleen Hay of Kathleen Hay Designs and Amelia Holmes at the Nantucket Historical Association.

www.mjlevydickson.com mjlevydickson@gmail.com

Codfish Park

Robert Miklos v

With Thanks to Our Business Sponsors for their Support:

Preserving the Craft

M. Sweeney Construction

Marine Home Center

Granite

ACKtivities Event Planning

Kathleen Hay Designs

Brick

Ben Larrabee Photography

Carolyn Thayer Interiors

Dale Rutherford

Dujardin Designs

Garth Grimmer | Nantucket Photo Art

New England Home

Novation Media

Tradewind Aviation

The Uncommonwealth

Weatherly Design, LLC

Mortar

Hillary Anapol

Barbara Clarke Photography

MJ Levy Dickson

Susan Lister Locke Designs

Robert Miklos

Alison Smith

Heather Unruh |Nantucket Coppersmith

Sense of Place

Maine & ACK HVAC

Moore Woodworking, Inc.

Nantucket Looms

2022 AUGUST FÊTE LEADERS

The following individuals provided financial support for the event at the Leadership Level (as of July 15, 2022)

$5,000 Level

Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Pinson

Mr. and Mrs. John Sussek, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Swart

Ms. Lynda Vickers-Smith

$2,500 Level

Ms. Amanda Cross

Mr. and Mrs. Amos B. Hostetter, Jr.

Michael A. Kovner and Jean Doyen de Montaillou

Mr. Albert S. Messina and Mr. Ken Jennings

Mr. and Mrs. William Moore

Mr. and Mrs. George E. Roach

$1,000 Level

Mrs. Carol Atkinson

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bailey, Jr.

Mrs. Mary-Randolph Ballinger

Mr. Guy Bristow and Ms. Barbara Presta

Mr. and Mrs. David Cheek

Ms. Susan M. Cosper and Mr. Brian Bartlett

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dewez

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Filipski

Mr. Robert Franklin and Mr. Charles Mappin

Ms. Rose Gonnella and Mr. Frank Holahan

Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Greenberg

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hale

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur L. Kelly

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kinsley

Mr. Daniel Lynn Korengold and Ms. Martha Lyn Dippell

Mr. Paul Kosak and Ms. Anouk van der Boor

Mr. and Mrs. Angus S. Macleod

Mr. John Moller and Ms. Betsy Von Summer

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Muhlhauser

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Muldoon

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey F. Rayport

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Sayer

Ms. Nancy Scott

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Spivy

Mr. Peter C. Steingraber

$500 Level

Ms. Cassandra H. Henderson

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy P. Richardson

Ms. Bonnie Roseman

Mrs. Linda Saligman

Ms. Susan Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Harris Stone

Mrs. David Webber

Wawpawdongo, 30 Sesachacha Road

We celebrate Quidnet’s many well-preserved examples of late-19th and early- to mid-20th century vernacular architecture.

Lake View Villa, 14 Sesachacha Road

94 Quidnet Road

AUGUST FÊTE COMMITTEE

Barbara Halsted, August Fête Co-Chair

Ann Swart, August Fête Co-Chair

Gussie Beaugrand, Auction Chair

Jon King, Volunteer Chair

Kathy Arvay • Beth Davies

Trudy Dujardin • Karen Pinson • Marie Sussek

SENSE OF PLACE EXHIBITION & AUCTION COMMITTEE

Gussie Beaugrand, Chair

Laura Barkan • Beth Davies • Barbara Halsted

Jon King • Ann Swart

NPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee

Ken Beaugrand, Chair

David Brown, Vice Chair

Alison Potts, President

Chris Hoffman, Vice President

Anne Troutman, Vice President

Bill Moore, Treasurer

Barbara Halsted, Secretary

Directors

Mary-Randolph Ballinger • Al Forster • Andrew Forsyth

Melanie Gowen • Susan Zises Green • Jon King

Michael Kovner • Mary-Adair Macaire • Al Messina

Bernadette Meyer • Craig Muhlhauser • Ann Swart

Michael Sweeney • Debra Treyz

Staff

Mary Bergman, Executive Director

Rita Carr, Director of Media and Communications

Julie Kever, Administrative Assistant

Michelle Whelan, Director of Development

Alyssa Franklin, Development Intern

House Histories

N A N T U C K E T

A Special P rog ram Offered by

Preservation Trust

E very historic Nantucket house has a story. Do you know yours?

Unlock the history of your home with a Nantucket Preservation Trust House History. We offer three levels of house histories: our brief history, our house genealogy and our comprehensive history.

For more information, visit us online at: www.nantucketpreservation.org or contact us at 11 Centre Street, P.O. Box 158, Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1387

Photo by Jeffrey Allen