Some are plain, beautiful in their simplicity and deeply colored by age. Others are elaborately constructed and adorned with carvings of ivory and ebony, scrimshaw, gold, and gems. They are round, oval, square, and even heart-shaped. Many are made to be totes and purses, with others designed as wine coasters, bread baskets, vases, mirror frames, ornaments, and even cradles.
Nantucket History & People
You Could Get One of 5 Golden Tickets
It’s not a Nantucket summer until the “Queen of the Beach Reads,” Elin Hilderbrand gets us a new book in our beach bags. Golden Girl release date is June 1, and this novel tells the story of Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly grown children, who is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she’s assigned to a Person named Martha , who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. Vivi also is granted three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying until all hours, and Leo currently “off again” with his highmaintenance girlfriend, she’ll have to think carefully where to use them.
Capturing a Creative Spirit
For more than four decades, designer Don Freedman has brought his passion for creativity and beautiful things to Nantucket Island. Now located in the heart of town at 14 Centre Street, Freedman’s of Nantucket is filled with distinctive home decor, gifts, and furnishings for your home or summer cottage. Freedman’s […]
Nantucket’s Iconic Main Street Fountain Is Back
On March 4 of 2020, Nantucket lost a beloved artifact when a motorist (reportedly suffering from glare) struck and broke the iconic fountain that stood on Main Street for more than a century.
NHA Publishes Bio of Nantucket Reformer
The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is pleased to announce the release of Disturber of Tradition: A Portrait of Anna Gardner, a biography written by island resident Barbara Ann White and published by the NHA. Anna Gardner (1816–1901) was a Nantucket edu cator, writer, abolitionist, and suffragist. A lifelong advocate of […]
Growing Up in Sconset
Being 18-years-old in the summer of 1970 brought a tension that young men today do not have to face: the draft lottery. The United States was in the midst of the Vietnam War, and on July 1, 1970, numbers were drawn to determine who would be drafted into miliary service.
NHA Opens Inspiring New Exhibit
A new exhibit in the Nantucket Whaling Museum tells the story of inspiring individuals who moved Nantucket—and the nation—towards a more just and equitable distribution of political power. It begins with a simple will written in 1710 that endowed a formerly enslaved man with property and continues to the enactment of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920 that granted voting rights to women.
I Got Sand in My Shoes
One of our most beloved town officials is Nantucket County Sheriff Jim Perelman. Known for combining kindness with professionalism, he won his last election by a landslide with more than 88% of the vote. He is very much a part of our island community and has an Open Door Policy at his office on Broad Street. We spoke with him recently about what he remembers about Nantucket in 1970…
It’s Not Just a Location It’s a Lifestyle
As you walk along Easy Street in downtown Nantucket, it is hard to miss the signpost bearing the ACK4170 logo, and the quaint and welcoming front porch where you can rest for a moment before heading inside. The shop is just steps away from the beautiful and frequented Easy Street Boat Basin, and easily accessible from both the Hyline Ferry and the Steamship Ferry at 1 Old North Wharf.