Recent Posts

J.H. Bufford lithographs, Boston, MA c. 1855 courtesy of American Antiquarian Society
Nantucket History & People

Undersea Treasure Hunts

I’ve been working at the Nantucket Atheneum as a research associate for a little over a year, and in that time, I’ve fallen down more than one historical rabbit hole, learning about interesting and some downright odd moments in Nantucket’s history. From time to time, my explorations bring me face-to-face with members of my own family.

Nantucket Arts, Nantucket Events

In the Open Air

Artists on Nantucket, professional and those who have just learned to paint, will participate in the Artists Association of Nantucket’s 12th annual Plein Air Nantucket. This festival starts on Tuesday, June 13 and continues through Sunday, June 18, with special gatherings and an awards ceremony. It offers many opportunities for […]

Featured Articles, Insider Tips

Hope Springs Eternal

The first Nantucket striped bass of the year is a very sought-after fish. That first striper signifies that it’s time to get your gear out and get ready for the onslaught of fish that follow. The first bass clearly says that the seasons have changed. The long winter wait is over, better times are coming. Yeah, that first striped bass is an important fish.

Nantucket Essays

Lessons of Nantucket

The neighbors have arrived.

They brought their dogs.

The Golden Retrievers came racing in from both sides, clashed in our yard, and then went dashing after each other in a joyful chase for suburban dominance. Their owners slid the sliding glass doors shut.

We all like dogs, and we know how they can behave. It doesn’t surprise me, or anyone in my house, that the dogs like to run around and have found lots of good things to smell and eat in our backyard. We have been dumping clam shells and rotted scallops behind the wall for months. If their dogs want them, they can have at them.

Nantucket Arts, Nantucket Events

AAN Opens Two New Exhibits May 26

Main Street’s flower-filled fountain… boats bobbing in Nantucket harbor… longer days and moon-lit bays… our island’s beautiful early summer afternoons: see them all expressed on canvas in the Artists Association of Nantucket’s new exhibit Nothing But Blue Skies. The exhibition opens on Friday, May 26 in the Cecelia Joyce & […]

Island Science

Nantucket’s Rare Sandplain Grasslands

Driving around the south of the island, you may be headed to the beach or just going on a traditional Nantucket “rantum scoot.” Most dirt roads headed to the shore take you past open landscapes of waving grasses, low shrubs, and wildflowers when the season is right. Head of the Plains, Smooth Hummocks, Cisco— these are sandplain grasslands and coastal heathlands. On Nantucket, we’re pretty lucky: the sandplain grasslands here are some of the largest remaining intact grasslands of their kind in the world.