News and Events for Nantucket Island
-by Amy Jenness, author of On This Day in Nantucket History, available at Mitchell’s Book Corner– On July 1, 1880 two hundred excited guests filed into Atlantic Hall at 74 Main Street to witness the dedication of the island’s new roller skating rink. Roller skating was a popular mainland past […]
by Amy Jenness, author of On This Day in Nantucket History, available at Mitchell’s Book Corner On June 22, 1929 the telephone company “cut over” from an outdated magnetic telephone system at its Fair Street building to a battery system housed in a new building on Union Street. The new […]
by Amy Jenness author of On This Day in Nantucket History On June 1, 1796, the British brig Swallow received a “Letter of Marque,” which gave it the authority to capture French ships. The Letter of Marque and Reprisal is a government license authorizing privateers to attack enemy vessels (Britain […]
• by Amy Jenness, author of On This Day in Nantucket History • In May of 1942, the German Navy sent 8 submarines to prowl Atlantic waters and destroy ships belonging to their enemies. The grouping, one of the Germans’ famous “wolf packs,” was called Pfadfinder and the impact of […]
• by Amy Jenness, author of On This Day in Nantucket History • The first commercial steam-powered boat service to Nantucket was provided by the Eagle in 1818. Submarine inventor Robert Fulton had proven the viability of steam-powered boats in 1807 when he made a successful run between New York […]
• by Julianne Adams • It is fitting that Frances Ruley Karttunen has taken on the project of recording the history of Nantucket’s North Shore. A 12th-generation Nantucket native, Karttunen’s own history is wrapped up in the island’s. Her family reaches back to the English families who settled into Madaket Harbor […]
In 1963, Trinity Collection, the exclusive Main Street shop known for classic Rolex, rare antique watches, and sought-after Patek Philippe designs, started out as a small case in a surf shop in Maryland owned by E. Townsend Wright II, legendary in surfing circles as “Spyder” Wright. Though the focus of […]
The 36th Annual Nantucket Antiques Show to benefit the Nantucket Fireman’s Association is being held this week at Nantucket High School, 10 Surfside Road. Through Saturday, August 10, the show is featuring exhibitors from throughout the United States and Europe, with antiques from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The […]
Looking for something to do with your kids on Nantucket this summer? The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) invites children and their caregivers to Hands- On History, an annual summer program full of crafts and activities for the whole family. This program is offered daily in July and August from 1:30 […]
