News and Events for Nantucket Island
The Nantucket Historical Association is beginning the next phase of restoration work on Nantucket’s iconic Old Mill, built in 1746. The NHA purchased the mill in 1897. In 1992, it was designated as a historic mechanical engineering landmark and is believed to be the oldest working windmill in the United […]
By Suzanne Daub Tucked away on our small island 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, one of the most consequential craft preservation programs in the country is carrying on traditions that stretch back centuries. The Heritage Craft program, operated by the Nantucket Historical Association, is making Nantucket a focal […]
This April, the Nantucket Historical Association opened an exciting new Featured Exhibition in their Nantucket Whaling Museum that is designed to take visitors on a trip around the globe. The traveling exhibition The Wider World & Scrimshaw is expansive and culturally far-reaching. Surveying carving traditions that emerged along whaling routes […]
The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is proud to announce the launch of the Measurement of Museum Social Impact (MOMSI) research study, a year-long research project developed to measure how museums impact their communities through education and engagement. This project will be conducted over the course of the year, recruiting local and seasonal […]
“I don’t belong to anyone. I am the daughter of Thomas Gardner of Nantucket.”— Nancy Gardner Prince In 1850, Nancy Gardener Prince, a Black Nantucket descendant who traveled the world in the 1800s, self-published her life story, which proved so popular that it went through three editions. The autobiography explores […]
The Nantucket Historical Association is proud to honor Arie L. Kopelman with the official naming of the Whaling Museum’s Scrimshaw and Decorative Arts Gallery, Arie L. Kopelman Gallery, in his honor. Kopelman’s passion for decorative arts and Nantucket history, as well as his tremendous support of the Nantucket Historical Association […]
As you walk through the streets of Nantucket you will see surrounding the chimneys of several houses seven- to eight-foot wooden platforms with wooden railings. These platforms are often called “widows’ walks”—a term which conjures up images of women in long skirts and bonnets gazing forlornly toward the harbor. You […]
This Wednesday, August 6, from 9 am to 12 noon, the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is hosting a special Summer of Seams Community Day at Children’s Beach, when all ages can participate in a tradition of community connection that is part of the tapestry of life on Nantucket. The fun […]
Nantucket by Design, an annual event presented by the Nantucket Historical Association, celebrates Nantucket’s design heritage, intertwining modern style with island history through talks, panels, master classes, and social gatherings. This year, the five-day experience includes free pop-up events at various historic properties, along with special events also open to […]
As part of the Nantucket Historical Association’s 2025 featured exhibition, Behind the Seams: Clothing and Textiles on Nantucket, they have invited Nantucket community members to contribute a panel to a conceptual quilt. A celebratory display of the works of art will be revealed at the NHA’s Community Day, planned for […]
