Sorry Alexander Hamilton, but the historical figures of Nantucket’s vibrant story have taken over the stage in this summer’s debut production of Nantucket! The MusACKal! Playing a limited run this summer until August 19 (but returning next summer, with surprises and changes to keep it interesting for return guests), the […]
Tag: Nantucket History
Island History of Moving Structures
~ by Amy Jenness ~ Massachusetts lawmakers are debating a bill designed to allow tiny houses on Nantucket. Town meeting voters approved the idea this year and islanders hope allowing tiny homes – which are up to 500 square feet in size and often built on trailers– will ease the […]
Food Fit for a President
• by Chef Jenn Farmer • For some unknown reason my son and I have a fascination with American history, specifically, the presidents. We both have always enjoyed history, so that is no surprise, but I think our multiple state museum spree has had a lot to do with fueling […]
“One-Third of Our Town Is in Ashes”
Imagine standing on the steps of the Pacific National Bank of Nantucket at the top of Main Street early in the morning on July 14. You look toward the Harbor and see nothing before you but smoking ashes and the brickwork of the Pacific Club Building. To the left, the […]
Patriotic Food
• by Chef Jenn Farmer • A few days ago I was in Boston. Before I got anywhere near Boylston Street, I began to feel a little overwhelmed by emotions. I began to think about all the everyday heroes that I know and look up to. The first to come […]
Surfside’s Ocean View
• by Frances Ruley Karttunen • Surfside is a product of Nantucket’s search for a new way to make money in the latter half of the 1800s. After the Great Fire of 1846, Nantucket experienced a swift decline from its former prosperity. Whales were growing ever scarcer and voyages to […]
ACK Busters – Island Myths
• by Sarah Teach • One year ago, the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) unleashed the hounds. A team of island historians intent on proving or disproving the island’s collection of myths that have developed over the centuries put their noses to the ground and also into hand-written books older than […]
Gray Seal Population: Plague or Pleasure?
• by Sarah Teach • For many Americans, seals are little more than a childhood memory of a visit to the zoo. But for residents of Nantucket Island, the blubbery marine mammals are quickly becoming a topic of discussion saved only for trusted company. At the core of a growing […]
Art & History Meet
On Friday, May 24, from 5 to 7 pm, the Artists Association of Nantucket and the Nantucket Historical Association will celebrate the opening of John Austin: One Artist’s Nantucket. This collaborative exhibition will be held in the Whitney Gallery at the NHA Research Library, 7 Fair Street, and features works […]