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Originally published in the Historic Nantucket, Vol 45, no. 2 (Fall 1996), p. 138-144

Nantucket Historical Association Properties
A complete list of our twenty-four homes, museums, monuments and sites
By Michael Jehle

Since our inception in 1894, the Nantucket Historical Association has been striving to preserve island history by the acquisition and management of properties. The first building acquired was the Quaker Meeting House (Society of Friends Meetinghouse) in 1894. Today the NHA manages twenty-four historic homes, museums, monuments, and other sites. It is with those buildings and sites, as well as with our extraordinary collection of artifacts, art, books, manuscripts, ships' logs, and photographs that we provide the public with an understanding of the island's history and its contributions to the economic, intellectual, political, cultural, and religious development of the community, Commonwealth, and nation.

It occurred to us, however, that many of our members may be unfamiliar with the rich variety of properties that we maintain. As you will see, we care for sites as grand and well known as the Nantucket Whaling Museum and Hadwen House, but we also preserve an open field in Nantucket Town called the Eleanor P. Ham Pony Field. While few island residents and visitors will miss seeing and appreciating the Old Mill, many will never know that we own and preserve the open space across the street to forever protect the mill's unique beauty and historic integrity. Following is a complete list of the NHA's properties as well as a smattering of associated historic photographs, artifacts, and stories.

Historic Houses

"OLDEST HOUSE,"
JETHRO COFFIN HOUSE, 16 Sunset Hill
Built 1686; purchased in 1923
The oldest residence on Nantucket, the Jethro Coffin House is the sole surviving structure from the island's original seventeenth-century English settlement. It continues to capture the imagination of thousands of visitors a year. Schoolchildren especially enjoy the NHA's Summer Living History Program, which runs here throughout July and August.

WHEN ENGLISH SETTLERS FIRST MOVED TO Nantucket in 1660, they established a proprietary form of government in which each of the twenty families involved equally controlled the affairs of the community. As the settlement grew, however, it became necessary for the original twenty families to recruit fishermen, carpenters, and other tradesmen who could help the island's growing economy. Those individuals were given half-shares in the proprietary.

The first settlers had bought their rights to Nantucket with the intent of using the land for their own benefit. But, as more and more people came to Nantucket to live and work in the late seventeenth century, the newcomers began to resent their limited power and representation in the island's government. Led by ambitious newcomer John Gardner, many of the "half-share men" staged a peaceful revolt against the proprietary government led by Tristram Coffin. Through several appeals to the provincial government in New York, the half-share men eventually succeeded in having the original proprietary transformed in favor of a more democratic, town-meeting-based government, where all men who held property had equal voting rights.
The political details of the half-share revolt were settled in 1680. But the symbolic resolution of the conflict did not occur until 1686, when Mary Gardner, the daughter of the half-share revolt leader, married Jethro Coffin, grandson of the proprietary's leader. John Gardner supplied the land and the Coffins supplied the lumber for the couple's new home, known today as the Oldest House.

HADWEN HOUSE, 96 Main Street
Built 1845; donated by Jean Satler Williams in 1965
The Hadwen House's neoclassical facade is the island's best known architectural symbol of the prosperity enjoyed by nineteenth-century whaling merchants. The first floor parlors display the mid-nineteenth-century opulent furnishings and grand lifestyle that replaced the island's sober Quaker aesthetic. Visitors also enjoy the Victorian gardens.

WILLIAM HADWEN — THE MAN WHO BUILT THE TWO IMPOSING NEOCLASSICAL HOUSES ON MAIN STREET AT THE corner of Pleasant Street — was a highly successful whale oil merchant who devoted his later life to helping the island community he loved. Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Hadwen first came to Nantucket in 1820 as a silversmith. Soon thereafter he married Eunice Starbuck, daughter of the powerful merchant Joseph Starbuck, and entered into the whale oil refinery business with his cousin Nathaniel Barney. Their first refinery was in the back yard of their home at 100 Main Street, and in a matter of years Hadwen and Barney prospered, later moving their business to the brick building that now houses the Whaling Museum. By 1845, when Hadwen built his home at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets and one for his niece Mary Swain next door, he was one of the wealthiest men in Massachusetts .With no children of their own, William and Eunice Hadwen generously supported Nantucket's less fortunate children, sending many to schools they could not otherwise afford. The extent of Hadwen's generosity is perhaps best indicated by the popularity on Nantucket of the given name William Hadwen in the generations after his death.

MACY-CHRISTIAN HOUSE, 12 Liberty Street
Built 1745; donated by George and Ruth Christian in 1969
The Macy-Christian House was constructed by an island merchant who prospered before the American Revolution. Later residents of the home, George and Ruth Christian, donated the house to the NHA fully furnished with Colonial Revival antiques.

ROBERT WYER HOUSE, 33 Orange Street
Built 1750; donated by Jon Stroup in 1987
One of the finest examples of eighteenth-century island architecture, the Robert Wyer house was the home of several generations of island whaling captains and China-trade merchants. Currently closed to the public, the house continues to be occupied by the donor under the terms of the gift.

ONE OF THE MORE NOTABLE PREVIOUS RESIDENTS OF THE NHA'S ROBERT WYER HOUSE AT 33 ORANGE STREET WAS the Reverend Seth Swift, the first pastor of Nantucket's Second Congregational Meeting House Society, now known as the Unitarian Church.

Twenty-one years old and only a few months out of Harvard, Seth Swift moved to Nantucket in 1810. His firm leadership of the Second Congregational Church spanned twenty-three years and was distinguished by a commitment to the ideals of justice for all races — a somewhat controversial notion in 1810. Swift was held in high esteem by Nantucket's small black community for whom he celebrated several marriages, including that of Captain Absalom Boston, remembered as the master of the first whaling vessel that sailed from Nantucket with an all-black crew.

THOMAS MACY HOUSE, 99 Main Street
Built 1770 with an 1834 addition; donated by Oswald A. and Sallie Gail Harris Tupancy in 1987
This fine example of Federal architecture is the former home of island merchant and ship owner Thomas Macy and is currently used for special NHA events, meetings, and social occasions as well as guest and staff housing.

AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN as "Tup and Sallie Gail," the Tupancys were generous island residents who donated their home at 99 Main Street to the NHA in 1987. The house had been acquired in 1947 by Mrs. Julian Harris, Sallie Gail's mother, from a descendant of its early nineteenth-century owner Thomas Macy. Mrs. Harris, and later the Tupancys, used 99 Main as both a summer retreat and a permanent home.

Both Tup and Sallie Gail believed strongly that their home at 99 Main was too important a feature of Nantucket's history to be left to private ownership and made provisions in their will for it to be left to the NHA. But, as long-time residents of Nantucket, the Tupancys were aware of the NHA's limited budget and were at times concerned about the association's limited ability to fully care for its historic properties. Therefore, along with the donation of their home, the Tupancys established the Tupancy-Harris Foundation, which among other philanthropic efforts on Nantucket underwrites the care and maintenance of 99 Main. Thanks to the foresight and generosity of Tup and Sallie Gail and the Tupancy-Harris Foundation, the NHA is able to properly preserve 99 Main for generations to come.

GREATER LIGHT
Built c. 1790 and remodeled 1933; donated by the Estate of Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan in 1970
Originally an eighteenth-century livestock barn, Greater Light was adapted to a summer residence in 1933 by two sisters from Philadelphia. The house with its eclectic furnishings and architectural details is a rare window into Nantucket's twentieth-century summer artists' community. The house is currently closed for structural stabilization; however, visitors are invited to enjoy its lovely garden, maintained in memory of Betty Palmer by her daughter Gale Arnold.

1800 HOUSE 8 Mill Street
Built 1805; donated by Frederick Melhado in 1951
First occupied by the island's high sheriff, who managed the Old Gaol, the 1800 House reveals the aesthetic simplicity and fine craftsmanship that characterized the Quaker-influenced architecture that dominated nineteenth-century Nantucket. It is currently closed to the public to undergo structural stabilization.

THE MOST HAUNTING TALE OF THE NHA properties belongs to the 1800 House. Nantucket electrician Parker Gray told of a mysterious, shimmering, floating ball that walked the halls of the house in 1972.

Gray was hired that year to install a complex security system in the home. When the system was activated, an alarm went off if a window or door was opened. From the time the alarm was first installed, the alarm went off several times between seven o'clock and quarter to eight. Each time the police went to the house they found it quiet and undisturbed, except for an open door between the west parlor and the keeping room.

The opening of the door was a mystery to all, and after the fifth week of false alarms Gray was eager to resolve the problem. After ruling out all other explanations, Gray decided to hide in the house at the troublesome hour and watch. He was not disappointed.

After hearing the latch on the door click, Parker crept out of his hiding spot and saw that the door to the keeping room had swung open. Coming toward him he saw a "shimmering soap bubble the size of a basketball; it was pulsing, moving gently in and out in all directions." Nervously, he watched it travel through the house and up the stairs. He said that he was not truly afraid, but he could sense an "extraordinary and really horrible coldness" coming from the ball as he watched it travel through the first floor of the house and up the stairs.

After reporting this eerie incident, Parker put a hook on the door to the keeping room and there has been no trouble with the alarms ever since.

Historic Properties

THE OLD MILL, Mill Hill Built 1745; purchased in 1897
The NHA is proud to own the oldest American windmill still in operation. Much to the enjoyment of visitors, the Old Mill's impressive original handcrafted wooden gears still transform the power of the wind to grind corn into meal in the summer season.

OLD GAOL, 15R Vestal Street Built 1806; acquired in 1946
The Old Gaol is one of the oldest surviving prison buildings in the country. Constructed of massive oak timbers reinforced with iron straps, it held island prisoners for over 125 years.

THIS FALL, WHEN RICK MORCOM, curator of structures, started to repair shingles on the side of the Old Gaol, we were reminded once again of the sturdy and serious construction of this building. Rick uncovered large iron bolts running the length and width of the building walls. It was clear that at the time of the jail's construction in 1806 the fear of prisoners escaping was real. The original bill from John and Perez Jenkins, the two brothers that built the building was $2,090.49. That is roughly the cost of building a whaling ship at that time.

Unfortunately, the money and iron that went into the construction did not hold all the prisoners. There are several tales of escapes. One of the most ingenious was staged by a fifteen-year-old boy at the beginning of the century. He managed to escape by knocking out the bricks in the chimney in the upper east cell and getting out onto the roof. Sadly for this clever boy, he was caught and the chimney was rebuilt with a smaller flue.

After the Civil War the Old Gaol became a quiet place, and escaping prisoners was less of a concern. In fact, Edouard Stackpole reported that when a jailer was asked by a visitor how he knew if a certain prisoner was still there, he replied "Oh, I just holler 'Joe, are you there?' and if he ain't gone out for a walk he hollers back."

OLD TOWN BUILDING, 5 Washington Street Built 1833 and 1846; purchased in 1968
The oldest commercial and municipal building on Nantucket, the Old Town Building was an office for the merchant Thomas Coffin. Later the building was purchased by the Town of Nantucket and until 1966 housed a variety of government offices.

THOMAS MACY WAREHOUSE
12 Straight Wharf
Built 1846; donated in 1984
Erected following the Great Fire of 1846, the Macy Warehouse originally stored supplies and equipment needed to outfit Nantucket's whaleships. Today it is leased by a private art gallery and is used as a welcome center for visitors to the NHA.

FIRE HOSE CART HOUSE, 8 Gardner Street Built 1886, acquired in 1960
The last remaining nineteenth-century fire house, the Hose Cart House displays historic fire-fighting equipment related to Nantucket's Great Fire of 1846.

QUAKER MEETING HOUSE, 9 Fair Street
Built 1838; purchased in 1894
Initially constructed in 1838 as a school for the Society of Friends, the building was converted to a Quaker Meeting House in 1864. The only surviving meeting house on the island, it continues to be a place of worship for Quakers throughout the year.

THE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE is an example of an ideal use of a historic building. Since 1939 members of the Religious Society of Friends have used the Meeting House for worship. Today they continue to meet year-round on Sunday mornings. In the meeting house historical and present-day needs come together. The public can experience Quaker faith and practice; visitors are participants, not just observers, in a historic setting. The association is careful to use the Meeting House appropriately. As well as being open to the public daily, we have hosted summer concerts, meetings, and other small gatherings.

Museums and Support-Services Buildings

NANTUCKET WHALING MUSEUM
13 Broad Street
Built 1847; purchased in 1921
The Whaling Museum presents a fascinating array of exhibits on the history of Nantucket's primary industry. The building was originally constructed and used as a whale oil refinery and candle factory by Richard Mitchell and Sons and subsequently acquired by the prominent island merchants William Hadwen and Nathaniel Barney. During the past summer, over 30,000 visitors attended daily lectures, group tours, children's workshops, and educational programs.

FAIR STREET MUSEUM, 7 Fair Street, Built 1904 [now the NHA Research Library]
The NHA constructed this building as its first museum exhibition gallery, and the first exhibit of NHA collections was displayed here from 1904 until the 1970s. This year we exhibited "Nantucket: Picturesque and Historic," a celebration of the diverse array of souvenirs and photographs by late nineteenth-century island photographers Henry Wyer, Josiah Freeman, and Henry Platt.

TODAY, THE NHA is WELL KNOWN FOR its extensive collections of island furniture and fine and decorative arts. Although our collections have m grown considerably over the past century, thanks to the generous efforts of hundreds of donors, the association's first curator, Susan E. Brock, deserves special credit for her dedicated efforts in creating the foundations of that extraordinary collection as well as her creation of the NHA's first exhibition at the Fair Street Museum.

Susan was born in 1852, the daughter of Captain George H. and Charlotte Brock At the age of six she joined her mother and father for a lengthy voyage around Cape Horn and in the South Pacific aboard her father's clipper ship Midnight, an adventure she later narrated in her book Doubling Cape Horn. A music teacher and organist for the Unitarian Church, Susan served as the NHA's curator for thirty-four years until her retirement in 1928.

PETER FOULGER MUSEUM
15 Broad Street
Built 1971
The Peter Foulger Museum is a modern gallery that presents changing exhibitions such as the current "Away Off Shore." The second floor is home to the Edouard A. Stackpole Library and Research Center and the NHA administrative offices.

MUSEUM SHOP, 11 Broad Street
Built 1986
Right at the beginning of Steamboat Wharf, the NLLA Museum Shop is a popular gift shop for many island visitors and residents. The shop, designed and built with the generous support of Bernard and Grace Grossman, carries a wide selection of gift items, furniture reproductions, and books.

BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD CENTER
66 Bartlett Road
Built 1994
The recently constructed Gosnold Center is a secure and climate-controlled storage and conservation facility for the NHA's extensive historic collections. It also houses a workshop and design space to facilitate the maintenance and restoration of the association's other properties and holdings.

Historic Monuments and Sites

FOLGER-FRANKLIN MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN, BOULDER, AND BENCH, Madaket Road
Built: Abiah Folger Franklin Fountain, 1900;
boulder, 1959; bench, 1959 and 1996
Situated on land granted in 1663 by the island's first settlers to Peter Foulger, the memorial boulder and bench mark the location of the home where Abiah Folger, the mother of Benjamin Franklin, was born in 1667. The fountain was erected by the Abiah Folger Franklin chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

TRISTRAM COFFIN HOMESTEAD MONUMENT, Capaum Road site date c. 1650
This monument stands on the site of the home of Tristram Coffin, the dynamic leader of the first settlers of Nantucket.

LITTLE GALLERY, 10 Straight Wharf Built c. 1900
Next door to the Thomas Macy Warehouse, this gallery has been leased to the Artists' Association of Nantucket through 1996.

ELEANOR P. HAM PONY FIELD
10 Mill Street
Bequest of Eleanor P. Ham 1979
Reminiscent of a time when the town of Nantucket was dotted with livestock fields, grazing patches, and farms, this plot of land is one of the few remaining publicly accessible green spaces in downtown Nantucket.

MILL HILL, Prospect Street
Acquired in 1898
These one-and-a-half acres of wooded property across the road from the Old Mill are preserved by the NHA to maintain a sense of the natural environment.