Codfish Park

One of the most interesting facts about Codfish Park is that it did not physically exist until the late nineteenth century. Prior to that time, the beach below the village was narrow; in fact, a devastating storm in 1841 undercut the bank and caused several houses to fall and others to be moved because of their precarious position. Over the succeeding decades the beach accreted naturally, becoming a site for fishing shacks and boat storage for the cod fishermen.

The land below the bank belonged to Henry Coffin, who deeded it to the Proprietors of Nantucket in 1886, when it was just a narrow strip. Coffin intended for the beach to be used by the inhabitants of the island; one of the stipulations of his deed was that "no building or other obstruction of any kind be erected or maintained on the premises, except bath houses, to be used as such." In less than three decades, however, the beach tripled in width and became the site of numerous buildings. It was during this period that the fisherman left their mark on Codfish Park, erecting ramshackle clusters of cottages and shacks often surrounded by fishing drays, drying racks, and whale-oil barrels to catch rainwater.

Toward the turn of the century, Codfish Park formed a picturesque backdrop for visiting tourists, and for the photographers and artists who captured images of its antiquated structures in their works. A report in the Inquirer and Mirror in 1921 described the evolution of the neighborhood from this "derelict" period of shacks and shanties into homes:

Gradually they have taken up locations, and all during the past thirty years, the widening of the beach having created building sites, 'which have been pre-empted,fish-house giving place to shanty, and shanty to more pretentious dwelling and bathing house, until the fish-house is almost a memory only.

In the early twentieth century, Codfish Park acquired a unique character as home to many of the working families of 'Sconset, who frequency served as domestic staff for families in the large houses "up bank," or offered other services such as laundry and baby-sitting help. Others operated businesses of their own in the village. This fascinating and exceptional community was racially and ethnically mixed, with families of African-American, Cape Verdean, Irish, and many other backgrounds living side-by-side. Some had stores in Codfish Park itself—many people, for example, fondly remember Mrs. Amos (Linda) Arey, who sold freshly baked pies, sweets, hot dogs, and candy from her small store by the gulley. Other businesses included John Thomas's fish market, John Salvas's barber shop, Lily (Mauldin) Mackie's beauty parlor, and Venture-Inn selling bathing suits and other beach gear. Living Codfish Park residents recall a cordial, sometimes friendly, sometimes complex, relationship with the children from above bank. Codfish Park was a community unto itself, but one with strong ties to 'Sconset village, whether through the relationship of work; through gatherings, movies, and shows at the Casino; or through the regular bustle and interchange of village life.

Codfish Park,1880s
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Small shop in Codfish Park.
Sign on front: Mrs. Amos Arey Prop. Home Cooking Hot Dogs Soft Drinks & Candy
c. 1920s
Scan gift of Grace Yates.
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A digital exhibition by the Nantucket Historical Association