Postwar Casino

Postwar cultural changes altered the old pattern of summer life in 'Sconset. Families that had traditionally stayed in the village for the entire summer with household help were less common, and many houses were rented in either July or August, resulting in a less cohesive summer population with less free time for planning large-scale entertainments.

In 1947, the directors hired New York producer Jerome H. Cargill to put on a top-notch fondraising revue using local themes and people. The beloved song "On the Isle" was written by Otis Clements for the revue, which was a great success and continued to be a grand and profitable community event almost every year until 1963.

The arrival of tennis pro Sid Summerfield and his wife, Ellen, in 1949 reinforced the importance of tennis at the Casino. Summerfield's sportsmanship and credentials as player, author, promoter, and teacher boosted the Casino's public image. After 1958, the program continued to thrive under Hugh and Bea Curry, who mentored hundreds of children.

Boston's Harry Marshard's Society Dance Orchestra was a Casino favorite.The fancy masquerades trickled down to children's costume parties. In August 1960, a telephoned bomb threat before a dance was addressed by the local (and large) constable, who was literally pressed to look under the Casino. Meanwhile, acting president Curtis Heath and Harding Greene took up a position in an unmarked car (Greene armed with a baseball bat) to intercept any suspicious character. The dance went on, and the perpetrator of the hoax turned out to be a local lad. In 1947, 1948, 1950, and 1961, a fundraiser called "Rose Days" brought busloads of people from town to tour several 'Sconset houses and to enjoy a formal tea at the Casino. Art shows were introduced in the forties and fifties. An ambitious country fair that included the crowning of "Miss 'Sconset" and a successful (and repeated) rummage sale was held in 1947 and 1948, the year an all-day circus was featured.

Tennis lessions at the Casino with Sid Summerfield, 1956
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Beth Wagley in rehersal for 1950 On the Isle show
Scan gift of John Wagley
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A digital exhibition by the Nantucket Historical Association