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The Whaling Museum IS OPEN EVERY WINTER WEEKEND!
From January 4 to April 20, the Whaling Museum will be open Friday through Sunday, 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Make the most of the off-season with a warming and informative visit to the Whaling Museum. Featuring exhibits about Nantucket history, decorative arts, scrimshaw, and numerous interactive, hands-on learning opportunities for children 12 and under, the museum includes a restored 1847 candle factory, with its original whale-oil beam press (a three-story wooden structure that is the only such artifact surviving anywhere in the world); a 47-foot sperm-whale skeleton; a fully rigged whaleboat; a vast collection of whaling tools; the 16-foot Fresnel lens from Sankaty lighthouse; and numerous portraits of whaling captains and their wives. The film Bones of History, the Whale Hunt Lecture, the whaleship Essex Gam, and various gallery tours also provide a source of endless possibilities for learning and enjoyable visits. |
The Honor of your Presence is requested:
Host your special event in the Whaling Museum -
Exceptional events begin with unforgettable venues. . . .
Include the Whaling Museum when planning your events! A great location for weddings (welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, and receptions), staff gatherings, and corporate parties.
Celebrate life amid Nantucket treasures at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. Immerse your guests in Nantucket history at our world-class museum, located in the heart of Nantucket Town. The space accommodates both small and large gatherings-a perfect mix of state-of-the-art and old-world design. Surround your guests with elegant art and important objects that bring the story of Nantucket's past to life. Your guests will enjoy breathtaking views of Nantucket harbor, town, and beyond from the rooftop observation deck. Call Susan Beaumont for details about hosting a memorable party in the Whaling Museum. 508-228-1894, ext. 131 |
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Bookworks Benefits
Bookworks Benefits is a program that gives back to the NHA, among others.
Nantucket Bookworks, located at 25 Broad Street, has chosen nine partners to benefit from its new pilot program. It is a two-tiered process: 1) Every time your accumulated purchases total $200, you'll receive a $10 coupon from Bookworks toward your next purchase; 2) Bookworks will then donate the value of 1% of your purchases to the organization you've selected. The NHA is one of the organizations that Bookworks has chosen; all you need to do is sign up in the store and put the NHA down as your affiliate. This is a most gracious community-minded program, and we are grateful to them for including us as one of their nonprofit partners. Now get out there and buy those books (and whatever else you can find in Bookworks' eclectic collection)! |
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NHA Museum Shop - 2008 WILL MARK ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY!
The The shop is closed for the season but will reopen next month; however, after receiving permission to reprint, we have the Commemorative Edition of Greater Light on Nantucket: A Memoir, written by Hanna D. Monaghan in 1973, available for on-line purchase, $16.00.
Betsy Tyler's just released book: Greater Light: A House History of Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan's Summer Home on Nantucket, is also available for purchase by phone or on-line, $29.95. It is a charming book, with numerous never-before-seen photographs. This book is the first in a series that will present histories of the historic buildings in the collection of the NHA. Just in, The Nantucket Art Colony, 1920-1945. For those who loved last season's summer exhibition, this is the book for you. The Exhibition Catalog gives in-depth descriptions of each painting in the exhibition, with a foreword by NHA executive director Bill Tramposch. $29.95. You may shop on-line by visiting the website at available at our website or place orders by calling 508-228-5785. |
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Give a gift that lasts one full year
The NHA is a member-based organization, receiving no municipal, state, or federal moneys; your membership enables the NHA to continue its mission of preserving the island's history and connecting the island's residents to Nantucket's unique past.
A one-year membership (which includes unlimited admission to the Whaling Museum, Old Mill, Quaker Meeting House, Oldest House, and Hadwen House; free use of the NHA Research Library; subscription to Historic Nantucket; 10% discount at the Museum Shop; discounts on certain classes and Explorations trips; and invitations to special events, concerts, and lectures), is also a perfect birthday, hostess, or anniversary gift. Please call 508-228-1894, ext. 116 (Beth) for additional membership information, or go to our website. |
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The Whaling Museum is open Friday - Sunday, 11 A.M. - 4 P.M. from 4 January to 20 April.
Research Library
Located at 7 Fair Street, the library is open year-round: Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 - 4; Tuesday, 11 - 4; closed Wednesdays, weekends, & legal holidays.
Administrative Offices
Located at 15 Broad Street, the administrative offices are open Monday - Friday, 9 A.M. - 5 P.M. Call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or email info@nha.org | |
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Traveling Exhibition from Smithsonian Institution
Includes Whaling Museum Peter Foulger Gallery in the Whaling Museum
February 1- April 20
 In Search of Giant Squid, part of the Smithsonian Institution Nationally Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), is open in the Peter Foulger Gallery in the Whaling Museum. The exhibition is supported, in part, by the Egan Maritime Foundation and Novation Media and will be on display through April 20.
The exhibition will feature giant squid specimens, including Architeuthis's notorious beak (mandible); tentacles with suction cups; and a squid-o-meter, which will help visitors examine the myths and legends that surround giant squid. Guests will be able to compare them with other squids and mollusks, explore what is known about how they hunt, move, and defend themselves; and learn about scientists' research to help understand their anatomy and behavior. Interactive components will allow both young and old to compare their own size to that of a giant squid, and experience the giant squid's presumed environment.
In Search of Giant Squid has been developed by the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in partnership with the Discovery Channel. This exhibition is made possible by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. |
Exhibition in the Whitney Gallery
Moby-Dick: Intaglio Prints
by Janet Ball McGlinn
 NHA Research Library
7 Fair Street
January 18-June 20
Janet McGlinn was one of the most talented postwar artists working on Nantucket. She founded the Nantucket Printmakers with Schuyler Bradt (1909-79) in 1969 and taught printmaking, especially the technique of collograph, at the Artists Association of Nantucket when the workshop existed in the winter in the closed Kenneth Taylor Galleries. A Philadelphia native, McGlinn attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Art Students League in New York City.  Her stunning print series vividly highlights key scenes and characters from Moby-Dick, including the famous whale-jawbone bar at the Spouter Inn, Moby-Dick himself, Queequeg, Ahab, a cutting-in scene, and a poignant image of Ishmael, the sole survivor at the end of the epic tale.
The gallery is open during library hours: Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 A.M. - 4 P.M. and Tuesday, 11 A.M. - 4 P.M. Closed Wednesday and weekends. Visit the digital exhibition. |
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Giant Squid Festival
Saturday, March 8, Noon-4:00 P.M.
Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street
Come one, come all! The NHA invites visitors of all ages to join in the search for Architeuthis, commonly known as the giant squid. Dive into the depths In Search of the Giant Squid, meet squid expert Dr. Clyde Roper, learn about the creatures that eat squid, enjoy squid stories, and create your own mysteries of the deep. Free for NHA and Egan Maritime members, or with museum admission. |
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NHA Explorations program heads to Heady Hartford Tour the Mark Twain House & Museum, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Hartford Home & Property, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Tuesday & Wednesday, April 22 and 23.
 On Tuesday, a chartered bus will depart at 9 A.M. from Hyannis for Hartford, CT. and the Mark Twain House, reopened in 2003. You'll see rare manuscripts, photos, artifacts, fine and decorative arts never before on display, and enjoy a biography from award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns. After partaking of lunch in Twain's elegant dining room, the group will tour Harriet Beecher Stowe's historic Hartford property-including a Visitor Center (1873 carriage house) and museum shop, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House (1871), and the Katharine Seymour Day House (1884). A tour of the Stowe House provides an intimate glimpse into the life of the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Day House offers magnificent interiors with changing exhibits and a research library. Visitors will enjoy the Center's tranquil surroundings, accented with historical Victorian gardens. Accommodations are at the Goodwin Hotel, and that evening guests have the option of attending, on their own, The Scene at the Hartford Stage, by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Jeremy B. Cohen. Tickets range from $47 to $51 per person.
On Wednesday you'll walk to the Wadsworth Atheneum to see Special Exhibitions: Impressionists by the Sea and The Wadsworth Makes a Splash: Beach Fashions, 1850-1920
Enjoy lunch in the Atheneum's wonderful café, and then the bus departs at 3:00 P.M. with arrival in Hyannis by 6:30 P.M. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation to and from Hyannis. Hosted by Nina and Bob Hellman.
Reservations are required: $325.00 NHA members, $360.00 nonmembers.
Price for single supplement TBA.
Please call Julie Kever for additional information, or to register. 508-228-1894, ext. 0.
Reservations must be made by March 25, with payment in full.
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Nantucket History in a Brown Bag  The free Food for Thought Series
Thursdays, Noon to 1 P.M.
Bring your lunch!
March 6
"Whaling Logs in the NHA Collection"
Ben Simons, Robyn and John Davis Curator of Collections, highlights some of the outstanding whaling logs and journals in the Nantucket Historical Association's collections. A true treasure trove of life at sea, whaling logs and journals range from the mundane to the whimsical, revealing much about the travels and trials of the Nantucket whalemen at sea.
March 13
"The Art of Scrimshaw"
Tony Dumitru, Collections Manager of the Nantucket Historical Association, will showcase examples from the NHA's world-renowned collection, while providing historical perspective and interesting anecdotes about this wonderful "whalemen's craft."
March 20
"New Zealand and Nantucket"
The relationship between Nantucket and New Zealand has been strong due largely to Nantucket whalers. NHA Executive Director Bill Tramposch will explore some of those connections, focusing on the special places in the New Zealand landscape that so clearly express these historic relationships.
March 27
"Sea Captains' Houses and Rose-Covered Cottages"
Four friends-writers Margaret Moore Booker, Rose Gonnella, and Pat Butler, along with photographer Jordi Cabré-first met in 1998 to plan an educational book that would celebrate Nantucket's historic architecture. In 2003 Rizzoli International Publications published Sea Captains' Houses and Rose-Covered Cottages: The Architectural Heritage of Nantucket Island, which was named a New York Times notable book of the year in architecture. Author Pat Butler will lead the illustrated lecture and provide an overview of Nantucket's architectural heritage, from the seventeenth through the twenty-first century.
Each talk begins at noon and is free to the public. Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street. For additional information about the Food for Thought series, please call 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or visit our website to view the full schedule. |
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Women of Nantucket Festival
Saturday, March 29, Noon-4:00 P.M.
Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street
 Celebrate the contribution of women past and present to Nantucket's culture. Learn about the many "Marys," listen to the stories of other notable Nantucketers-such as Eliza Ann Chase McCleave, Susan Veeder, and Keziah Folger Coffin-and meet contemporary women of Nantucket. Festive flairs include art, music, history, and island culture. Free for NHA members or with museum admission. |
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Classes in Early American Arts and Crafts
Begin May 1 at the 1800 House
 As the program enters its fourth year, the schedule continues to grow, and a varied assortment of over forty classes-focusing on centuries-old techniques-is now offered from May through October, with special holiday workshops presented during November.
Some classes have almost filled, so sign up now! Please go to the NHA web site for class information. www.nha.org
Don't miss out on a chance for a summer full of informative and enjoyable entertainment. |
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The Nantucket History Database is the Nantucket Historical Association's "online clipping file" Texts that are available in electronic format have been added here, including articles from Historic Nantucket, the Nantucket Independent, and Yesterday's Island; collection descriptions from the Nantucket Historical Association; and frequently asked questions from the NHA website. |
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To make your life easier:
Collections Database Now On-line
The NHA artifacts collection represents many definitive aspects of Nantucket's history, including whaling, land and sea transportation, the Quaker religion, fine and decorative arts, farming, commerce, and architecture. There are some 30,000 artifacts in the NHA's collection, which encompasses all media-including textiles, glass, wood, metals, works on paper, paintings, and whale ivory. The vast collection includes more than 700 paintings, some 800 prints and drawings, 150 baskets, 400 lighting devices, 800 pieces of scrimshaw, more than 2,500 whaling tools and implements, more than 6,000 pieces of furniture and examples of decorative arts, and the complete skeletons of a finback whale (now on display at Nantucket High School), and a 46-foot sperm whale (displayed at the Whaling Museum). Images of selections from our collections are now viewable online. These include most of our scrimshaw artifacts and painting collections and many other items.
Visit our collections database and let us know what you think! | |
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