NHA Whaling Museum

Open Thursday - Monday

11 A.M. - 4 P.M.

(Closed Dec 1-4)

Click here for full hours and ticket prices

 

Historic Sites and Walking Tours closed for the season.

 

Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - Friday. Closed Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday

Hold your holiday party in the Whaling Museum! A great location for weddings (welcome parties, rehearsal dinners, and receptions); cocktail parties; staff gatherings; and holiday parties. 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 or other NHA properties. 508-228-1894, ext. 131 or visit our Web site for more information 

Open daily 10 A.M. - 5 P.M., 11 Broad Street

- 'Sconset: A History, is a comprehensive history of 'Sconset written by Betsy Tyler, with contributions by numerous other longtime residents. Made possible by the generous support of the Judy Family Foundation, the book is available for $19.95. 

 

- Carved whale plaque. 15" wide, 12.25" height, $325. This spectacular plaque would be a welcome holiday gift for anyone. 

We now have a page on Facebook! If you're a member of Facebook, please join us. Click here to visit!

 

Fly to New Zealand! February 9-25, 2009: Come fly with the us as we explore the country of New Zealand with our hosts Bill and Peggy Tramposch, who lived there for eleven years before moving to the island when Bill came to the Nantucket Historical Association. Click here for more information

 

Yes, it's hard to imagine, but the holiday season is just around the corner! For those "hard to buy for" on your gift lists, try an idea that lasts a full year: A NHA Membership

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.  

 

For a full list of our membership benefits, please click here. Join online or call 508-228-1894, ext. 116 (Beth) for additional membership information.

 

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 allows you to make a tax-free transfer of your excess retirement assets to the Nantucket Historical Association - only in 2008 and 2009. Read more about this program on our Web site. 

Among recently donated materials are some very engaging letters, chiefly between  Edward B. Coffin and his wife, Delia Maria Hussey Coffin (pictured above), written between 1858 and 1865. Edward does not stint on his expressions of love throughout his letters, and one can only suppose they were a great comfort to his wife at home in Nantucket. Below is a passage from one (undated) letter:
 
"Dear Wife my last letter dated October 29th written in port with scattered thoughts I fear was not very satisfactory for port is not a fit place to write to ones Wife the cares trials and agrevations that engross our minds unfit us for so sacred a duty. Wife sacred indeed that name for what of all earthly glory without that tru sympathy of heart which God has permitted us to enjoy next to Heaven and that holey name is wife most sacred to me. I pledg this as truth from heart my Wife and ever remember if should a line at any time reach home from other hands than mine or a passing ship report me that it was not neglect or carelessness or any lack of love for thee that stayed this hand and that I can always give satisfactory reasons when called..."
 
Capt. Edward Barnard Coffin (1826-1911) was born on Nantucket. At 13 he shipped as a cooper on board the ship Peru (1843-46). After many other voyages, he was captain of the bark Sappho (1860-63 & 1863-66), and the Mt. Wollaston (1867-71). Retiring after a successful career, he pursued farming on a small scale. Coffin and Delia Maria Hussey (1832-1912) married 6 Sept 1855, and lived at 82 Centre Street with their daughter Etta. They are buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, plot 375 (section CCC on the NHA map).
 
These letters, and other items, are a gift of the Estate of Mary L. Reith.

 

New Digital Exhibition: Susan Veeder's Journal of the Ship Nauticon
This journal of a whaling voyage was kept by the captain's wife, Susan C. Austin Veeder. During the voyage they visited Talcahuano, Pitcairn, the Sandwich Islands, the Arctic, and Tahiti. The journal includes 16 watercolors of islands seen, her experiences of having a baby in Talcahuano (and her death 14 months later in Tahiti), a visit to Fletcher Christian's house in Pitcairn, a description of being stuck in the ice for 13 days in the Arctic, and the sighting of a polar bear. Click here to visit the digital exhibition.

 

November 6: "Ticks on Nantucket," presented by Dr. Timothy Lepore
 
November 13: "Nantucket's Cranberry Harvest," presented by Tom Larrabee Jr.

 

November 20: "Nantucket Photography"

The exhibition features the history, architecture, personalities, and "character" of this unique village at the eastern end of Nantucket, often described as the most charming in America, following its evolution from a fishing village to a world-renowned summer resort.

 

A digital version of the exhibition is currently being built. Keep checking our Web site!

 

 

HELD OVER! Due to popular response from many visitors, this will be extended throughout the winter.

American presidents have been concerned in the affairs of Nantucket Island from the days of the nation's founding.  The collections of the Nantucket Historical Association hold documents signed by almost every president beginning with George Washington. In recognition of election year, the NHA presents an exhibition highlighting some of the more remarkable items in the collection, including: appointment of Inspector of the Revenue for the Ports of Nantucket and Sherburne, signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; ships' papers signed by John Tyler, James Polk, Franklin Pierce, and others; Abraham Lincoln's appointment of George Hussey Tracy as first lieutenant in the Fifteenth Infantry Regiment; a letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow; and a letter from Franklin Delano Roosevelt (as Acting Secretary of the Navy) regarding the naming of a torpedo-boat destroyer in honor of Nantucketer Reuben Chase. The exhibition is made possible by the generous support of Susan R. and L. Dennis Shapiro.

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 4

Make a Miniature Sailors Valentine

Enjoy creating a miniature Sailors Valentine in the style of shell collages from the whaling days. Using small shells in a range of natural colors, participants will create patterns and textures to fill small papier-mâché boxes. These little treasures, in ornament-size boxes, can be used as gifts, decorations, or special keepsakes of your own.

Wednesday, November 5

Miniature Santa Theorem Painting

This second session will feature Theorem Painting in the style of the 1850s. Using stencils and oil paints, the completed work can be rendered on velvet or paper. This mini-Santa theorem does not require any previous painting or drawing experience. Completed work on paper will be perfect for gift tags, place cards, or greeting cards; the velvet work will be suitable for framing.

 

Thursday, November 6
This final workshop will showcase all the steps to producing a finished découpage project on a small scale. All materials and tools will be provided, including the glass paperweights. Participants are encouraged to bring personal items to include in their project.

Enrollment is limited, and early registration is recommended. Each class is $50 for NHA members, $75 for nonmembers. The cost to take all three classes is $125 for NHA members, $175. for nonmembers. Please visit our Web site for more information.

 

Join us for two local events that have become island traditions! Held in the Whaling Museum, the Festival of Wreaths silent auction features more than seventy wreaths made by community members and artists and sponsored by businesses and nonprofit organizations. The ever-popular Festival of Trees, enjoying its fifteenth year, will feature a brilliant display of holiday trees, also decorated by community members. New this season: The Festival of Trees will remain open weekends until January 4, 2009.

 

Wednesday, November 26, The Festival of Wreaths opens to the public. Peter Foulger Museum, 15 Broad Street, 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. Join us for a silent auction of beautiful wreaths made by Nantucket artists, designers, merchants, community groups, and schoolchildren.

 

Thursday, November 27, Thanksgiving. The Whaling Museum is closed.

 

Friday, November 28, Festival of Wreaths, Peter Foulger Museum, 15 Broad Street, 10 A.M. - 5 P.M.

 

 

Saturday, November 29, Festival of Wreaths, Peter Foulger Museum, 15 Broad Street, 10 A.M. - 5 P.M.

 

 

Sunday, November 30, Festival of Wreaths, Peter Foulger Museum, 15 Broad Street, 10 A.M. - 2 P.M. Bidding will close at 2 P.M. Successful bidders announced at 2:30. If not present, winners will be notified by phone. 

 

Friday, December 5, Festival of Trees opens to the public. Whaling Museum, 13 Broad Street, 11 A.M. - 4 P.M., Fridays, 11 AM - 8 PM. Featuring over seventy brilliantly decorated trees designed by local merchants, nonprofit organizations, community members, and artists.

 

Ben Simons (our Robyn & John Davis Curator of Collections) is to attend the prestigious Seminar for Historical Administration, a three-week educational seminar, sponsored by AASLH, AAM, Colonial Williamsburg, Indiana Historical Society, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The seminar uses case studies, workshops, forums, and field trips to present and engage the best practices and ideas of history organization, leadership, and management. Admission to the seminar is competitive. Congratulations, Ben!

 

William Tramposch (Executive Director) and Tony Dumitru (Collections Manager) will be presenting and participating in a panel at the New England Museum Association (NEMA) conference. The panel, "Making Museum Collections Accessible: An Important Goal of Museums in Reaching Out," will discuss the number of innovative methods, programs, and strategies that the NHA uses to share our collections with the public. Bill Tramposch will chair this panel. 
 

Erik Ingmundson (Senior Interpreter) will be attending the workshop "Best Practices in Docent Training and Management," sponsored by the Greater Boston Museum Educators Roundtable and offered at the deCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden.

 

Given yearly by the Chamber Board of Directors for "outstanding and consistent commitment to responsible business practice and community service," NHA Special Events Manager, Stacey W. Stuart, received this year's Chamber Award. "We are very pleased and proud to present this award to Stacey," said Tracy Bakalar, Executive Director of the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce. "Her ongoing commitment and contributions to the island community over many years have been, and continue to be, very impactful and appreciated." Congratulations, Stacey, from all your associates!

 

Georgen Charnes (our Librarian, Archivist, & Webmaster) has published, with Lynn Betlock, an article on resources for conducting Nantucket-centered genealogy in the journal New England Ancestors, published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. "Researching Nantucketers: using the Barney genealogical record and other resources" is part of an issue with several Nantucket-related articles, including "A tale of two women: seventeenth-century Coffin and Starbuck matriarchs," by Alison M. Gavin and "Franklin's Nantucket connection," by Michael J. Leclerc.