Nantucket Historical Association
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SEE WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING!  

Hours & Information

Whaling Museum

May 12 - October 19

Daily 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.

 

Research Library
7 Fair Street
Mon., Thu., Fri.,
10 A.M. - 4 P.M.,
Tues., 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.
Closed Wed., weekends, 
and all holidays.
508-228-1655  
 
Administrative Offices
15 Broad Street
Mon. - Fri., 9 A.M.-5 P.M. 
508-228-1894, ext 0


Historic Sites

May 28 - June 30

Daily, Noon - 4 P.M. 


Museum Shop

Open for the season
10A.M. - 5 P.M.
 

SHOP ONLINE   


Hands on History

Educational Crafts for Kids

 

Begins Friday, July 1, create a new craft every day in the Whaling Museum's Discovery Room. 

 

Daily Craft Schedule:

Monday: Treasure Bags & Books

Tuesday: Handkerchiefs & Hats

Wednesday: Scrimshaw

Thursday: Kahilis and U'U clubs

Friday: China Teacups & Fans

Saturday: Sailors Valentines

Sunday: Fire Buckets & Hats

Disco Room S. Valentine

SAVE THE DATE

34th Annual 

August Antiques Show

 

 

Preview Party

Thursday, August 4, 2011

 

Antiques Show

Friday-Sunday, August 5-7, 2011

 

Bartlett's Farm

33 Bartlett Farm Road, Nantucket

 

Purchase Tickets! 

Business Members

Please support the businesses that support the NHA.

Hadwen House
Historic House
Walking Tour

Visit three NHA Historic Houses from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries: Hadwen House, Macy-Christian House, and Greater Light. 

 

Departs from the Hadwen House, 96 Main Street, rain or shine.

 

Daily, 2:15 P.M. $10 adults, $4 youth (ages 6-17); free for NHA members.

Museum Shop

Exhibition Items

HOURS

Monday through Saturday 

10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

 

Sunday 

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Inspired by the 2011 exhibition, Nantucket A to Z, the Museum Shop is stocked with items depicting the charming Tony Sarg A to Z logo.  

 

Shop on line

A to Z Tshirt

NHA Properties

The NHA owns and operates twenty-two historic sites. Part of our mission is to preserve these exceptional properties and share them with the public.

Partner/Collaboration with N Magazine

This summer the NHA is proud to collaborate with N Magazine, as both organizations focus on history - past and present.  Each issue of N will include an article by an NHA staff member relating to the activities at the NHA - stories that keep the island's historic past alive, while looking ahead into the future.  View the current issue at www.nantucketmagazine.net

 

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MAILING LIST
 

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July 2011 

We are well into the most exciting summer the Nantucket Historical Association has seen since the reopening of the Whaling Museum in 2005.  

 

Nantucket, a film produced especially for the NHA by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ric Burns (of PBS' Civil War, New York, Coney Island, and Into the Deep fame), premieres at a free community event on July 1. We will also open the restored Greater Light, artist colony home of Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan, on July 20.

 

Created by an institution that interprets and preserves Nantucket history, the film is an eloquent expression of who we are as an island and how deep and significant our historic roots are, despite our sanding soil!  

 

Greater Light is a key initiative that has focused on the tireless work of restoring iconic elements from Nantucket's past.  Why bring back this one time cattle barn/artist salon?  Because it is a remarkable gateway into our understanding of a more modern Nantucket, a Nantucket that had become an artist colony in the 1920s and continues on as a world-famous resort destination.  

 

I am very proud of each of these initiatives because they have brought together many who share our deep love of Nantucket history; they have capitalized on the best talents available, be they here or in "America"; and because they give our staff an opportunity to continue to shine in new and unique ways.  

 

What a summer it will be!

 

Please enjoy the fruits of our labors and join us in any number of NHA events taking place in July and August, including a fantastic exhibition at the Whaling Museum on Nantucket's curiosities from our museum's attic; the August Antiques Show, any of the 50 classes at the NHA 1800 House; new historic books and publications, etc!

 

Ad Summa!

 

Bill's Signature                                       

Bill Tramposch

Executive Director

Nantucket Outdoor Film Premiere

Film Flyer for July1 Join your friends at the NHA for a once-in-a-lifetime special event at Children's Beach. Celebrate the premiere of the NHA's new film, Nantucket, with a free evening of family activities, crafts, games, community art projects, trivia, photo booths, live music, face-painting, and more! As the sun goes down, be a part of Nantucket history as you enjoy the premiere of this 50-minute film on a large outdoor screen under the stars. 

Activities at 5 p.m. - Film screening at dusk. 
Free and open to all. 

Reserve your DVD today! 

Nantucket DVD IM

Reserve your copy of Ric Burn's Nantucket, the ground-breaking documentary produced especially for the Nantucket Historical Association, and share Nantucket's unique history with friends and loved ones.   


DVDs are $19.95 + tax, and can be reserved for pre-order by
 emailing the museum shop or calling 508.228.5785. 

Greater Light | Opening

greater lightGreater Light: Its very name elicits the spirit of the artist colony that arose on Nantucket in the 1920s. Among them were Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan, two sisters drawn from Philadelphia to this "faraway island in the sea" in search of a studio in which to paint and write. With their Quaker belief that the "inner light" would guide them, the Monaghan sisters lovingly transformed an eighteenth-century livestock barn into a remarkable summer home, naming it Greater Light

Tucked away at 8 Howard Street, Greater Light provided the Monaghans with a cultural haven where they and their friends enjoyed musicals, theatrical performances, poetry readings, and art. In particular, the sisters were known to open their home for candlelight concerts, teas, and garden parties on behalf of the Nantucket Historical Association and other island organizations.

 

In July 2011 Greater Light breathes new life, as the NHA proudly unveils this wonderful property after a multi-year restoration process.  As both a reflection of the past and a glimpse into the future, Greater Light will turn a page in the most recent chapter of Nantucket's history as a retreat for artists and vacationers alike.

 

Join us for an afternoon of celebration and experience the splendor of Greater Light.  Tour the house and garden and enjoy refreshments and conversation with the NHA staff. . 

 

Greater Light Open House

Wednesday, July 20

2 p.m. - 5 p.m. | 8 Howard Street 

NHA 1800 House 

E.Wilson.

Children's class at the NHA 1800 House with 

Erica Wilson! 


Teaching crewel stitches 
on needlepoint canvas, Erica will be working with young people ages  6 and older. The class consists of four two-hour sessions, on Wednesday, July 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 
Tuition includes materials: NHA members $250, $300 non-members. For more information call 508.228.7785

V.k.Lecture
Vladimir Kagan Lecture
Tuesday, July 26 | 7 p.m. 
Whaling Museum | 13 Broad St. 

Renowned furniture designer, noted figure in art circles, and long- time Nantucket summer resident Vladimir Kagan will speak about the elements of design and how everyday objects shape our lives. 

Tickets available at the door or in advance, 508.228.1894  ext. 0 
$25 per person

A cocktail reception will follow the lecture. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Nancee Erickson Memorial Fund in support of educational programs at the NHA 1800 House. 

For a complete list of NHA 1800 House class offerings this summer and fall click here

 

July 2011 | Public Programs 

Friday, July 8
117th NHA Annual Meeting
5 p.m. | Peter Foulger Gallery | 15 Broad Street

Join us for the 117th NHA Annual Meeting open to all members. After the meeting, members will have the opportunity to view the NHA's new film, Nantucket, by award-winning documentary producer Ric Burns. 

 

Monday, July 11 & Tuesday, July 12
Theatrical Performance: Moby-Dick Rehearsed 
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. | Performance begins at 7 p.m. 
Whaling Museum | 13 Broad Street

The NHA and Theatre Workshop of Nantucket (TWN) present the one-act play Moby-Dick Rehearsed. This one act play, written by Orson Welles in 1950, stars John Shea and celebrates the enduring legacy of Herman Melville's masterpiece of American Literature. For tickets contact TWN box office, or call 508.228.4305.

 

Saturday, July 16
NHA Book Signing
1 - 3 p.m. | Museum Shop | 11 Broad Street  

Celebrate the launch of a new NHA publication, The 'Sconset Actors Colony: Broadway Offshore, by NHA research fellow Betsey Tyler. 

 

Sunday, July 17 
Family Adventure at the Oldest House
10 a.m. - Noon | NHA Oldest House | 16 Sunset Hill 

Create and play with the NHA! Families with children under 12 years of age are invited to explore the Oldest House and its grounds with a variety of period games and hands-on activities. 
NHA members: $5 per child; non-members: $10 per child
Accompanying adults are free. 

 

Wednesday, July 20 

Family Concert with Chanteyman Don Sineti

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. | Concert at 7 p.m. |

Whaling Museum | 13 Broad Street

 

Mystic Seaport's Don Sineti returns to Nantucket to share songs of the high seas and chanteys that chronicle maritime heritage. 

Free for NHA members | $10 non-members | Tickets available at the door or in advance at 508.228.1894 ext.0

  

Thursday, July 21

Hadwen after Dark

7 p.m. | Hadwen House | 96 Main Street

 

Join us in the front parlor of the Hadwen House at twilight as craftsman and historian Don Carpentier demonstrates the lighting technology of the nineteenth century. 

Free for NHA members | $15 for non-members 

 

Thursday, July 28

First in Series: 

Master Art Classes at Greater Light

10 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Greater Light | 8 Howard Street 

 

Hone your skills in an inspiring setting. Join Artists Association of Nantucket (AAN) master artists along with Ben Simons, the NHA's Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator, for a one-day retreat at the NHA's  beautiful, newly restored Greater Light property. This special partnership features a behind-the-scenes tour of the historic house, plein air painting and sketching in the Greater Light garden, an elegant catered picnic lunch, and the company of fellow artists. 

 

July 28 - Pencil and ink, with Anne Sutherland

August 4 - Water-miscible oil, with Bobby Fraizer 

August 11- Watercolor, with M.J. Levy-Dickson

Space is limited. Register with AAN

NHA and AAN members, $200 | Non members, $250


Plan your next special event at an NHA property.