Nantucket Historical Association
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FOT Chairs 

SEE WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING  AT THE NHA 

Hours & Information

Whaling Museum

13 Broad Street 

508-228-1894 

January 2-3, 2012, 1 - 4 P.M.

(open for Festival of Trees only)

 

Museum is closed

January 4 - February 3, 2012 (reopens February 4, 2012).

  

Historic Sites

Sites are closed for the season

(reopen May 2012) .

 

Research Library
7 Fair Street
508-228-1655
Open year-round
Mon., Thu., Fri.,10 A.M. - 4 P.M.,
Tues., 11 A.M. - 4 P.M.
The library is closed Wednesdays, weekends, and all legal holidays.

  

Administrative Offices

15 Broad Street

508-228-1894, ext 0

Mon. - Fri., 9 A.M. - 5 P.M.

Office is closed Monday, January 2, and Monday, January 16, 2012.


Museum Shop

11 Broad Street

508-228-5785
The shop is closed in January; full inventory is available for purchase online or by phone.

Rate Us on TripAdvisor.com

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TripAdvisor.com is the world's largest travel website, offering visitors the chance to read independent and unbiased reviews of specific travel destinations world-wide.

 

Please take a moment to add your review of the Nantucket Historical Association's Whaling Museum.

2012 NHA Calendars

Now Available

Calendar

The Nantucket Historical Association is pleased to present its 2012 calendar, showcasing items from the collection of treasures acquired by the Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association. With historic images, charts, and artwork, our 2012 calendar will mark the passage of time with reminders of the NHA's cherished acquisitions.

 

$7.95 (plus tax)

NHA members enjoy an additional 10% discount.

 

Purchase your calendar today.

The NHA 1800 House

1800 House image

The staff of the NHA 1800 House is busy putting together the 2012 class schedule. Stay tuned for updates!

 

Learn more about the NHA 1800 House.

Time to Renew? 

 NHA Membership Button  

 

Is it time to renew your NHA membership? Or perhaps there are a few people in your life who would enjoy all that the Nantucket Historical Association has to offer?

 

Memberships are available at a variety of levels, starting at $55 for individuals and $85 for families.  

Join, renew, or give a gift membership online.

Relive the Magic of Nantucket!

Nantucket Film

Ric Burns's gateway film Nantucket is available for purchase at the NHA Museum Shop and at select retailers on the island. Purchase your copy today and share Nantucket's unique history with friends and loved ones. 

 

DVDs are $19.95 (plus tax)

Reserve the NHA for Your Special Event!

Reception Photo

The Nantucket Historical Association has a variety of properties and venues perfect for any gathering your family may wish to host, from birthday parties and rehearsal dinners to wedding ceremonies and receptions.

 

For more information, call NHA  Events Rental Coordinator Susan Beaumont at 508-228-1894, ext. 131.

 

Exceptional events begin with unforgettable venues!

 

Business Members
 
Please support the businesses that support the NHA.
 

JOIN OUR
MAILING LIST
 

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There's Still Time to Make a Difference

  

                           NHA Seal

 

Your gift to the Annual Fund will help nurture everything we do--every program we offer, every visitor we inspire, every artifact we exhibit, and every property we interpret.

 

The unrestricted support provided by the Annual Fund enables us to exceed expectations by providing memorable and transformative experiences: the premiere of the film Nantucket; the exhibition Eastman Johnson and His Contemporaries; the opening of Greater Light; and a year-round calendar of inspiring programs and events.

 

We appreciate your commitment to the NHA and hope you will continue to support our efforts to preserve and interpret Nantucket history. Your Annual Fund gift in any amount will make a difference and help us reach our goal of $280,000 by December 31, 2011.

 

There are several ways to contribute:

  • Mail to   Annual Fund 
                  Nantucket Historical Association
                  PO Box 1016
                  Nantucket, MA  02554
  • Email    [email protected]
  • Use the online form
  • Call 508-228-1894, ext. 114

 

If you have already contributed to the Annual Fund, thank you so very much! Happy Holidays from all of us at the NHA!

 

Last Chance to View the

2011 NHA Festival of Trees

FOT NIght

The 2011 Festival of Trees features over 80 creative and festive holiday trees throughout the Whaling Museum. Don't miss out on your last chance to see the beautiful display! The Festival of Trees will be open on Tuesday, December 27, from 1 - 4 PM, and again on Monday and Tuesday, January 2 and 3, 2012, from 1 to 4 PM, which will be the final public viewing days.
 
Admission is free for NHA members and children under 6, $5 for year-round Nantucket residents, and $17 general admission.

 

For more information, call 508-228-1894, ext. 0.

2012 One Book One Island

OBOI 2012 

It's time for another season of One Book One Island on Nantucket. One Book One Island is a collaborative island project of community partners and sponsors that seeks to promote reading, literacy, and community by encouraging the entire population of Nantucket to read, discuss, and reflect on the same book.

 

This year's title will be announced around January 19, 2012, and books will be available at various island locations, including the NHA Administrative Offices at 15 Broad Street, soon thereafter. Stay tuned for more details.  

Falcoln

Until then, here is a clue about the title of this year's book:

2012 NHA Summer Internship Opportunities

Interns

 

If you have an interest in American history and museum studies, the NHA might be the perfect place for a summer internship. 

 

The Nantucket Historical Association's summer internship program allows a dynamic group of students with varied interests, strengths, and goals to immerse themselves in an outstanding educational and professional environment based on collaboration and teamwork. The internship is a full-time position that begins in June 2012, and lasts ten to twelve weeks. Many past interns have continued their professional careers in the museum field, including in full-time positions at the NHA.

 

Applications are due by February 1, 2012, at  5 PM.

 

 

For more information, visit www.nha.org

or call Rebecca Miller at 508-228-1894, ext. 122.

Fire Hose-Cart House Restoration

Fire Hose Cart House 

On the heels of the restoration of the NHA's Greater Light property at 8 Howard Street, the updating of the Fire Hose-Cart House at 8 Gardner Street is now under way. Built in 1886, forty years after the Great Fire of 1846, the structure was one of many such firehouses built by town authorities to accommodate firefighting equipment. 

 

The restoration project was made possible in part by a grant from the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee, and is in line with the NHA's goal of restoring one historic property per year. The final vision for the Fire Hose-Cart House includes multiple updated displays and artifacts, as well as an interactive exhibit that will offer in-depth interpretations of the history of fires on Nantucket.

 

The first step in the restoration process was clearing out the structure and moving the artifacts to the Gosnold Support Center location for safekeeping over the winter. That process was made possible with the help of the Nantucket Fire Department's Chief Mark McDougal and Deputy Chief Ed Maxwell and various members of the Nantucket Fire Department.

 

The restoration process will last through the spring and the property is scheduled to be reopened in May 2012. 

Meet the NHA Staff: Doug Burch

Doug Burch

Doug Burch, a member of the NHA's interpretation staff, is in his twenty-fifth year with the NHA. And in that time, he's done just about everything. In addition to guiding museum visitors, Doug has also served as the editor of Historic Nantucket and wrote the Essex Gam program script for the Whaling Museum, which recounts the story of the ill-fated Nantucket whaleship Essex,  rammed by a sperm whale in 1820. 

 

Originally from Westchester County, New York, Doug Burch  graduated from Dartmouth College and then went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he settled in New York City, where he worked in the television industry as a producer. He married his wife Elton in 1949, and it was she who first brought Doug to Nantucket. "I got off the boat and immediately fell in love with the place," he said, in what is an oft-heard tale here on Nantucket. And as a side note, the newlyweds will celebrate their 63rd year of wedded bliss this month, so congratulations to Doug and Elton!

 

In 1980, the Burch family moved to Nantucket full-time. Today, he is the proud father of five children, the beaming grandfather of seven grandchildren, and the exuberant great-grandfather of two great-grandchildren. "We had four generations here at Thanksgiving!" he announced with a proud smile.

 

And he has that same sense of pride when talking about his version of the tragedy of the Essex. Doug's reputation as a storyteller has earned him a well-deserved mention in an article in Aspire, the in-flight magazine of Etihad Airways.

 

Congratulations, Doug!

Plan your next special event at an NHA property.