Whaling Museum
May 2015
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Hours & Information
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street
(508) 228-1894

May 1 - 22
Open daily
11 A.M. - 4 P.M.

May 23 - October 30
Open daily
10 A.M. - 5 P.M.
  
Historic Sites
The sites will reopen on May 23, 2015.

May 23 - October 12
Open daily 
11 A.M. - 4 P.M.
  
Research Library
7 Fair Street
(508) 228-1894

Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays
10 A.M. - 4 P.M.

Tuesdays
11 A.M. - 4 P.M. 

Closed Wednesdays, weekends, & all legal holidays.
  
Administrative Offices
15 Broad Street
(508) 228-1894

Monday - Friday
9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
  
Museum Shop
11 Broad Street
(508) 228-1894

Open daily 
10 A.M. - 5 P.M.

1800 House
4 Mill Street
(508) 228-1894

Classes will begin in June 2015. 
Become an 
NHA Member!
Membership
Is it time to renew your NHA membership? Perhaps there are people in your life that would benefit from all that the NHA has to offer?
  
Memberships are available for an individual, family, business or as a gift, starting at just $55.
  
Relive the Magic of Nantucket
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!
Nantucket DVD
NHA Historic Films
Historic Films
See digitized historic films and NHA programs online on the NHA's YouTube channel!
YouTube
Share Your Thoughts on the NHA
TA
Have you visited the NHA recently? We want to hear about it! Visit Trip Advisor today!
WM
We look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Host Your Special Event with the NHA!
Special Events
No matter how big or small your special occasion, we have the perfect location for you at one of our many NHA properties! These magical sites are available for rental and are sure to make your gathering a truly unique Nantucket experience.

For information on dates and availability, contact NHA Manager of Special Functions Ashley Martin at (508) 228-1894 ext. 131, or [email protected].
Historic Photo & Accession of the Month
Accession
Wooden Staircase Model

Donated by artist Donn Russell in 2014, this wooden staircase model was designed for his home on West Dover Street. The photo below shows the actual staircase in his home, which the model was built to scale in the likeness of. 
Historic Photo
See this image and thousands more in the NHA collection by visiting our online collections database!
Museum Shop 
Item of the Month
Museum Shop
The complete illustrated edition, Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex, is the extraordinary and distressing memoir of Owen Chase that inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. This beautifully illustrated edition features an introduction by Gilbert King, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Available at the NHA Museum Shop at 11 Broad Street or online for $35!
Save the Date: 2015 Antiques & Design Show of Nantucket
ADSN

The Antiques & Design Show of Nantucket is the highlight of the summer season, and one of the most highly regarded antiques show on the east coast. Mark your calendars for this week of dazzling events July 29-August 3, 2015!

ADSN

For information or to purchase tickets to Antiques & Design Show of Nantucket events, contact NHA Special Events Manager Stacey Stuart at (508) 228-1894 ext. 130 or email [email protected].
NEW: Official In the Heart of the Sea Walking Tour
IHOTS
Inspired by Nathaniel Philbrick's best-selling book In the Heart of the Sea, the NHA's new ninety-minute walking tour visits historic downtown locations relating to the crew of the ill-fated whaleship Essex. This harrowing true story of a Nantucket whaleship stove by a whale in the Pacific Ocean will be released as a major motion picture in December 2015 by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard. 

The official In the Heart of the Sea walking tour runs daily starting May 23 through October 30, 2015. Walking tours meet in the Whaling Museum lobby at 13 Broad Street. Tickets are sold at the Whaling Museum front desk on a first come, first served basis. No reservations. Rain or shine.
A Note from NHA Gosnell Executive Director
Bill Tramposch
bill tramposch
Despite the heavy weather on Nantucket, our staff has been working away under the snow all winter long.

You will be amazed at what you see when you return to our Whaling Museum and our sites. New first-rate exhibitions; the new official In the Heart of the Sea walking tour; a schedule replete with engaging programs; and some new dynamic additions to our staff. 

Michael R. Harrison, our Robyn and John Davis Chief Curator has, with his team, transformed our McCausland Gallery in the Whaling Museum.

In the NHA's new major exhibition, Stove by a Whale: 20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days, you can join the ill-fated voyage of the Essex, but have the ability to leave if you wish (an opportunity that sadly eluded the original crew). You will not want to leave, though. I assure you. It is one of the best exhibitions I have seen in a long time. 

Also, we have a new director in charge of NHA properties. Cathy Taylor, an award-winning preservationist with an impressive background in California state and national parks, has joined us and is already leaning into her new role as Director of Properties. She begins full-time in mid-May and we are thrilled to have her on our team!

Here's to a wonderful 2015 summer season, made more wonderful for us because of your interest and support!
Stove by a Whale
Member Exhibition Opening Celebration


Stove by a Whale: 
20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days
Member Exhibition Opening Celebration
Thursday, May 21
Doors open at 6 P.M. 
Remarks at 6:30 P.M. 
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street
FREE for NHA members

Join us as we celebrate the NHA's new major exhibition, Stove by a Whale: 20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days, on the evening of May 21, 2015. This celebration is open to all current members of the NHA. 

Please R.S.V.P. by Monday, May 18, 2015 to [email protected] or (508) 228-1894, ext. 116. 
Characters and Collections: Island Novelties and the Early Years of Nantucket Tourism
Exhibit Opens at Whitney Gallery
Whitney

Characters and Collections: Island Novelties and the Early Years of Nantucket Tourism
Exhibit Opening
Friday, May 22
5:30 P.M. 
Whitney Gallery
7 Fair Street
Open to the public

Join us for the opening of the Characters and Collections: Island Novelties and the Early Years of Nantucket Tourism exhibit on May 22, 2015 in the Whitney Gallery at the NHA Research Library at 7 Fair Street, beginning at 5:30 P.M.

This new exhibit explores the quirky characters, cabinets of curiosities, and museum collections that showcased the oddities and treasures of the island during the first flowering of tourism on Nantucket. 

After the opening, this exhibit will be open to the public during regular Research Library hours.
May 2015 Programs
Poetry
A Night of Poetry 
Friday, May 1 & Saturday, May 2
7 P.M. (doors open at 6:30 P.M.)
$20/person
Greater Light
8 Howard Street

Spring into the season with a magical evening of poetry with the NHA and Theatre Workshop of Nantucket! A Night of Poetry, directed by Meredith Martin, features familiar works from W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, Thornton Wilder, Dylan Thomas, and more, and is read by Nantucket actors and community members. 

TWN A not-to-miss event in one of Nantucket's most beautiful historic properties! Get your tickets now at www.nha.org/tickets.
Young at Art
Young at Art: 
Mother's Day Card Craft
Saturday, May 9
1 - 4 P.M. 
FREE for NHA members
$5/general public 
Discovery Room
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street

Join us for our final installment of Young at Art this spring, the drop-in arts and crafts series in the Discovery Room at the Whaling Museum!

On May 9, kids can show mom they care by creating a special, one-of-a-kind card, just in time for Mother's Day! 

This program is free for NHA members, and only $5 for the general public.
Our Nantucket Our Nantucket: Celebration of Bulgaria
Sunday, May 17
5 - 7 P.M.
FREE
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street

Join us for the second installment in a year-long series called Our Nantucket, focused on highlighting the rich and varied cultures that make up today's Nantucket community.This month, we celebrate Bulgaria with our friends and neighbors during a FREE evening of delicious food, song, dance, and so much more!

Do not miss this joyous international evening under the great whale as we celebrate Nantucket's wonderful diversity!CFNAN

Made possible with generous support from the Community Foundation for Nantucket.
Member Thursday
Member Thursdays:
Evening at the Museum
Thursday, May 28
5 - 7 P.M.
FREE for NHA members
$10 for non-member adults
$5 for children, ages 6 -17
Free for children under 6
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street

Join the NHA for extended evening hours at the Whaling Museum! Enjoy the museum's permanent collections and newest special exhibitions after hours.

Get an exclusive tour of the NHA's new major exhibition Stove by a Whale: 20 Men, 3 Boats, 96 Days with NHA Robyn & John Davis Chief Curator Michael Harrison at 6 P.M.

Experience the Whaling Museum in a whole new light!
Oldest House Four Centuries 
Domestic Walking Tour
Saturday, May 30
10 A.M. - Noon 
$10/person
Oldest House
16 Sunset Hill

MMA Join the NHA, Maria Mitchell Association and Nantucket Preservation Trust, for a unique collaborative walking tour that looks at the changes in domestic life over four centuries and how it shaped homes, buildings, neighborhoods, and land use. NPT Participants meet at the Oldest House at 16 Sunset Hill and explore nearby neighborhoods.

No reservations required. Cash only.
Jonathan OllyLecture: "New England's Mythic Fisherman" with historian Jonathan Olly
Saturday, May 30
6 P.M. (doors open at 5:30 P.M.)
FREE for NHA members
$10/general public
Whaling Museum
13 Broad Street

Join the NHA for a special evening lecture with historian Jonathan Olly, exploring the myth and reality of New England's fishing communities. From the romanticized icon of the "old sea salt" to the struggle for representation facing today's fishermen, Jonathan Olly tells the story of New England's fishermen and their lasting place in the American imagination.
Summer 2015 Historic Arts & Crafts Courses
at the NHA 1800 House
1800 House Join us for another exciting season of historic arts & crafts courses at the NHA 1800 House!

Upcoming 2015 classes include woodcarving, needlework, sailors valentines, scrimshaw, letterpress printing, ceramic transferware, and much more!

To view the 2015 course descriptions, visit www.nha.org/1800house. To register for classes, call (508) 228-1894 or email [email protected].
Help the Nepalese Relief Effort
Nepal

In the wake of the NHA's "Our Nantucket: Celebration of Nepal," a standing-room only, community-wide celebration of diversity and Nepalese culture at the Whaling Museum a mere twelve days before the April 24 earthquake, Nantucketers have never been better positioned to help our Nepalese friends and neighbors in their time of need.

The Nepalese community on Nantucket seeks the love and support of fellow islanders at this difficult time, and ask that concerned friends, neighbors, and citizens help in the urgently needed relief efforts in Nepal by donating any dollar amount to the Nantucket Nepalese Relief Fund via the Community Foundation for Nantucket. These funds will be evenly distributed to the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders and their relief efforts in Nepal.

https://cfnan.org/give-now/named-funds/nantucket-nepalese-relief-fund
Historic Sites and Walking Tours 
Reopen May 23
Historic Sites
Beginning on Saturday, May 23, 2015, the Whaling Museum will be open from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. daily, just in time for the busy summer season on Nantucket!

The NHA's historic sites and walking tours will also open for the season on Saturday, May 23, 2015!

After a long winter, your favorite Nantucket historic properties like the Fire Hose Cart House, Greater Light, Old Mill, Old Gaol, and Oldest House will be open to the public once again.

IHOTS Enjoy our historic walking tours, which depart from the Whaling Museum twice daily. Don't miss the brand-new official In the Heart of the Sea walking tour, focusing on the lives of the crew members of the ill-fated Nantucket whaleship Essex (see sidebar for more info).

Learn about the rich history of Nantucket on foot with one of our expert guides!

For the full list of 2015 offerings, visit www.nha.org/hours.
Welcome to Our Newest
NHA Business Members!

Chip Webster
Snapbooth

We are thrilled to welcome these brand new business members to the NHA family:

Our year-round NHA Business Members support us in all that we do for the community!

Business members not only proudly sustain one of Nantucket's leading year-round cultural institutions, but also enjoy promotion in a wide array of NHA publications and venues, including print and digital media.

Learn more about the benefits of an NHA business membership and join us!

Call NHA Membership Coordinator Molly McIlvaine at (508) 228-1894, ext. 116 or email [email protected].
Nantucket Historical Association | [email protected] | www.nha.org
P.O. Box 1016
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1894