The name Nantucket is derived from an Indian word meaning “faraway land” or “land far out to sea.”- Nantucket is an island, a county and a town – the only place in America with the same name for all three.
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Nantucket has no traffic lights, neon signs or fast food restaurant chains.
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Because of the grey-shingled buildings and frequent fog, Nantucket is affectionately referred to as the “Little Grey Lady of the Sea.”
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The entire island is a historic district designated as a National Historic Landmark, with more than 800 houses still standing that were built before the Civil War. Nantucket also has more properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places - qualifying as totally preserved buildings - than anywhere in Massachusetts including Boston, Plymouth and Salem.
Nantucket was populated by approximately 1,500 Native Americans of the Wampanoag Tribe when it was discovered by Captain Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602.
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The English settlement of Nantucket began in 1659 when Thomas Mayhew sold his interests to the “nine original purchasers:” Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher Hussey, Richard Swayne, Thomas Bernard, Peter Coffin, Stephen Greeenleafe, John Swayne and William Pike for the sum of “thirty pounds and two beaver hats…one for myself, and one for my wife.”
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Nantucket was considered the Whaling Capital of the World from 1800 – 1840. During this time, the island was the third-largest city in Massachusetts with a population of 10,000. Only Boston and Salem were larger.
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The Great Fire of 1846 destroyed the wharves and much of the business district. In addition, the discovery of petroleum, dwindling demand for whale oil, the silting-up of the harbor and discovery of gold in California marked the end of whaling era prosperity. An economic depression resulted which lasted until the tourism industry replaced whaling as the island’s economic base.
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Benjamin Franklin’s mother, Abiah Folger, was born on Nantucket. In 1786, when Franklin was the Postmaster General of the United States, he appointed Nantucketer Captain Timothy Folger be the first to chart the Gulf Stream reducing sailing time to England by approximately two weeks.
Nantucket was home port to two ships involved in the Boston Tea Party - the Beaver and the Dartmouth. They were owned by the Rotch family whose offices were located in the brick building at the foot of Main Street, now the Pacific Club.
Herman Melville based Moby Dick on the ramming of the Nantucket ship Essex by an angry whale in 1820. He received his information from Owen Chase, a mate on the Essex who kept the ship’s log.
The “roof walks” or “widows’ walks” atop many island homes were used to spot incoming ships or for pouring sand down a burning chimney.
The first wireless radio station in North America was built in Siasconset in 1901 and operated by the New York Herald. It relayed the first successful rescue signals from the sinking liner Republic in 1909.
Petticoat Row, once located on Centre Street, was named for the many women who owned and operated the shops that lined the downtown thoroughfares. Women traditionally ran the town of Nantucket, as their husbands traveled the seas for years at a time.
Nantucket is usually 10% cooler than the mainland in the summer and 10% warmer in the winter because of its proximity to the Gulf Steam. The island also gets much less snow than mainland, usually 8 – 18 inches per year.
Nantucket Memorial Airport is the second-busiest commercial airport in Massachusetts. Logan International Airport in Boston is first.