Gertrude Monaghan (1887–1962) and Hanna Monaghan (1889–1972), Quaker sisters from Philadelphia, discovered an old livestock barn (built around 1790) on Nantucket’s Howard Street in 1929. They transformed it into a summer sanctuary and art studio for their private use, naming it “Greater Light” after the sun.
This house tour is based on Hanna Monaghan’s posthumously published book, Greater Light on Nantucket, a Memoir. You’ll hear Hanna’s stories in her own words about how the eclectic objects and architectural features in the house were acquired, often miraculously as she tells it. The tour is augmented with information from her friend Dr. Selena Johnson, who edited the book and became Greater Light’s first caretaker and tour guide after the house passed into the hands of the Nantucket Historical Association.
CLICK AN AREA BELOW TO TOUR GREATER LIGHT.
Banner photo of Greater Light, ca. 1930, shortly after it was remodeled by the Monaghan sisters, PH37-n54.
This online exhibition is based on an exhibit interactive formerly installed at Greater Light, which was made possible by a gift from Jay Bauer in memory of his wife Binnie Bauer.