Like any community, Nantucket has its unusual and sometimes quirky stories about events and happenings on the island. But considering Nantucket’s unique history on the worldwide stage, sometimes these stories reach far beyond Nantucket’s watery border.
- The Proprietors’ Roads
At the beginning of English settlement on Nantucket, most of the island was one unfenced common for the grazing of...More Read more from The Proprietors’ Roads - What is a sheep common?
In 1659, when a group of English investors purchased shares in Nantucket, they set off homestead lots for each shareholder,...More Read more from What is a sheep common? - What is an “Underground Moon”?
In the days before modern weather forecasting, Nantucketers anticipated bad weather around the time of an underground moon. The Inquirer...More Read more from What is an “Underground Moon”? - What is the history of Stone Alley?
Stone Alley is a cobbled passage with a few steps midway as it descends from Orange Street down to Union...More Read more from What is the history of Stone Alley? - What is the Madaket Ditch?
The Madaket Ditch is a waterway that meanders from Hither Creek, starting near Madaket Marine, and ends up connecting to...More Read more from What is the Madaket Ditch? - What special right to seaweed have Nantucket residents enjoyed?
In 1904 a committee making recommendations for the management of the Cliff Bathing Beach included: “The right to collect seaweed...More Read more from What special right to seaweed have Nantucket residents enjoyed? - What was a Hiding Candy Frolic?
A Hiding Candy Frolic was an elaborate game of hide and seek played by Nantucket High School students in the...More Read more from What was a Hiding Candy Frolic? - What was going on in Nantucket around the time when American women finally got the vote?
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits states and the federal government from denying the right to vote...More Read more from What was going on in Nantucket around the time when American women finally got the vote? - Phrenology and Nantucket history
The phrenology craze of the first half of the 1800s swept Nantucket in the 1830s. A series of phrenology lectures...More Read more from Phrenology and Nantucket history - What was the Brotherhood of Thieves Riot?
The Brotherhood of Thieves Riot refers to riots that occurred in the streets of Nantucket in the summer of 1842....More Read more from What was the Brotherhood of Thieves Riot? - What was the hot topic for Nantucket government in 1882?
Nantucketers’ traditional practice of opening freshwater ponds to the sea has generated controversy and any number of unauthorized openings over...More Read more from What was the hot topic for Nantucket government in 1882? - Steamboat Island Belle
The Island Belle was the only Nantucket-built steamboat. Local entrepreneurs William F. Codd and William M. Robinson built the 36-foot...More Read more from Steamboat Island Belle - What was the pest house and what became of it?
Pest House Pond, Pest House Shore, and Pest House Channel in and near Shimmo appear frequently in the newspapers. But...More Read more from What was the pest house and what became of it? - The Sheep Wars
For close to two centuries Nantucketers maintained much of the island outside of town as unfenced Common and Undivided Land...More Read more from The Sheep Wars - When did Catalpa trees come to Nantucket?
Catalpa trees are native to North America, but they did not grow on Nantucket until they were brought to the...More Read more from When did Catalpa trees come to Nantucket? - The Beginnings of Golf on Nantucket
Summer visitors were responsible for the creation of the island’s golf courses as Nantucket catered more and more to the...More Read more from The Beginnings of Golf on Nantucket - When did women first vote on Nantucket?
Women on Nantucket voted for the first time in February 1880. The Massachusetts legislature passed a law allowing women to...More Read more from When did women first vote on Nantucket? - Where did the cobblestones on Main Street come from?
The answer is we do not know for certain. But we do know that they did not arrive as ballast...More Read more from Where did the cobblestones on Main Street come from? - Where is Nantucket’s Coon Street and how did it get its name?
Coon Street runs between Orange Street and Union Street, parallel to York Street to the north and Beaver Street to...More Read more from Where is Nantucket’s Coon Street and how did it get its name? - Where was Break Neck Alley?
Break Neck Alley was the name of the way that still exists down from the south side of Academy Hill...More Read more from Where was Break Neck Alley? - Where were Cat Alley and the Indian Trail?
Both of these footpaths behind the houses on Orange Street are remembered but no longer passable. In 1928 Grace Barnes...More Read more from Where were Cat Alley and the Indian Trail? - Why is there a big water tower on Cliff Road near Maxcy’s Pond?
It is the third water-storage facility there and all that is left on the site of the original Wannacomet Water...More Read more from Why is there a big water tower on Cliff Road near Maxcy’s Pond? - Proprietors’ Shares and Sheep Commons
The original English plan for Nantucket in 1659 was for a proprietorship with ten shareholders. Each of these ten chose...More Read more from Proprietors’ Shares and Sheep Commons - Why was there a Silk Factory on Nantucket?
One of the first industries on Nantucket not connected to whaling involved silk. In the mid-1830s, silk was all the...More Read more from Why was there a Silk Factory on Nantucket? - Why would Nantucket aspire to become part of New York State?
Three times during the twentieth century Nantucket received national publicity for threatening to secede from Massachusetts and join New York....More Read more from Why would Nantucket aspire to become part of New York State? - Is the “Oldest House” really the oldest house on Nantucket?
The Jethro Coffin House (the “Oldest House”) on Sunset Hill, built for the 1686 wedding of Jethro Coffin and Mary...More Read more from Is the “Oldest House” really the oldest house on Nantucket? - The Beginnings of Baseball on Nantucket
Walt Whitman loved the game of baseball. In his wandering about the parks of New York and Brooklyn he witnessed...More Read more from The Beginnings of Baseball on Nantucket - Did Step Lane originally have steps?
Yes. Nantucket once had at least three passageways with steps in them: Stone Alley, Break Neck Alley, and Step Lane. ...More Read more from Did Step Lane originally have steps? - Mother Carey’s Chickens Come Home to Roost on Nantucket
Tales of the sea often make reference to “Mother Carey’s Chickens,” tiny birds found far off-shore that would dart and...More Read more from Mother Carey’s Chickens Come Home to Roost on Nantucket - Folger’s Marsh
On the 1869 Ewer map of Nantucket, the area today known as Folger’s Marsh is only identified by the creek...More Read more from Folger’s Marsh - Nantucket, New York?
Nantucket—along with Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands—was attached to the New York colony until 1692, when by act of...More Read more from Nantucket, New York? - How did Nantucket fare in the 1918 flu pandemic?
News of the worldwide 1918 influenza outbreak began to circulate in Nantucket with reports of deaths at army camps. In...More Read more from How did Nantucket fare in the 1918 flu pandemic? - How did Nantucket get so many deer?
Thousands of years ago, when Nantucket was still part of the mainland, deer roamed right out to the edge of...More Read more from How did Nantucket get so many deer? - How long has the 4th of July Main Street water fight been going on?
The annual 4th of July Main Street water fight began in 1981, when H. Flint Ranney challenged Fire Chief Bruce...More Read more from How long has the 4th of July Main Street water fight been going on? - How long has there been steamboat service to Nantucket from the mainland?
In 1818 the Eagle was the first steamboat to cross Nantucket Sound. In 1828 the Hamilton visited Nantucket but was...More Read more from How long has there been steamboat service to Nantucket from the mainland? - Right Whales and Nantucket
At the end of fall, and with the winter months approaching, some Nantucketers plan their migration to warmer weather for...More Read more from Right Whales and Nantucket - Straw Hats on Nantucket
The most successful factory in Nantucket history manufactured straw hats. The Atlantic Straw Company opened its doors in 1853 and...More Read more from Straw Hats on Nantucket - The History of the Chicken Box
It may be surprising to learn that the “black Colonel Sanders of Nantucket” was originally from Kentucky. Born on November...More Read more from The History of the Chicken Box - The Right Whale…but Wrong Story.
The Right Whale is so often in the news of late as its numbers in the North Atlantic decline ever...More Read more from The Right Whale…but Wrong Story. - The Steamship Authority Strike of 1960
On April 15, 1960, a barge arrived in Nantucket harbor, carrying automobiles to the island. Surprisingly, this was passenger transportation...More Read more from The Steamship Authority Strike of 1960 - Were there ever bowling alleys on Nantucket?
Islanders who want to go bowling today have to go to the Cape, and many do, especially when a boat...More Read more from Were there ever bowling alleys on Nantucket? - What and Where are the Poot Ponds?
There are several small kettle-hole ponds in the Middle Moors near Altar Rock. One is known as the Doughnut Pond...More Read more from What and Where are the Poot Ponds? - What and where is Snake Alley?
Snake Alley is a grassy way down into the Lily Pond from Lily Street. It is the extension of the...More Read more from What and where is Snake Alley? - What and where was the Newtown Gate?
A: The Newtown Gate was one of a number of gates in a livestock fence that surrounded the town. From...More Read more from What and where was the Newtown Gate? - The 1799 Streets
From the time when the first English settlers came to Nantucket in the mid-1600s until after the American Revolution, Nantucketers...More Read more from The 1799 Streets - “Widow’s Walks”
This postcard from the early 20th century depicts Bloom Street and is captioned, “An old time home showing ‘the widow’s...More Read more from “Widow’s Walks”