Nantucket Official Guide 2014-2015 | Page 29

Fire Hose Cart House, 8 Gardner St.
Built 40 years after the Great Fire of 1846
destroyed much of downtown Nantucket,
this property is a reminder of the pivotal role
fire played in the island’s history. This newly
restored building is the last remaining structure
of its kind on Nantucket, and houses vintage
19th century hose carts and pumpers. Guided
tours are offered daily from May 24-October 13,
2014. Visit www.nha.org or call 508-228-1894
for hours and information.
Old Gaol, 15R Vestal Street
Built in 1806, this wooden structure housed
the town’s House of Correction until 1933. One
of the oldest surviving jails in America, it is
important for its age, unique construction, and
role in the history of local law enforcement.
The town deeded the property to the NHA in
1946. The “Old Gaol” is undergoing a major
restoration by the NHA in 2014. Guided tours
are offered daily from May 24-October 13, 2014.
Visit www.nha.org or call 508-228-1894 for
hours and information.
Hadwen House, 96 Main Street
The Hadwen House was built in 1845 for
successful whaling oil and candle merchant

©Michael Galvin

Greater Light, 8 Howard Street
Originally a livestock barn dating to the late
18th century, the property was transformed
into a summer home and art studio in the
1930’s by two Quaker sisters from Philadelphia,
Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan. Greater Light
illustrates the era of island history when an art
colony thrived in the aftermath of Nantucket’s
whaling heyday. Guided tours are offered
daily from May 24-October 13, 2014. Visit
www.nha.org or call 508-228-1894 for hours
and information.

Visit www.nha.org or call 508-228-1894 for
hours and information.

NHA Research Library, 7 Fair Street
The NHA Research Library features a wide
array of manuscripts, journals, books on
maritime history, ship’s logs, genealogical
materials, and over 60,000 photographs and
visual documents. It also houses the Whitney
Gallery, a space especially suited to small
exhibitions of art and artifacts from the NHA’s
collections. Open year round. Visit www.nha.org
or call 508-228-1894 for hours and information.

©Michael Galvin

©Jeffrey Allen

William Hadwen and his wife Eunice. Its Greek
Revival façade is an architectural symbol of the
prosperity enjoyed by 19th century whaling
merchants, and its period garden is cared for
by the Nantucket Garden Club. The Hadwen
House is available for viewing on daily NHA
walking tours from May 24-October 31, 2014.

Quaker Meeting House, 7 Fair Street
Built in 1838, this structure was used as a
school and church by the Society of Friends.
The building was purchased by the NHA
in 1894 and served as its first museum. In
the 1940’s, Quakers on Nantucket formed a
worship group and met here informally once
more. Available for viewing daily on NHA
walking tours from May 24-October 31, 2014,
and open to the public during NHA
Research Library hours. Visit www.nha.org or
call 508-228-1655 for hours and information.
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