Nantucket

Nantucket

We arrived in Nantucket around 5pm. Our first impression was the boats at the marina. There were allot of massive private yachts scattered throughout the marina.

A quick history of Nantucket. It was also settled in the early 1600’s by Europeans and inhabited before that by Native American’s thousands of years before that. The island really took off in the late 1700’s when it became the whaling capital of the world and one of the richest communities in America. It was even mentioned in the 1851 novel, “Moby Dick”. Early whaling boats were only 20 feet long and operated by 6 men using harpoons to capture the whale. The island prospered for about 50 years until sand bar build up and a great fire devastated the island and whaling in Massachusetts took over.

When we got in we went to our hotel to get checked in then walked to a nice restaurant for dinner. The next day we decided to take a scenic tour which took us around the entire island. That gave us a better idea of where we wanted to bike around. We took about a 10 mile ride around including a stop for some beverages and live music at Jette’s beach. There’s also a lighthouse called Brant lighthouse that is the second oldest lighthouse in America that we rode to. Although, it has been rebuilt a few times.

After our bike ride we ferried back to Cape Cod, had a nice dinner then headed back to the campground.

Our hotel
The Brant lighthouse
A few little yachts
That’s what a grocery store looks like on Nantucket, lol.
Some beautiful home on the beach
This figurehead came off a ship built in 1829

Little unsure of the exact history but the original church was built in the early 1700’s and I think this one in the early 1800’s
Jette’s beach
Prospect Hill cemetery. Dating back to the 1600’s
Sankaty lighthouse. Built in 1850

The clubhouse at Sankaty Golf Course, a private course
A house owned by the CEO of General Electic that sits on Sankaty Golf Course
Oldest continuously running grist mill in the US. Built in 1746 a grist mill turns grain into flour
Oldest house in Nantucket. Built in 1686

The Brant lighthouse
Nantucket timeline
Skeleton of a 46′ sperm whale and the early boats used to capture them
Candles made of whale blubber
Early harpoons used to capture whales
Scrimshaw built of whale bone
A corset made of whale bone. How’d you like to wear that?
Comments are closed.