Nantucket Official Guide | Page 20

History and Historical Sites
T

hirty miles at sea, our “Faraway
Island” is a haven of architectural
preservation, boasting two meticulously
preserved village centers, Nantucket Town
and Siasconset. Prime examples of architecture from the Colonial, Federal, Greek
Revival and Victorian periods abound,
and an impressive
concentration of
early 20th century
structures continue
to stand sentinel,
in proud homage
to Nantucket’s rich
and diverse history.
Discovery of
petroleum oil in
Pennsylvania in the
mid 1800’s
sounded a death
knell for the
whaling industry
and the island
became a virtual
“ghost town” for a
half-century; thus,
its exceptional
architecture survived, undisturbed. In the
late 19th-century, the nation’s preservation movement was born, and endeavors
to safeguard Nantucket’s wealth of

18 • 2016 Official Guide to Nantucket

historic resources were set in motion. One
of the initial efforts in historic preservation was restoring the Old Mill in 1894;
subsequently, contractors and property
owners joined the crusade to retain the
historic integrity of island structures.
In 1955, Nantucket became one of
the first communities in the United
States to establish
a local historic
district, and the
Town-appointed
Historic District
Commission
began its vigilant
regulation of all
exterior aspects
of construction.
In 1966, Nantucket’s historic
district was designated one of
the country’s first
National Historic
Landmarks (NHL),
which was expanded in 1975 to include
the entirety of Nantucket Island, as well
as Muskeget and Tuckernuck.

Inset photo ©Michael Galvin