The 10 Best Historic Sites in Nantucket, Massachusetts (MA)

The Oldest House on Sunset Hill, also known as the Jethro Coffin House, was built in 1686 and is believed to be the oldest residence on Nantucket still on its original site. The island’s English population at the time totaled several hundred, and the native Wampanoag outnumbered them by at least three to one. Built as a wedding gift for Jethro Coffin (1663–1727) and Mary Gardner (1670–1767), the house represents the unity of two of the island’s oldest families. Jethro was the grandson of one of the island’s original proprietors, Tristram Coffin, and Mary was the daughter of John Gardner, one of the leaders of the so-called Half-Share Revolt, in which the island’s tradesmen rallied against the wealthier full-share proprietors. Although the relationship between Gardner and Coffin was never amicable, the marriage of Mary and Jethro helped unite the families and soothe old wounds. Built on Gardner land using Coffin lumber, the house is a physical manifestation of this unity.

The Hadwen House is a Greek Revival mansion built in 1846 by whaling merchant and silver retailer William Hadwen at the peak of Nantucket’s prosperity as the whaling capital of the world. The home is one of the most elaborate examples of Greek revival architecture on the island and the only publicly accessible mansion of its age in the area. Today, this Historic Home features exhibitions on various topics such as Decorative Arts, Suffrage and Slavery, Architecture, and more!

Greater Light, located at 8 Howard Street, was the summer home and studio of Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan, two independent, highly educated, unmarried Quaker sisters from Philadelphia. Gertrude (1887–1962), a professional artist, and Hanna (1889–1972), an actress and author, first came to the island in 1923, renting a small studio near the harbor. Originally built around 1790 as a livestock barn, the sisters discovered Greater Light in 1929 when they followed a herd of cattle up Main Street. Enthralled, they purchased the dilapidated building and set about transforming it into their own summer oasis, adorning it with cast-off architectural elements, decorative objects, and eclectic furniture. Their personal aesthetic blended art and whimsy with an appreciation of unique handcrafted works—woven, carved, forged, or painted—that coalesced in an environment that is a monument to their spirit.

Nantucket built its first jail in 1696 on Vestal Street. In 1805 taxpayers decided to spend $2,090 (roughly the cost of building a whaleship at the time) to build a new, sturdier penal facility also on Vestal Street. Opened in 1806 and dubbed the “New Gaol,” the wooden structure represents colonial architecture with exceptional reinforcements. The New Gaol was constructed using massive oak timbers with iron bolts running the length of the walls, iron rods across the windows and heavy wooden doors reinforced with iron. 1933 saw the last prisoner housed in what is now known as the “Old Gaol.” The town closed the property and deeded it to the Nantucket Historical Association in 1946.

The Quaker (Friends) Meeting House on Fair Street was erected in 1838 and originally served as a Friends School for the Wilburite Sect. The building was purchased from the Friends in 1894, and became the NHA’s first museum. In the 1940s, Quakers on Nantucket formed a worship group, and with the permission of the NHA began to meet, informally, once more in the meetinghouse.

Built forty years after the Great Fire of 1846 destroyed much of downtown Nantucket, the NHA Fire Hose Cart House is a reminder of the pivotal role fire played in Nantucket’s history. This newly-restored building at 8 Gardner Street is the last remaining structure of its kind to house vintage nineteenth-century hose carts and pumpers, including “Cataract #6”, which survived the Great Fire of 1846. The restoration project was made possible in part by a grant from the Nantucket Community Preservation Committee. The restoration includes updated displays and artifacts, as well as an interactive exhibit that offers in-depth interpretations of the history of fires on Nantucket.

Discover this rare fully furnished Main Street mansion. Built ca. 1800 by Valentine Swain and remolded in 1832 by Thomas and Eunice Macy. The house stayed in the Macy family for more than 100 years. Jacqueline Harris later purchased the home in 1945 and today it remains the same as it was when she lived there.