The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-08-08
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
* CORRESPONDENCE =
1IilIilIiIIiII IiIIiIiIIiiIN,
TO OLD NANTUCKET.

1850 in the morning found us comfort
ably housed on the steamer "Nan-
tucket" with just enough Of feecy
cloud to soften the fervor of summer
sun and just enough of breeze to
fan the sea into myriads of wavelets
that playfully dashed the prov Of our
good ship as she sped sturdily through
them. Cottage City with its gaily-
colored peaks and pinnacles faded into
the distance behind US and ere long
the entire island of Martha's Vine
yard lay, a dim outline on the far
horizon, then lost to view, and for a
little while we we're entirely out of
sight of land.
By-and-by, hazy semblance of the
sister isle appeared, very gradually
resolving itself into first, cliffs guard
ing the approach by sea and, later,
wooded slopes pierced by the spires,
domes and minarets of a quaint old
town and we steamed into the harbor
of Nantucket with curious at home
feeling as agreeable as it was mex
plicable. a..&
The town has just celebrated it's
centennial as Nantucket, the name hav-
ing been changed from Sherburne in
1895 and some of the decorations were
still flying to the breeze as we ira
versed the narrow, old streets on our
way from the wharf. An occasional
modern residence peeps out upon some
of the more pretentious localities but
the most of the dwellings are real,
''old-timers' vine-embowered, with
shingled exterior and many-paned
windows, some of them looking out
upon the dear, old-fashioned garden
where hollyhocks, poppies, bachelors
buttons and nasturtiums grow in wild
profusion.
Finding our way to the northern out
skirts of the town, we climbed the
eminence upon which stands the ''Old
Mill,'' relic of 1746, and spread our
lunch upon the grass in its shadow.
There was an inexpressible charm
about it all,-the venerable patriarch
after a hundred and fifty years of bat
Ting with the elements looking down
in majestic stiffness upon the frolic OF
the present generation, the projecting
upper story over-shadowing the build
ing like a curious, old hat, the four
great arms held motionless as if to i'm.
pose a silence upon the frivolous crowd
below
Artists of the pencil and kodac scat
tered themselves about the adjacent
fields and if we were 'snapped" into
some of the various sketches produced
that day we we're at least entirely OBJ.
livious to the fact. A climb in the in.
terror was next in order and we paid
our dime at the door with surety that
we would ''get our moneys WORTH as
we certainly did.
The ancient Portuguese who is the
present owner seemed eminently ir
keeping with the must of the building
and did the honors very thoroughly
with his ''spy-glass'' and voluble ex
plantations. He told us that the mil
had been in operation until within the
last two decades but was now open only
for the inspection of tourists.
An extensive view of the island is
afforded from the windows of the up
per story and the bulky machinery
to which clings the must of ages, i
very interesting. It is said that dur
ing the Revolutionary war cannon
ball sent from a man-of-war lying il
the harbor passed completely through
the building within foot of the mill
er's head.
Next on our list was the "oldes
house," built in 1886 and thither, afte
many inquiries and as many conflict
ing directions, we found our way. On
willing informant told us to go forwar
and "turn to the left" and the next,
l few PAGES away, said that we must ''g
9 back and turn to the right"
Finally, however, coming upon
''short CUT we invaded a farmyard,-
the occupants thereof being temper
arily absent, -crossed meadow wher
we were obliged to leap a brool
crawled through a fence and climbe
hill at whose summit stood the oil
v ject of our search. '
II 1t was built by one Jethro Coffin an
:, is now owned by descendant but hi
been long uninhabited and the grass
~ have grown high about it's doors an
, windows which are securely boarde
up so that there is not crack nj
Granny where the eye curious can pee
through. Upon the broad, flat CHR
J. ney is curious device, something lii
an inverted u, perhaps intended #
the mystic horseshoe and the who
10 structure leans as if weary with IL
l. burden of it's years. AS we made Of