A Patchwork of Tiles

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 8, 2015

What you are looking at is the interior south wall of the MMA Library/EcologyLab. I believe at some time in my blogging about the MMA Library conservation work, I mentioned that the terracotta tiles and the exterior stucco and the interior walls of the building were pretty much all one piece sp to speak. These photographs certainly illustrate that. Those ridges you see are actually the terracotta tiles which make up the structural walls of the building. When built in the early 1930s, about three coats of a lime plaster were placed on the terracotta and then tempera paint which is the more yellow looking finish you see in areas where the plaster did not fail. If not for some leaks about a decade or more ago, the plaster would not have failed because everywhere else in the Wing the plaster is in excellent condition – you can’t beat lime plaster!

But due to the damage from the leaks, the lime plaster had blistered and pulled from the terracotta so in we called Pen Austin (I have blogged about her before), an island mason who specializes in traditional methods of mortar, paint finishes, and plaster. Her work is partially Community Preservation Act funded – it became a bigger project because of the work that was completed on the outside of the building – remember again that this is all like one piece. We have the right woman – and her team – on the job and she hopes to be completed with the plaster work in about a week. It will take about a month for the lime plaster to cure and then painters can paint the walls.


JNLF

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By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 21, 2026
Sept. 24, 1881. . . . Mr. I. {van Ingen} thinks that not a person on the Board of Trustees would approve of the clause in Mr. Vassar’s will which objected to women as occupants of chairs. Just months before, Maria Mitchell had written a letter describing the controversy surrounding the bequest of Matthew Vassar to the college he founded. The large sum was separated out within his will, including the establishment of department chairs. The bequest for this action, however, did not allow for women professors to have a chair. Quite shocking for a women’s college but then, there were early trustees in the College’s founding who believed that women professors should not exist at Vassar! Maria would be the first professor Vassar hired – male OR female. JNLF

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Announces Scalloping Field Trip Programs and Special Scalloping Experiences in October and November

September 18, 2026
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Hoop Rolling

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 14, 2026
Do you know what these Mitchell House Junior Historians are doing? It is a good old-fashioned round of hoop rolling. And, they had a lot of fun learning how to use them down at the Coffin School one day. Hoop rolling or hoop trundling were popular from very early on and well into the twentieth century. By early on I mean Ancient Greece even. It’s on ancient pottery and was not limited to children! Native Americans, ancient Rome, 16 th century England – it’s been known by different names, taken various formats, played by various ages, and played through various ages. In the nineteenth century, both boys and girls did hoop rolling – and it was likely seen as a more “ladylike” active game that girls could play. I’m assuming that is likely the reason why several women’s colleges still have I tradition of rolling hoops. We use these sometimes in the summer during our weeklong Mitchell House children’s program – Junior Historians. Do not be too surprised if you see me out on the lawn on Vestal Street practicing on warm days this fall, winter, and spring! Got to get up to speed! JNLF
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