Getting There

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • June 17, 2019

Last fall, you may remember, we received a gift that allowed us to work with our landscaper on re-doing the garden on Vestal Street in front of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory.  I wrote a blog about it and then filled you in this spring on some of the planting.


Well, it needs some more work – onion grass is a BEAST to pull out – but we are getting there!  I’m happy to say that the mallow transplanted well, as did the Joe Pye Weed, and the Milkweed is popping up in all its random places.  I have also weeded out and planted some natives along the accessibility ramp at Hinchman House Natural Science Museum.  One will find regular garden plants mixed in – they are nice to still have and offer food to some of the visiting animals.  And along Mitchell House, I focus on heirloom plants, what was in William Mitchell’s garden and the other Mitchell family members who inhabited the House, and plants that were found in gardens in the nineteenth century.


I have installed plant tags to help identify the plants and I have two bigger garden signs that I created and are currently being fabricated (ah, the Internet).  They will be very small, printed signs on bamboo plaques but they will note why our gardens look a little messy.


We
do want the milkweed – it’s a happy host to milkweed beetles and even more importantly to monarchs which are fast losing their habitat – in fact it’s gone in many places.  We used to have thousands of monarchs every year on Vestal – not anymore.  We are lucky if we see a few dozen.  So, a wildflower and native species garden – as it has been for decades and decades in that same spot – is very important for the bird, insect, and mammalian life that needs it and also supports the MMA’s mission – just look to our Hinchman House Natural Science Museum and Department and you understand.


So come take a look, and cheer on some of our teeny, tiny seedlings as they grow.  Feel free to pull the onion grass – but leave everything else!  But oh – you can chase the bunnies away – they are back and eating everything including all my Morning Glories and they have just about taken down two gallon-sized cardinal flower plants!


JNLF

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By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger July 13, 2026
Finished. Finis. Completed. Done. Accomplished. The Mitchell House roofwalk is now done. Back to looking a bit more normal up on the ridgeline. But as I may have noted in the other post about the roofwalk, the one that was removed due to its condition and how it sat on the roof’s ridge was far from the original – or even a nineteenth century one. I am including an image from about 1908 or so in order for you to see the Mitchell House without a walk – even then. Now, an interesting fact is that I am able to date the undated photo because in the west image – where you see the open year – you can actually see the shadow of the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory – at the backside of the 1825 Kitchen. And given that shadow you also know its late afternoon since that side of the House, as noted, faces West. Another interesting feature is the long downspout – more like a side spout – that takes water from the front gutter, along the upper West façade of the House and across a window and then over the 1825 Kitchen roof where it terminated in a cistern – still in existence under the ground today. JNLF
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NANTUCKET, MA— The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is excited to announce the return of its Fourth Annual MMA Pop-Up Shopping Event, taking place July 13–15, 2026, at 33 Washington Street . The three-day event will bring together more than fifteen thoughtfully curated, female-founded brands for an elevated shopping experience, with 15% of vendor sales benefiting the Maria Mitchell Association's new Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. The annual pop-up has quickly become a summer tradition, offering island residents and visitors the opportunity to discover unique fashion, home décor, accessories, art, jewelry, gourmet foods, and lifestyle brands while supporting one of Nantucket's most beloved nonprofit organizations. This year’s vendors include Center & Spring, CJW, Classic & Curious Podcast with Anne Kokoskie, Dress More with Less, Haute Energy, Hibiscus Linens, Leigh Brown, Line in the Sand, Love All Tennis, Lulu Powers, Marfa Stance, MDVII, Michela Bruni Reichlin, Neelah Cashmere, The Preppy Stitch, Those Carls Girls, and Wendy Loves This. The event kicks off with an opening party on Monday, July 13, featuring the second annual Summer Games: Mahjong & Backgammon Tournament, presented by the Nantucket Mahjong Club . Guests will enjoy a late afternoon of friendly competition, shopping, Château Sainte Marguerite rosé, a Triple 8 cocktail by Tinker’s Bar , Caviar Nantucket , Shells Angels Raw Bar, Nantucket Nosh, and entertainment by DJ Garrett Justice . One hundred percent of tournament proceeds from the tournament will benefit the MMA Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. The shopping event will continue on Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15 with fifteen percent of all vendor sales to benefit the Maria Mitchell Association's Discovery Center & Aquarium Project. Three-Day Event Details at 33 Washington Street: MMA Opening Party with Summer Games: Mahjong & Backgammon Tournament Monday, July 13 4:00–7:00 p.m. MMA Pop-Up Shopping Event Tuesday, July 14 & Wednesday, July 15 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. For vendor information, and additional details, visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/2026-summer-pop-up About the Maria Mitchell Association: The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###
By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger July 6, 2026
July 15. {1863} My dear Sally . . . I think Mitchell is all right in his algebra. He can’t stand an examination in Trig but I don’t believe he will have a rigorous one. Father has seen the Prof. and will give him a letter to them.  If you can’t be honest with your sibling, who can you be honest with? Apparently, Sally Mitchell Barney’s son, William Mitchell Barney – known as Mitchell as his cousin William Mitchell Barney was known as Willie (how is that for honoring your father?!) – was visiting his aunt Maria and his grandfather, William Mitchell, at their home in Lynn, MA. Sally still lived on Nantucket and I suspect Mitchell was not only visiting but getting some much needed help with his mathematics by his aunt Maria. As always, she is brutally honest – he won’t pass a test in trigonometry (but, neither would I!). JNLF
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