Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 10, 2012

I am just through with a summer and a summer is to me always a trying ordeal. I have determined not to spend so much time at the Atheneum another season. To put someone in my place who shall see all the strange faces, and hear the strange talk … . My visitors … have been of the average sort. Four women have been delighted to make my acquaintance, three men have thought themselves in the presence of a superior being, one has offered me 25 cents because I reached him the key of the museum {her duties as librarian included the care and cataloging of the museum collection – items from all over the world brought back on Nantucket whaleships and from the travels of islanders and others}, one woman has opened a correspondence with me and several have told me that they knew friends of mine … . I have become hardened to all, neither compliment nor quarter dollar rouses any emotion. My fit of humility which has troubled me all summer, is shaken by the first cool breeze of Autumn and the first walk taken without perspiration.


Due to her fame as the woman astronomer who had discovered a comet, Mara Mitchell found that many visitors to Nantucket came to the Atheneum specifically to see her. A private and modest person, Maria found this fame trying and difficult.


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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