Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • May 10, 2021

May 29 {1857}. Richmond . . . . The Hotel did not promise much from the outside, but we had a good room and sat down to a good table. I looked around with complacency upon its abundance, tasted its good coffee, broke bread and asked for butter. “We have none” said the waiter, “it can’t be had in this part of the country.” I looked at the milk and I said to the Landlady “Why can’t butter be made in this country?” “Oh,” said she, “we have it usually but have not now for five days. Blountville is the county town and the lawyers were all here last week and they’ve eaten up all.” “How large is your population?” asked Prudie. “Three hundred,” she replied. We looked at each other in amazement. The county town has 300 people, how few people have the other towns!


Before her tour of Europe, Maria and Prudie – the young woman she chaperoned for these    tours – visited the southern United States. They had some interesting exploits. From visiting the Natural Bridge to Mammoth Cave (you try climbing ladders and crawling in caves with a bonnet, heeled shoes, petticoats, long skirts and a corset!) to New Orleans and Atlanta, they covered a lot of ground. Maria was not without her complaints, however. Having already spent a night at a hotel in which she advised people to not look too closely at the black spot on their pillowcase and, “ . . . just get in bed and go to sleep at once and keep asleep if you can,” to this small town – that was actually the largest town – that couldn’t keep up with its butter supply she seemed to come across minor, but interesting situations.


JNLF

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Shards

By Jascin N. Leonardo FInger • 06 May, 2024
I have written of my love for sea glass and pottery shards in the past and the recent replacement of the sewer and water lines on Vestal Street created a small shard collection over the last month. Since the work required the asphalt to be completely removed (all twelve inches of it!) and the road to be dug up multiple times as they worked to remove pipe, relay new pipe, hook up the water meters, and install drainage and manhole covers, this resulted in the earth in the street being tossed about quite a bit. And, with that, came the shards! Some of these likely came from the sewer line (yes, yuck) but others came from being simply in the dirt of the road – which was not paved until 1946/1948. Pieces were likely tossed out at times, made to act as filler in holes, or simply tossed. So I found all sorts of pieces I will keep here at the Mitchell House. They included: a lovely piece with a red floral, many pieces of plates, glass, the top of a late nineteenth or early twentieth century (medicine) bottle, glass shards, a flattened spoon, a brass knob (found by a neighbor) some nails, a spike, pieces of a larger container or two based on the size and curve and coloring of the shards, and possibly a Wampanoag stone tool. One person’s trash is another one’s treasures! JNLF

Is That A Wrap?

22 Apr, 2024
Yes. Well, almost. After about a month of working – and some living (staff and or neighbors) – on Vestal Street with all the sewer and water replacement work, the paving happened today (April 17, 2024). This is the first “layer” – a three-inch binder coat. In the fall, once time has passed, they will return for the final one inch of the finish layer. Some of the other things along Vestal Street will also be repaired and updated between now and the final coat – and a bit after that. But we are very happy, after all these years to have a modern system of piping – and all new drainage we never had before! While the curator in me loved the old clay pipes, they were riddled with roots from the trees, holes, and in some places, collapsed, and the twelve inches of asphalt had to go. Vestal Street was only paved in about 1946/1948 – and has not been paved in maybe twenty years so that is a lot of asphalt in about fifty years! And with climate change and the increase in how much rain we get in these heavy rain events, all that water rushed down Vestal Street with nowhere to go – except our cellars. I am sure the neighbors are happy too! A thank you to the Town of Nantucket’s Sewer Department, especially David Gray (who may regret giving me his cellphone number forever), N&M Excavating and Utilities (Dean, we appreciate you being so nice when we had too many questions), Victor-Brandon Corp for paving, and numerous others. We are looking forward to great flushing, powerful hose lines, and rainwater being whisked away via the new, never-before-had storm drains! JNLF And to all the N&M workers who wondered why I was constantly looking down as I walked along Vestal Street, you should see the trove of porcelain shards, glass, old nails, a bottle neck, 19 th century spoon, and even possibly a Wampanoag stone tool I found!
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