Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • Jul 26, 2021

Wednesday, July 28th {1857}

The fog has been less today but the wind has increased; it is cloudy and looks like a storm. Even with two shawls on, I find it too cold to be on deck; the ladies cabin is kept too much shut         up . . . I considered it proof that I am a good sailor, when I said “I will go on the house-top and look at the weather this morning” instead of “on deck.” Mother Carey’s chickens {storm petrels} were seen yesterday and a brig was seen today.


Maria and the young woman she was chaperoning, Prudence, were on their way to Europe – England to start – onboard the steamer Arabia. Maria had battled seasickness at the start of the journey and had now found her sea legs though knew enough to stay out of the overly warm and airless ladies cabin where the closeness would likely make her seasickness return. (As my Father would say- keep your eyes on the horizon – and get fresh air!)


But what, say you, is a Mother Carey’s Chicken and who is Mother Carey? In a nutshell, Mother Carey is the cruel and punishing sea (storms) and the chickens are, as noted, storm petrels, which are supposed to be the ghosts of sailors who were lost at sea. English seamen believed storm petrels were harbingers of storms – pushed out in front of them. There is quite a bit of literature surrounding Mother Carey – and she is included in Moby-Dick. And apparently, she is also believed to be the wife of Davy Jones. (Do you know here his house is in ʼSconset?)


JNLF

Recent Posts

Keep Calm and Bird On: May 2024

08 May, 2024
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

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!
Show More
Share by: