Score!

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • December 12, 2023

We are an organization founded not too long after our namesake died. Just thirteen years after she died, Maria Mitchell’s family members, her friends, colleagues, and former students came together to create the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association in 1902. In 1903, we were formally incorporated. That is pretty remarkable – and shows you the affect Maria Mitchell had on  people – her teaching, her friendship, her mentorship, her ability to inspire.


Everything began in the Mitchell House at 1 Vestal Street – all the departments – until we were given or acquired the buildings and sites that make up the MMA today. The first curators were Maria Mitchell’s cousins and their daughters; the cousins having lived at 1 Vestal Street with their parents after Maria Mitchell’s family moved to the Pacific Bank where William Mitchell was cashier. To Maria’s cousins, the House was still their home, but now a museum, and things they did were maybe a bit different than you would think for a historic house museum – and the times were different too.


Thus, items that once belonged to Maria Mitchell were also used by the fledgling organization. Her Dollond telescope, with which she discovered her comet in 1847, and her Alvan Clark telescope –were used for moon evenings in the yard – and then next door at the Maria Mitchell Vestal Street Observatory. In fact, the lenses in her Clark telescope were removed and used as the guide on the telescope in the MMO for many years. It was by chance and poking around many years ago that a conservator found the Dollond telescope’s other eyepieces in a drawer of the 1922 Astronomical Study of the MMO.


Now, it was in cleaning out the MMO’s Seminar Room (ca. 1987) for its renovation project, to be funded with a gift from a descendant of William Mitchell, that we located these. While I am embarrassed that no one seemed to notice them, I am relieved that they were unearthed! These are the eyepieces to Maria’s Alvan Clark telescope. A five-inch refractor which she was able to work with Clark on creating when she was given $500.00 by the “Women of America,” headed by Elizabeth Peabody, in 1858. Obviously, these were used during the MMO moon nights a long time ago and then nicely put away – in a drawer. Thankfully, someone had made a wooden holder for them, thus keeping them all together. I suspect it was likely Alvin Paddock, the Coffin School principal who assisted our first astronomer, margaret Harwood, who made this “holder.” He was once a carpenter and started at the Coffin School as a teacher of woodworking. While the collections in the MMO do not fall under the Mitchell Housie collections, I am glad that these items can be reunited with the telescope and find a better home for display and storage.


JNLF

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August 1, 2025 marks Maria Mitchell’s 207 th Birthday! Since just about the founding of the Maria Mitchell Association – way back in 1902 – the MMA has hosted some celebration or marked the occasion of our namesake’s birth. From 3-5PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2025 , Vestal Street will be close to traffic and our Vestal Street properties will be open free to the public. We will have activities, games, art projects, live music with Susan Berman and Ray Saunders, and refreshments will be served. So, stop by and say hello! JNLF P.S. If we actually get rain, we will move our celebration to Saturday, August 2 - so keep your ears out! We will decide Wednesday.
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The MMA found its first astronomer in Margaret Harwood, a 1907 Radcliffe graduate who worked in the Harvard Observatory. Her fellowship began in 1912 and over the first year, she researched, continued to conduct public lectures and open nights, and worked with students of all ages – including those in the public schools. She returned to Cambridge for the winter months where she continued to work at the Observatory. In 1915, she took her leave as was authorized by the fellowship and acquired her master’s degree in astronomy at Berkeley. She returned to Nantucket in 1916, accepting the position of Director of the Observatory. This made Harwood the first woman to head a small private observatory in the United States. Harwood continued her research, with a focus on variable asteroids, published results of her work in numerous publications, and continued to lecture and host open nights. She had assistance from others, including island carpenter and school teacher, Alvin E. Paddock. Harwood became a “first –class celestial photographer . . . accumulating a valuable set of Nantucket photographic plates of variable stars . . .” which are still part of the MMA collection and were the first in the world to be completely digitized. Over the course of her tenure, more than 3,600 plates of the night sky were taken – more than 2,100 by Harwood herself. In the 1950s, Harwood was the first woman to gain access to the Mount Wilson Observatory then the world’s leading observatory, where she was able to use the photographic instruments to further her research. Harwood is seen in the photograph here as she looks for Venus during midday in the MMO using the Cooke-Clark telescope, guided by Maria Mitchell’s own Alvan Clark. JNLF
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NANTUCKET, MA— The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces Kike Calvo, award-winning photographer, journalist, and author, as its featured presenter for its July Speaker Series. Calvo’s presentation, "The Power of Creativity: A Journey Through Storytelling, Exploration, and Hope," will take place on Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm at the Nantucket Atheneum’s Great Hall. This event is free. Join the MMA for an engaging evening with award-winning photographer, journalist, and author, Kike (Kee-Keh) Calvo. A Fellow of both the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, he has traveled to over 120 countries, photographing everything from belugas in the Arctic to traditional dances in Vanuatu. His work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and more. In this engaging presentation, Calvo explores how creativity can be a catalyst for connection, storytelling, and meaningful change. From documenting remote villages to diving with great white sharks, from defying the odds as an author to inspiring thousands of children in the Amazon, Calvo shares the invaluable lessons he has learned along the way. As a National Geographic Certified Educator and Safina Center Fellow (2020-2023), Calvo combines his passion for photography with teaching, having lectured at prestigious institutions such as Yale University. A pioneer in drone photography for art and conservation, he founded the “Little Explorer, Big World” initiative, which brings education to remote communities and has donated over 35,000 bilingual books. Described by anthropologist Wade Davis as, "a fresh voice in visual anthropology," Calvo has a gift for capturing the intersections of human existence. Calvo’s new book, Luminous: A Field Guide for Visual Explorers and Storytellers, isn’t just a book—it’s an invitation to slow down, look deeper, and photograph with soul. It’s a roadmap where photography meets presence, anthropology meets art, and storytelling becomes a path to connection.  Discover how creativity can illuminate pressing global issues—such as plastic pollution—and empower each of us to make a difference. This presentation is free and open to the public, graciously hosted for the MMA by the Nantucket Atheneum in the Great Hall. No registration required. About the Maria Mitchell Association: The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. 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. ###
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