The Nantucket Cobblestone

Cobblestones line a number of streets on Nantucket.

Photo Credit: Liz Huberman

Nantucket's cobblestones are a reminder of the island's rich history.

Hate them or love them, unique roadways are a part of Nantucket driving.

Main Street is the most famous cobblestone-lined road on Nantucket.

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This Old Island

If Nantucket's history was a house, the walls could be covered with photos of famous local notables like Maria Mitchell, Frederick Douglas, Lucretia Mott and Ted Anderson; souvenirs around the house would include arrowheads from the famous Wampanoag Indians, harpoons from whaling, and whale-oil burning lantern. And you could bet that the whole road leading up to the historic structure would be lined with cobblestones.

Since Nantucket was a young whaling town, the famous cobblestones have been a mainstay around the island, most notably up and down Main Street in the historic downtown district. Very little information is out there on the elusive cobblestone, yet, on Nantucket, they seem to be everywhere.

More than just a piece of roadway, the cobblestones supposedly came over on the ballasts of ships for balance. The ships swapped in the whale oil for weight, leaving the cobblestones on the island; the very same stones that now line a majority of Nantucket's historic downtown.

Department of Public Works Assistant Director Mohamed Nabulsi said, "There are less than a dozen roads on Nantucket paved with cobblestones."

These streets include part of Federal Street, part of India Street, Chestnut Street, Cobblestone Hill on Jefferson Avenue, and Stone Alley off of Orange Street connecting to Union Street.

"It was proposed some time ago to put cobblestones on Union Street," said Nabulsi, a process, he said, had to go through Nantucket's Board of Selectmen. To this day Union Street is still a paved, cobblestone-free street.

"We cannot pave over cobblestones, period. We have to get the selectmen's approval," he said, "There are some roads with cobblestones underneath them. A lot of streets were paved over years ago in the 30s and 40s."

"Each type of surface has its own function; cobblestones have their own function, they are historic. Some people love them; some people hate them. It depends on who you talk to."