These dolls from Bette Spriggs' collection are part of the African Meeting House.
The Wampanoag Indians were a proud race that existed on Nantucket long before the name Coffin, Starbuck and Swain were here. They populated the Island's beaches in the summer and moved towards the inland areas in the winters.
When the first settlers came to Nantucket, they brought with them their families, their culture, and their diseases. A lecture by local Dr. Timothy Lepore explored the decline of Nantucket's Wampanoag population. Lepore has discerned that lice carrying typhus and a louse-borne relapsing fever probably caused their deaths. The lice came in the clothing of the new arrivals to the Island.
Hundreds of Wampanoag Indians were wiped out between 1763 and 1764 on Nantucket alone.
Over the years, the Indian population meshed with the locals and their African-American slaves. Slavery became abolished around the mid 1770s on Nantucket, and, in 1774, the first African-American purchased property on the Island.
Nantucket's history is rich with the tales of whaling, shopkeepers and family heritage. Whether you've heard of the Brotherhood Riot of 1842 or just know the popular tale of Melville's White Whale in Moby Dick, Nantucket's legacies would not exist had African-Americans not been a part of it all. One such woman, Mary Ellen Pleasant, lived in Nantucket for a dozen years. Pleasant was called the "Mother of Civil Rights" in California. She came to the island as an indentured servant and ran a shop in town, a large accomplishment at the time for not just an African-American but a woman as well.
There are many ways to discover the history of our Island, whether it's the Nantucket Whaling Museum on Broad Street downtown, or catching a tour at the African Meeting House on York Street. Stay tuned to Plum for all things present and past on Nantucket, on the web and on Channel 22.
Photo Gallery
Video
As part of the celebration of Black History Month. Locals of the island, including Sharon Liburd, Frank Spriggs, and Bette Spriggs, all give us a glimpse at the rich history and importance of the African Meeting House. Take a look as we step inside this historic Nantucket landmark.
The African Meeting House
My wife and I have been coming to the island together since the early eighties (without missing a summer!). I remember when the African Meeting House had a rather challenging exterior let alone what the inside looked like. My issue is that we have tried for many years to catch it open and have been unsucessful. Our goal has always been to tour the inside and listen to the rich histery African Americans have contributed to the island. It's been a long time coming. I hope to do this next summer!
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