Birds, Birds, Birds!

Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 21, 2020

I was very happy to recently receive several emails concerning a wonderful essay written in 1886 by a student graduating from the Coffin School. Two of the author’s grandchildren had happened upon it and shared it with several of their family, friends, and acquaintances.


This essay piqued my interest for several reasons. It was, for one, about birds and obviously my MMA antennae went up. Then, it’s of a historical nature given it was written in April 1886. And then, I am a Coffin School Trustee, wand while the School no longer functions as a school, the Trustees still maintain the building, its archives and collections, and allow other island non-profits and other entities to use the space to varying degrees. It also provide me with another link to the Mitchell family as Maria was given a small observatory that islanders helped to build for her nearby the School and her sister was the language teacher at the Coffin School. Anne Mitchell Macy taught languages at the School for several years and married the school principal, Alfred Macy. And, the library located in one of the spaces is names for their daughter, Frances Mitchell Macy. So, it all comes home to roost for me (haha)!


So I read it with great interest with all those connections being activated and humming. What made it even better is that the two grandchildren asked if the Maria Mitchell Association would like it for its archives because of its topic! I jumped at the chance with great enthusiasm and after a COVID-safe exchange via a car trunk, the MMA is happily in receipt of this little treasure. It serves not just as a historical record of the birds on the island during that time but also of the history of the island and education.


With a very big thank you to the donors!


JNLF

 

I was very happy to recently receive several emails concerning a wonderful essay written in 1886 by a student graduating from the Coffin School.  Two of the author’s grandchildren had happened upon it and shared it with several of their family, friends, and acquaintances.

 

 

This essay piqued my interest for several reasons.  It was, for one, about birds and obviously my MMA antennae went up.  Then, it’s of a historical nature given it was written in April 1886.  And then, I am a Coffin School Trustee, wand while the School no longer functions as a school, the Trustees still maintain the building, its archives and collections, and allow other island non-profits and other entities to use the space to varying degrees.  It also provide me with another link to the Mitchell family as Maria was given a small observatory that islanders helped to build for her nearby the School and her sister was the language teacher at the Coffin School.  Anne Mitchell Macy taught languages at the School for several years and married the school principal, Alfred Macy.  And, the library located in one of the spaces is names for their daughter, Frances Mitchell Macy.  So, it all comes home to roost for me (haha)!

 

 

So I read it with great interest with all those connections being activated and humming.  What made it even better is that the two grandchildren asked if the Maria Mitchell Association would like it for its archives because of its topic!  I jumped at the chance with great enthusiasm and after a COVID-safe exchange via a car trunk, the MMA is happily in receipt of this little treasure.  It serves not just as a historical record of the birds on the island during that time but also of the history of the island and education.

 

 

With a very big thank you to the donors!

 

JNLF

Recent Posts

Happy 208th Birthday, Maria Mitchell!

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 27, 2026
August 1, 2026 marks Maria Mitchell’s 208 th Birthday! To celebrate, join us for an open house the day before on July 31, 2026 from 3-5PM . 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, 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

Heat and Humidity

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 20, 2026
Being Nantucket, we tend to stay cooler than the mainland in the summer though the humidity is often over the top. It often makes me think about people in the nineteenth century and earlier – heck, even well into the mid 1900s, and how they handled the weather. With climate change, we have warmed and our weather is more severe and volatile at times. Instead of a nice gentle rain, we get a deluge and the ground has trouble absorbing that sort of onslaught. But they did did still have heat and humidity – and think of a fire in the hearth all day and the bake oven – if it was a baking day. And now, think of the women standing in front of the firebox and bake oven, or even a cook stove later on. I am sure if the confines of their home, alone, les could be worn but for the most part, those women still had a lot of layers on. I am sure that a cloth dipped into or run under the mouth of the pump and wrung out gently – to keep as much as the cool, moisture as possible – was tied around a neck or stuffed down a dress front (or even in addition to the wet neckerchief).  At the Mitchell House, we get a little of the feeling for this. We have no HVAC in the House so we rely on doors being open – with screens to keep the bugs out – and the roofwalk opened (also with a screen) so that air circulates throughout the House. Air can move nicely through – the heat rises, the air moves up and out of the roofwalk hatch very much as it might have in Maria Mitchell’s day. While we do not have the added (somewhat) drying benefit of the heat of the fire in the kitchen, we do have all of the original horsehair plaster, so the House does remain somewhat cooler and drier overall. But some days, the relative humidity does get up into the 90s in the House – that’s when I say, “Get out your umbrellas!” JNLF

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Nantucket Harbor Water-Quality Monitoring Buoy Joins Regional Coastal Observing Network

July 17, 2026
NANTUCKET, MA— The Maria Mitchell Association’s (MMA’s) Nantucket Harbor water-quality monitoring buoy is now part of the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, known as NERACOOS. NERACOOS is one of eleven regional associations that make up the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS, NOAA’s national ocean-observing network for gathering and sharing ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes data. This connection means that real-time data from Nantucket Harbor are no longer held only within a local monitoring program. They are now available through the NERACOOS Mariners Dashboard, where scientists, resource managers, educators, mariners, and the public can view Nantucket Harbor conditions alongside other coastal observing sites from Long Island Sound through the Gulf of Maine. The monitoring buoy carries a suite of sensors that track changing conditions such as temperature, oxygen, acidity, nutrients, and underwater light. These measurements show what eelgrass, bay scallops, and other marine organisms are actually experiencing over time. “This is an important step because Nantucket Harbor is now part of a larger coastal observing system,” said Dr. Betsy Sherman, the Maria Mitchell Association’s Senior Marine Science Advisor. “Our data can be compared with data from other sites, used in regional analyses, and placed in a broader environmental context. We are not just looking at Nantucket Harbor in isolation.” The Nantucket Harbor buoy project has been supported by the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, whose early investment helped make continuous water-quality monitoring in Nantucket Harbor possible. Additional support has been provided by the Remain Nantucket Fund at the Community Foundation for Nantucket, the Osceola Foundation, the Sociable Weaver Foundation, and through collaboration with the Town of Nantucket Harbormaster. The timing is especially relevant for coastal communities because NERACOOS is also leading the newly funded NSF Seafood Engine in New England, a regional effort focused on strengthening fisheries, aquaculture, seafood technology, and coastal economies. For an island community facing changes in water quality, habitat, fisheries, and climate, joining this regional network strengthens the scientific foundation for understanding and protecting Nantucket Harbor. 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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