Nantucket, a Wampanoag word meaning "far-away island," was
first settled by Europeans in 1659. The earliest settlers, known as
the "Proprietors," envisioned a community of farmers and shepherds,
but the island found its fortune as a preeminent whaling port in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. During its time under Quaker
influence, Nantucket was a cosmopolitan and dynamic place; radical
new ideas, like abolitionism and women's rights, found fertile ground
in the Quakers' firm belief in equality. As the entrance to the harbor
became impassible, Nantucket lost its whaling focus and experienced a
general economic decline. Ironically, this downturn and the resulting
absence of new building, along with modern cultural change, became
the springboard for its later revival. Nantucket was transformed into a
tourist destination, an artist colony, and a summer home to the wealthy
and famous, with a rich maritime heritage and a proud tradition of
historic preservation.