Evidence of the initial landowners of Nantucket is found throughout the island. In fact, the oldest house still standing on Nantucket was built in 1686 by the Coffin family as a wedding gift for Jethro Coffin and his bride, Mary Gardner. The Jethro Coffin House is the sole surviving structure from the island’s original seventeenth-century English settlement, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. Visitors can enter daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the simple home provides a fascinating look back to the days when the island was a thriving whaling port. In the rear of the house is a recreated kitchen garden designed to reflect the vegetables that would have been grown to survive the long, harsh winters. In addition, there are close to 50 herbs that would have been used by the household for culinary or medicinal purposes. You can buy a ticket just for the house, or combine it with entry to the Whaling Museum and other historic sites. Open Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day.
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Visit the Oldest House on Nantucket
Evidence of the initial landowners of Nantucket is found throughout the island. In fact, the oldest house still standing on Nantucket was built in 1686 by the Coffin family as a wedding gift for Jethro Coffin and his bride, Mary Gardner. The Jethro Coffin House is the sole surviving structure from the island’s original seventeenth-century English settlement, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968. Visitors can enter daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the simple home provides a fascinating look back to the days when the island was a thriving whaling port. In the rear of the house is a recreated kitchen garden designed to reflect the vegetables that would have been grown to survive the long, harsh winters. In addition, there are close to 50 herbs that would have been used by the household for culinary or medicinal purposes. You can buy a ticket just for the house, or combine it with entry to the Whaling Museum and other historic sites. Open Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day.
