Maria Mitchell’s Attic

Bread – Baked the Good Old-Fashioned Way

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:20:42 -0400

On Saturday, May 18^th, together with Nantucket Preservation Trust, the Mitchell House hosted a fireplace and bake oven talk and demonstration in the late afternoon. Pen Austin, conservation mason, used the Mitchell House’s 1790 chimney and Sitting Room firebox and hearth to discuss the historic building of chimneys, lime mortar and slaking lime, and how to conserve or restore your historic chimney properly. The group then walked over to a home that was built in 1809. In the cellar of this home stands the original bake oven which Pen restored for the homeowner who now cooks in it! We were treated to a demonstration and explanation for bake oven cooking. The homeowner added a 21^st century spin by baking pizzas in the oven but also prepared five loaves of bread which she cooked in Dutch ovens – delicious! I have included some images for you to see. We wish to thank the homeowner, Michelle, Pen, and of course the sous chef and Michelle’s kitchen aide, Nathan Killeen he is not just a restoration carpenter it seems! Thank you all and to the great group who attended.

JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:33:54 -0400

May 7 {1858}. I think I am not well because I perceived myself to be spiteful and cross and do not rejoice in the good fortune of others. I hope I may not become envious as I become old; and envious old maid is more than an old maid simply … .

In May of 1858, Maria Mitchell was close to completing her year abroad in Europe. She would arrive back home on Nantucket in June 1858 to a mixture of emotions – joy for being back with her family but likely sadness that her time of travel had come to an end and she was returning to a bit of unknown. Her position at the Nantucket Atheneum she had resigned a year or so before her trip – in large part to care for her ailing mother. She returned to her work for the Nautical Almanac and caring for her mother, living at the family home above the Pacific Bank.

JNLF

Found Between Sheathing and Lathe!

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:41:32 -0400

A few weeks ago I wrote about the re-shingling work at Mitchell House and what the removal of the shingles revealed – carpenter’s marks, sawyer’s marks, and coils upon coils of wood shavings circa 1790.

Well, here is a sample of what was uncovered and what I saved to become part of the Mitchell House collection. The shavings had not seen the light of day since 1790 when the House was built. These fell down between the sheathing boards and the interior walls. As the carpenters worked – Hezekiah Swain and others – the shavings fell down between and were not removed – it is just wood shavings after all. Many were in pristine condition, some a little dirty from dirt slowly working its way under the baseboards and down through the space between the outside and inside walls. That white curl is plaster that squished through the lathe and the rusted iron piece is part of a very long nail used in the main timbers of the House. The sheathing board which hid these treasures had not been removed since the House was built and since we had to cut out two small areas of rotten sheathing, these treasures were revealed.

JNLF

Remember the Days . . .

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:51:22 -0400

Of getting your new textbooks for school? In my public junior high school and high school, we oftentimes had some very old, and very well-loved (or abused) books filled with book graffiti. While cleaning the MMA Special Collection books, I came across this. Now, how many times did you see a, “Turn to page X” only to find a drawing or maybe even something less than polite. Well, obviously children are children no matter the century though this student employed a nice rhyme and then just left her name on page 103.

JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:57:54 -0400

Charleston April 23. This place has a look of a city somewhat like Boston in its narrow streets but unlike Boston in being quiet as is all the south … . We left Savannah at about 6 p.m. and in nine hours were at the wharf of Charleston … .

The reading” matter of different parts of the country differs widely. Peculiarities force themselves upon you. At the west, maps of Kansas and Nebraska thrust before your eyes everywhere. At the South Miss Murrays letters are in every book store, tho’ you may ask in vain for Mrs. Browning’s poems. But everywhere Boston and New York are the standards of excellence. Boston seems to me more talked of at the South than New York. It was evidently the admiration of the South for its education and the horror for its irreligion … .

April 28. Charleston. Nothing can exceed the hospitality shown to us. We have several invitations each day and calls without much limit … .

April 29 … . Charleston is full of ante-revolution houses and they please me. They were built when there was no hurry. They were built to last. They have lasted and they will last yet for the children if their present possessors … .

Maria Mitchell traveled into the American South and West in 1857 as a young woman’s chaperone and governess. Prudence Smith was her charge and they also travelled to Europe in 1857 and 1858 – the American tour being the first leg of their two year plan. I include this snippet from Maria’s journals in part because of her mention of the homes in Charleston. It coincides nicely with the fact that we just completed re-shingling the southern façade of Mitchell house on April 12^th. And, I like her comments about Boston and New York and her quest for Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetry. While these are light, she would later make more strongly worded negative comments about the South.

JNLF

Mitchell House Gets A Facelift . . .

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:04:45 -0400

Or maybe we should call it a chemical peel since nothing was sagging.

With the tremendous support of grants, the Mitchell House’s southern façade is currently being re-shingled. The shingles we are all used to seeing – the dark almost black shingles of many decades – are no longer sufficient to protect the Mitchell House from weather. They have shrunk, curled, and left significant gaps between one another courtesy of sun, rain, and age. This can allow water to penetrate to the sheathing and thus cause rot and those dreaded leaks.

Nathan Killeen of Nathan Killen Old House Restoration is up to the task. Nathan has worked on the Mitchell House for many years with Sanford Kendall who is now retiring and passing the torch. Nathan is very “in-tune” with historic properties and only works on historic structures. He is incredibly knowledgeable. With carpenter Matt Anderson, they have been getting the job done carefully and respectfully – both of the historic house and the carpenters who came before them – mainly in 1790 when the House was built!

Nathan’s work has uncovered some things we knew about and some new things such as sheathing rot. He carefully cut out just the rotted areas and placed in old wood, trying to re-use what he could of the original sheathing – no plywood or pressure treated anything here and not full replacement! Removal of these two small sheathing areas also revealed what we knew already existed, sill rot. So, he carefully dug out the rot – LEAVING the existing sill – and sistered in a “new” piece of wood – nothing new or pressure treated – he used an old piece of lumber. This way the original sill stays and we have strengthened it with this piece that is now attached. That is the right way to do it. Nathan, Matt, and I also signed and dated the back of the new sister piece. Hopefully, it will last another 200 years or so.

We think based on nail holes, that this is only the third time the façade of Mitchell House has ever been re-shingled. The last time was in the 1950s or 1960s and they covered the sheathing with tar paper – something that did not exist in 1790. Tar paper may stop leaks but it also stops moisture from leaving the structure – it acts as a vapor barrier and the Mitchell House cannot breathe. Leaks get trapped and the tar paper and sheathing get wet and then you get – rot and a house full of moisture that cannot escape. So, tar paper is being removed and none is being put back in – just the sheathing and then shingles. What IS being replaced are the splines around the windows, front door, and corner boards. These pieces of cedar – one long piece – stop water from getting behind the framing of the windows and doors and getting to the sheathing. These were once on the House but for some reason when it was re-shingled, they thought tar paper was a better option and did not take into account the age of the House. It NEEDS its splines.

We have also found carpenters’ marks – roman numerals where pieces are to meet up – sawyer’s marks from when the wood was cut, and even better – shavings from the carpenters when they built the house in 1790! These were stuck between the sheathing and the interior wall in the space or pocket that exists. I recently just found these at another house of about the same vintage that is being worked on in the neighborhood – very, very exciting!

And we owe a BIG thank you to Nathan – and Matt!

Take a look at a few photographs documenting the journey of the “chemical-peel.”

JNLF

More from the Special Collections

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:19:15 -0400

Always finding great things as I clean the books in our Special Collections. I am currently on “N” as in Nature Studies and this is what I found when I carefully opened the book. I KNEW there would be something good in there just by the cover and the whiff of its age.

The book is A History of the Earth and Animated Nature by Oliver Goldsmith. We have Volumes I and II published in 1857 and then Volume III published in 1856 but with simpler, black and white engravings.

The images are simply beautiful.

JNLF

Trash?

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:31:10 -0400

Here you see the fruits of a Sunday walk along the harbor – another of my favorite things to collect. The recent storms have swept some areas clean and in others, they have helped to deposit treasures stirred up from the bottom of Nantucket Harbor – something that once served as a dumping ground among other uses in the nineteenth century and earlier.

These are pottery shards of various ages. Looking at them closely, they are mid to late nineteenth century (the blue and white pieces – in particular the lighter blue pieces) and possibly all the way up to the 1930s or so with the largest piece on the bottom right having a floral and bamboo/basket decoration that reminds me of McCoy ware. I will have to see if I can find any such pattern with them – it could very likely be another pottery maker, from the early to mid- twentieth century but maybe even the late nineteenth century!

But in any case, it tells a story of what Nantucketers used in their homes. Each time we have a hard rain, shards will appear in the yard of the Mitchell House where the family tossed out some of its trash that slowly became a part of the landscape and the earth. When a sewer pipe was re-done the plumber left the shards that he had found for me – I think he knows me too well! (The family has worked on MMA plumbing since the MMA had running water – early 1900s.)

One piece reminds me of mochaware but I think it might be a much later copy though I do hope I am just being cautious and this really is a 19^th century shard of mochaware. That too I will have to investigate. Mochaware was started in the late 1700s in England and was just about the cheapest pottery one could get then and into the nineteenth century. Maybe akin to Fiestaware which while many collect it today used to be given out at the grocery store and the movies!

In any event, take a look around you. Look down and up – observe! (“We see most when we are most determined to see” according to Maria – how right she was!) You never know what your feet are treading over and you never know what you might find – it might whisper something about those who once lived in the houses and neighborhoods we now inhabit.

JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:01:19 -0400

March 15, 1858. Today an eclipse of the sun was to come off, and with Mr. B and the Westons I went to the Observatory of the Capitol to look at the phenomenon … . The old gent speaks no English, but the bad French of both of us made a language. He had placed three telescopes of ordinary mounting in a terrace which overlooks the Forum, and as it was very cloudy, we looked at the magnificent views of the Alban and Sabine Mts. instead of looking at the Eclipse … . A dozen young men suddenly formed into a line and Prof. Calandrelli presented his pupils, who gracefully lifted their caps. They were fine looking fellows of about 16 and they all smiled as they greeted me and were evidently pleased at being noticed … .

Maria Mitchell was in Rome in 1858, a part of her European trip that started with her serving as a young woman’s chaperone. When the young woman, Prudence Swift, was called home due to her father’s bankruptcy (thus no more funds for the trip), Maria Mitchell remained and continued to travel. She was the first woman to gain entry to the Vatican Observatory – not even one of her heroines, Mary Somerville, ever gained entry.

JNLF

Collecting Addiction

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:35:58 -0400

I must confess, I have an addiction.

I like to … collect.

Not so surprising for a historic house museum curator. My “addiction” encompasses several specific areas. I am not a hoarder, I do not collect junk in my backyard and the basement is not filled with “things.” Some people might find what I collect useless, but sometimes the simple everyday item, from a nail to an old railroad spike, intrigues me for its simplicity and its beauty.

If you know me, or if you have read the “Portrait of the Curator as Darth Vader” entry for this blog, then you realize that I don’t preen in front of the mirror. Given the fact that mostly just the books and archives see me all winter, my hair typically looks like it needs a good combing (since I am pulling goggles and respirator on and off all day) unless I have a meeting or I am out in public. But I do have a thing for a good “kitchen” mirror. Typically a mirror of the mid to late 19^th century, it is rectangular in shape with rounded corners and hopefully some nice grain painting on the wood frame. Oftentimes, you will find crazing in the glass and black marks or missing “mirrored” areas caused by the loss of the silver painted onto the back of the glass. I like these mirrors for the simpler time they speak of and for the simplicity of their style, but also for their patina of time. In the Mitchell House, we have a mirror of a similar age and shape used by Peleg Mitchell Jr. for shaving.

Enamel is another fascination of mine. Enamelware could be found throughout kitchens in many parts of the world. Enamelware took off in popularity in the United States in the latter half of the nineteenth century – all shapes and sizes, all sorts of domestic uses from slotted spoons to cups, pitchers, strainers, plates, or basins. Think of it as 19^th century Tupperware and the child of tinware. You might even be familiar with the enamel numbers for homes or streets. Enamelware can be plain, mottled, or marbled – the marbled being much harder to find and thus more prized. In my collection, I have one cup that was once part of a four piece set that belonged to my grandmother’s family. They used it when they went camping. I guess when family camping stopped, the cups got used for other purposes until only one was left. This one had become a birdseed scoop until it was given to me by my Mother who knows of my enamelware fetish. But even as a scoop, it was still being used and thus memories of family camping persisted and memories of those who used it were an everyday thought. Now on the top of an old jelly cupboard, it is still a daily memory of my grandmother, her parents, and her brother as I see it each day in the kitchen.

Depression-era glass (Depression Glass), 18^th and 19^th century pottery shards – yes, I have been known to dig in dirt piles – old bottles that I have unearthed in same named piles or at the ̓Sconset dump, seaglass, and historic postcards specifically of the Mitchell House are also some things I collect. (When my husband found out the price I paid for a vintage postcard of Mitchell House on eBay, I thought he would faint.) I also collect other images of Mitchell House, such as paintings and old photographs – I myself am a photographer of historic architecture with a focus on forgotten buildings especially those facing demolition by neglect – and McCoy wear. Since I am also a gardener, one can never have too many pots for plants and McCoy made many styles of pots including those with attached saucers! And then, I also love a good mid to late 19^th century simple wood chair …

All of these items are used in a myriad of ways and continue to function as they were meant to be used or in new ways. Each item has some personal memory for me or my family depending on whether it was something I found while on a walk along the beach, digging in the dump, or a shop in New Orleans or something that belonged to my grandmother, great-grandmother, or a great-great aunt. These pieces connect us to the past and connect us to family members who may not be with us any more – but they are with us each time you use that cup or look into that mirror, they are there and you think of them. The past and the people of the past continue to live on.

JNLF

Women’s History Month

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:47:17 -0400

March is women’s history month (though all months should be women’s history month.) At the end of March, I will be hosting a Nantucket women’s history walk so please check our calendar if you are interested in registering.

Maria Mitchell was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Women (AAW), was its president (1875), and founded its Science Committee which she chaired for the remainder of her life.

When the fourth Congress of the AAW met in Philadelphia in October 1876, Julia Ward Howe (also a friend of Maria’s) was serving with Maria on the executive committee. Maria presented a paper, “The Need for Women in Science.” In it she stated,

Does anyone suppose that any woman in all the ages has had a fair chance to show what she could do in science? … The laws of nature are not discovered by accidents; theories do not come by chance, even to the greatest minds; they are not born of the hurry and worry of daily toil; they are diligently sought, they are patiently waited for, they are received with cautious reserve, they are accepted with reverence and awe. And until able women have given their lives to investigation, it is idle to discuss the question of their capacity for original work.

She is not saying that women cannot be scientists – she is saying they need to be given the opportunities.

Maria was incredibly busy with the AAW – it took up a great deal of her time – and at the next meeting in November of that year some aspects of the meeting were wonderful according to her account –“excellent” papers, “newspapers treated us very well. The institutions opened their doors to us, the Centennial gave us a reception. But – we didn’t have a good time!” It appears there was discord among the women. A few opposed the subject of “Woman Suffrage,” but Lucy Stone was able to present her paper on the subject despite this. And, some women felt that the West was not well represented and was overshadowed by New England thus women representing the western states protested the nomination and election of Julia Ward Howe as president of the AAW. But she won. Whew! It was not always easy and controversies constantly abounded with many schisms over time within the women’s rights movement.

I often wonder what Maria might think of the place of women today – how far things have come from her time or would she be surprised that there still can be inequality?

In honor of Women’s History Month, please visit the National Women’s History Project website (http://www.nwhp.org), where you can find a list of this year’s women honorees and nominees for “Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination” – which includes Maria and three other women associated with the MMA’s astronomy program – Annie Jump Canon, Margaret Harwood, and Dorrit Hoffleit – Harwood and Hoffleit being MMA astronomers and directors of the observatory. You will also find a list of March birthdays and March highlights in U.S. women’s history.

JNLF

I Found Some Birds

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:28:16 -0500

Still cleaning books and processing archives … Look what I came across the other day rolled up in a big box with many different plans associated with the MMA’s buildings from across the ages of renovations, additions, and master plans.

This is a chart of North American birds published by the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1898. The twenty-six life sized bird images were created by, I believe, Louis Agassiz Fuertes and it was printed by none other than the Milton Bradley Company of Springfield, MA. Considering how and where it was stored over the last fifty years or so it is in quite good shape except for the dirt and grime of time, a large water stain at the bottom and a small tear over the body of one bird.

Yet another treasure unearthed in my work!

JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:39:42 -0500

Feb. 15, 1853. I think Dr. Hall (in his “Life of Mary Ware”) does wrong when he attempts to encourage the use of the needle. It seems to me that the needle is the chain of woman, and has fettered her more than the laws of the country.

Once emancipate her from the “stitch, stitch, stitch,” the industry of which would be commendable if it served any purpose except the gratification of her vanity, and she would have time for studies which would engross as the needle never can. I would as soon put a girl alone into a closet to meditate as give her only the society of the needle.

The art of sewing, so far as men learn it, is well enough; that is, to enable a person to take the stitches, and, if necessary, to make her own garments in a strong manner; but the dressmaker should no more be a universal character than the carpenter.

I believe MM’s words are self-explanatory, no commentary needed on my part.

JNLF

Answer to "What is This?"

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 09:49:29 -0500

This is the front door latch of the Mitchell House. The mahogany used to make it came from a shipwreck; specifically the Queen, and the wood is from cargo items found on the ship. The Queen was a vessel that was broken in two when it came ashore in the area of Nobadeer on January 4, 1813. An English ship, this was certainly a prize. The Queen came into action with the American privateer, General Armstrong and the cargo of the Queen was supposedly strewn about the shore from Siasconset to Miacomet – quite a large distance. Her cargo was invoiced at about 100,000 British pounds. New Englanders – and certainly Nantucketers – were very good at creating something useful out of something else and of salvage – they were the original recyclers. In fact, something that was repaired and made into a new use or repaired using materials other than what the item was originally made from were referred to as “make-dos.” This door latch was installed in the Mitchell House before the Mitchells inhabited it but think of all the times it was opened and closed by the family, including Maria.

What is This?

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:17:47 -0500

Do you know what this is and where it is located?

JNLF

Maria Mitchell's Attic Is Moving

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:48:03 -0500

Greetings!

For those of you who read this blog on TUMBLR, I would like to alert you that it is now moving to the Maria Mitchell Association’s new website and will be through WordPress. I will try to still use TUMBLR but at some point, it may be removed.

So, from now on, you will be able to find Maria Mitchell’s Attic at www.mmo.org.

Hope to see you there and thanks for reading!

JNLF

Portrait of the Curator as Darth Vader

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:34:15 -0500

Maybe the work life of other curators can be glamorous but such is not the way of the world for a historic house museum curator among others. This is me as I appeared on January 22, 2013. What’s that you say? Where are the pearls? The glamorous outfits? The media wanting to know about the recent finds? A camera following me through exhibit halls looking at the latest exhibition of work by some great master? Alas, no. My fine clothes collect dust and moths in my closet.

I wear many hats and glamour girl is not one of them. As many of us in the historic house museum world (and in other venues within the museum world) will attest, we do many things and wear many, many hats. Thus, this is what I am typically wearing – my delightfully snazzy and very flattering 3M Niosh respirator with hot pink filters (the hot pink makes it hard to color coordinate my outfits). You have been spared my white cotton gloves, white Tyvek suit, and safety glasses (though I cannot SEE ANYTHING with them on!)

Why do I dress like this? It is required. I am protecting myself from dirt, dust, and any possible mold that might be on the Special Collection books that I am cleaning. Not much mold thankfully, but unfortunately still lots of dust that has escaped the “wrath” of dusting. But this is something you don’t want to breathe in too much of and if I did not wear this respirator in particular I would find myself with some nice respiratory problem. It’s not like dusting or vacuuming in your home – it’s incredibly concentrated and literally in your face.

I brush the cover, spine, and the text block of the book first with a brush. Then I wipe those same areas with a vulcanized rubber sponge. At all times I am working away from the spine so that I am not depositing dust or other particles into the spine. Then, I vacuum those same areas with a HEPA vacuum that keeps all of those particles inside. I do this for each and every book. Sometimes, I need to tie the book up because the cover or spine is in rough shape. Othertimes, I have to build a small box enclosure with special acid free board or cardboard or encapsulate it in a Tyvek envelope because of the condition of the book or cover. Once I have a box full, I move the books to our new climate-controlled storage area and place the books on special enameled shelves made just for the storage of Special Collection books. No off gassing here – books must be protected as best as we can from all sorts of elements. And then, I return to the Wing and clean more. I do spare my colleagues my mask when I move the books over to the other building – but I do give them a fright when they come in to see me and I am in my mask. Today, I am going for the preppy look – green sweater to go with my hot pink filters!

I say (some of) this in jest. What I am doing is crucial to the preservation of these books. And, being able to handle and look at each book helps me to better understand the extent of our amazing collection and also its condition. And in some cases, as you have seen in the past on this blog, I share some of the amazing finds with you.

JNLF

Winter Hush

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:51:57 -0500

Overnight, Nantucket received about six inches of snow. Mitchell House sparkles this morning and there is a hush on Vestal Street that only snow brings.

It makes me wonder what is must have been like for the Mitchells. Being inside Mitchell House while the snow is falling transports me to another time and I like to think about what it must have been like for them. Cold I am sure but even quieter than a normal day. William Mitchell was what one might call a mischievous Quaker – his children got away with things that most Quaker children did not. So I wonder if there were snowmen built in the backyard. Or what about snowballs being flung about by Andrew or Henry or snow angels or eating fresh crisp snow maybe with molasses or syrup on it? I am sure just as children of today, the snow provided the opportunity for expanded play albeit quietly and discreetly for the Quaker Mitchells.

But I go back to the snug, quiet, hushed calm of the Mitchell House in winter. Snow falling and piling up quietly outside, fire in the 1825 Kitchen as Lydia cooks the noonday meal, fire in the Sitting Room where the family spends much of its time in winter, and the calm and peace over Vestal Street as Mother Nature makes a wondrous quilt of white.

JNLF

An Astronomer

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:56:44 -0500

I first remember her standing at the entry to Loines Observatory with a small metal clicker in her hand. It was summer and it was dark. Mosquitoes were swarming and we all smelled like bug spray. It was a Wednesday night and we had just made the long – or so it seemed in those days – journey from Tom Nevers for an Open Night – the event of the week for my family. She was sort of quiet and reserved but she reached out to my brother each Wednesday night when we arrived at the top of the stairs by saying, “Want to press the clicker?” Sounds like not much but to a nine year old budding astronomer, my brother was very excited to “click” his family members into the open night.

I got to know her a little more as I began to volunteer at the Mitchell House. I think she probably saw me as a pesky kid, but she seemed to warm up to me over time. Maybe I proved to her that I had some staying power – that I was not just a kid who got pushed into doing some summer volunteering. (Twenty-five plus years later I am still here and curator – really?! Time flies!) She was an interesting person, an incredibly intelligent woman who had a deep love and respect for Maria Mitchell, but she did not reveal too much about herself.

When I completed my masters’ degree in 2010, the MMA very nicely congratulated me via our monthly “eComet.” A week or so later, I went into my email and saw a sender with a familiar name, one I was completely shocked to see as I had never received an email from this person. The sender was “emiliab.” I was surprised, worried, and wondered what it was. I saved it. It reads:

“Congratulations on your degree. I am hoping you have a computer-readable copy of your thesis you can send me by email … I’ll do without the pictures if I can read {your} paper that way. Thanks! Lee (Emilia) Belserene.”

Wow! I practically burst my buttons – I was so proud and honored that she wanted to read my research.

I am so lucky to have worked for the MMA for all these years and to now serve as the Mitchell House curator. I have been fortunate to have such amazing people in my life – and so many of them tied to the MMA. What inspirations and mentors – what an incredible place and people to have grown up around and to be involved with today. Not many can be surrounded by such inspiring people – and such incredible women like Lee.

This is just one small memory of Lee Belserene. She served as the MMA’s astronomer and director of the Observatory from September 1978 through September 1991. She was a Life Member of the MMA. Emilia Pisano Belserene, Ph.D. passed away in Washington State on December 11, 1012 just one day shy of her 90^th birthday. She leaves a daughter, Rita.

(Lee is on the left in this image and the MMA’s Librarian, Jane Stroup, is in the middle. The image was taken at Jane’s home.)

JNLF

Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:51:47 -0500

January 26, 1857 (Nantucket)

Jan 26. We left the mercury 1 deg. below zero when we went to bed last night and it was zero when we rose this morning. But it rises rapidly and now at 11 a.m. it is as high as 15. The weather is still and beautiful … Our little club met last night each with a sonnet on a subject drawn by lot from a basket full. I did the best I could with a very bad subject … We kept the house warm all evening with the mercury steadily at +3. Our crambo playing was rather dull all of us having exhausted ourselves on our sonnets. We seem to have settled ourselves quietly into a tone of resignation in regard to the weather.

The winter of 1857 was a hard one for Nantucket and her people. The mercury seldom rose above zero for many weeks on end – often going below zero. Maria recorded it at 6 ½ below zero at 7 a.m. on the 23^rd of January 1857 and it never made it passed zero that day. The harbor was of course frozen solid and issues arose concerning fuel for heating homes and a scarcity of food.

JNLF