A meander through Monomoy homes and gardens
Nantucket Garden Club House Tour on August 8
BY SHARON LORENZO INDEPENDENT CONTRIBUTOR
This Wednesday, August 8, the Nantucket Garden Club will host a tour of six homes and gardens in the Monomoy neighborhood just west of downtown. Busses leave from Washington Street or the adventurous are encouraged to come by bicycle or on foot. Tea will be served for all in the garden at 52 Monomoy Road from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets may be purchased on Main Street or on location.

COURTESY NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION An historic image of the harborside Monomoy shoreline, complete with a white, picket fence.

A brief history of this area makes this an enjoyable and unusual Nantucket adventure. One of the earliest maps drawn by William Coffin in 1835 shows that this area was named from the Algonquin term meaning "place of black soil." The homes surround a large salt marsh, which fills at high tide and attracts many species of wild life. In the 19th century, Zimri Cathcart called his 45-acre tract here, North Pasture, and he grazed sheep and cows on the premises. Cathcart had been a seaman aboard the whaleship, The Dauphin, which, under the command of Captains Zenas Coffin and Seth Pinkham rescued survivors from the wreck of the Nantucket ship, The Essex, made famous by Herman Melville in the South Pacific tale of Moby Dick. Harrowing tales of cannibalism and starvation no doubt encouraged Cathcart to pursue a quieter life of farming in Monomoy. Subsequent owners of the land continued farming until 1889 when the railroad, cable communications and steamboats from the Cape and Boston gave rise to the island's first commercial subdivision known as Monomoy Heights. Drawn and surveyed into 347 lots, it was registered in January of 1889 when Nantucket had a population of 3,727 persons, 391 horses, 603 cows, 756 sheep with a total real estate value of $1,643,745. Whale oil still lit the houses downtown and a trip to Monomoy would have been my horse and buggy.

COURTESY NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION The Monomoy Bug Light used to guide ships in to the harbor and lasted until about 1910.

The first residence, that of Mr. and Mrs. William Hays, III, located at 174 Orange Street, is to be approached just beyond the rotary. It was the first home of the Lewis family, the island's undertakers to this present day. After World War II, George Poland bought the premises and started a large vegetable garden when he retired from a career as the island's Probate Judge. The present day owners have lived there since 1974 and call the house a labor of love, which draws all their family together.

COURTESY NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Monomoy's harborside location offers some of the best waterfront views of town.

"Harbor Watch" is the name of the home of the Taylor family at 2 Monomoy Road. Prior structures on the premises were donated to the town for the housing of life guards and the new residence is a family effort of Ted the engineer, Sandy the interior designer and daughter Heather the architect. The Taylors have a lovely collection of local artists on display and the terraced garden makes this a lovely stop on the tour.

"While Away" is the name of the Crane residence located at 4 Salt Marsh Road. Built in 1996 with Gwynne Thorsen, the property has gracious lawns, lovely island antiques and perennial borders. The view of the salt marsh brought this family from Houston, and Mrs. Crane says this is one of the happiest houses she has ever lived in.

"Cedars" named by Ken and Ellen Roman is the next stop at 6 Berkeley Ave., which has an English country interior and decks and gardens for all to enjoy. The Romans have named the garden paths for their grandchildren with a brochure to identify each shrub and flower.

Mr. and Mrs. Louis Gerstner moved into their home in 2003 and named it "Harbourside," located at 17 Berkeley Ave. Commissioned by Lyman Perry, their property has three structures with a gracious garden and sunset view. 19th century Swedish antiques fill the rooms, which Mrs. Gerstner decorated with the help of the firm Cullman and Kravis.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Geschke built their residence in 1992 and named it "Serenity," as they are on the harbor in a lovely tranquil spot. Commuting from San Francisco is a pleasure when you have a home like this one, which replaced the old residence of Gertrude King who taught in the Coffin School until it closed in 1889. 78 Monomoy Road is the last stop on the tour.

This is the 53rd year for the Garden Club to do such a massive effort, hosting each home and filling some with original flower arrangements by club members. The proceeds from the tour support beautification and conservation projects all over the island. The tour has been made possible by the work of many volunteers and in-kind support from the Nantucket Bank, Pacific National Bank, Poets Corner Press and the Nantucket Storage

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