Silas Gardner House, 21 Milk Street, Nantucket

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,10-NANT,47-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

mmmmmmma^m HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY HABS No. MASS-928 RAes SILAS GARDNER HOUSE MA<< 21 Milk Street (on northeast corner of Milk Street and Copper Lane), Nantucket, Massachusetts William Lee Wiley Present Occupants s Wiley family Present Use ; Seasonal occupancy Brief Statement of Significance ; Example of a transitional architectural design between the lean-to type and the typical Nantucket style of four-bay front with off-center door and chimney, * PART I.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION A, Physical History* 1, Original and subsequent owners; Not before Silas Gardner built house, Francis Paddock bought from Silas Gardner, Elisha Barnard bought from Mary Paddock, widow of Francis Paddock, Isaac M, Wiederhold bought from Elisha Barnard, sail-maker, for being "house in which I now live, which was built by Silas Gardner and now owned by me," Kimbal Starbuck bought from Isaac M. Wiederhold for Mary and Anna Coleman bought from Kirabel Starbuck for At this time the property was known as the homestead of Anna Coleman, spinster, daughter of William Coleman. She died in Alexander Macy bought from Anna Coleman^ heirs, Lydia S, Macy, wife of Alexander Macy, by deed from Alexander Macy, who was then eighty-three years of age.

Patrick H, Roberts bought from Lydia S.

Macy for SILAS GARDNER HOUSE HABS No, MASS-928 (Page 2) Eleanor Dt Melendy bought from heirs of Patrick H # Roberts, Russel J, and Elizabeth E, Fosbinder bought from Eleanor D, Melendy, Helen A, Grosshans bought from Fosbinders, - to date William Lee Wiley purchased property, (Abstract, Records Registry of Deeds, Nantucket, Massachusetts,and Vital Statistics of Nantucket, Massachusetts) 2, Date of erection: c, When the house was sold by Elisha Barnard in the deed clearly reads, "house in which I now live and which was built by Silas Gardner", Silas Gardner was only nineteen years of age when he married Susannah Folger in so he could not have built the house much earlier, at the earliest seems plausible, (Abstract, Vital Statistics, Nantucket) An earlier date of has been claimed because of the construction of the house and the fact that the oven with an iron door is still at the back of the huge kitchen fireplace instead of at the side as was common at the end of the century, (Abstract, Old Houses on Nantucket by Duprey) 3, Architect* Unknown 4, Original plans, construction, etc; In the plan of the house the lean-to was abandoned and it was built with two stories front and back.

The arrangement of the small entry with steep stair against the chimney and a room on either side of the front door is still used. The rooms however are of different size, foreshadowing the off-center typical Nantucket house which was to become so popular a little later. The timbers which may be seen in the corners of the rooms are an example of ship's carpentry. The kitchen has always been in the rear room, with a buttery and a borning room on either side of it, 5, Notes on alterations and additions! The house now has six fireplaces in use, three bedrooms, and two baths which have been added inconspicuously and do not detract from the appearance of age. In the living room the large fireplace has been replaced by a smaller one and a paneled wall.

In the smaller room on the left there is a paneled cradleboard. SILAS GARDNER HOUSE HABS No. MASS-928 (Page 3} The partitions dividing the horning room and buttery from the kitchen have been removed, making one large room across the back of the house, with kitchen at one end and the fireplace, with oven with iron door at the back, in the middle part of the wide room. Back stairs to the second floor are accessible from this room. There is an ell at the back. In general the plan of the house remains as it was originally, (Abstract, Old Houses on Nantucket by Duprey) B. Historical Events Connected with the Structure: John Williams, a long-time occupant of the house kept a store at the junction of Milk and Mill Streets, across the street from his home.

He eventually moved away from the Island and the store was taken down. The section where the house stands is that old part of Nantucket known then as Chicken Hill, Milk Street was at that time a main thoroughfare. The Town House was nearby on the corner of Milk and Main Streets; there the Town Meetings and other important gatherings were held, C. Sources of Information: 1. Old Views: View in Scrapbook Collections of Miss Grace Brown Gardner '(microfilm in Nantucket Atheneura), Nantucket, Massachusetts; photograph in Ninety-Five Percent Perfect by Everett U, Crosby, 2.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,10-NANT,47-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

DupJ?ey, Kenneth, Old Houses on Nantucket . New York: Architectural Book Publishing Co., Inc., Note: Very few photographs of this house have been found and very little data. Prepared by Marie M. Coffin Nantucket, Massachusetts June, SILAS; GARDNER HOUSE HABS No. MAS'S-928 (Page 4) PART II. PROJECT INFORMATION These records were prepared for the Historic American Buildings Survey project on Nantucket, Massachusetts, They are part of a continuing HABS comprehensive survey of the early architecture and urban design of Nantucket financed by a grant from the Nantucket Historical Trust, The project was under the general supervision of James C, Massey, Chief of the Historic American Buildings Survey, Historical informa- tion was provided by Marie M, Coffin of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Photographs are by Cortlandt V, D, Hubbard of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The material was edited for deposit in the Library of Congress by Constance Werner Ramirez, August