Nantucket


Region Type Maps & Charts (if available, no international)
North America, New England Island Nantucket

13 by 7 miles (area; 303 sq miles), 25 miles S of Cape Cod (separated by Nantucket Sound) and across Muskeget Channel from Martha’s Vineyard (W); 41º15'N 70º08'W. Settled by Massachusetts migrants in 1659, the isl. was part of N.Y. (1660-1692), when it was ceded to Mass. The major whaling port in United States until it fell behind New Bedford in the 1820s because of the recurrent sand bar across harbor entrance. The 1st U.S. lightship station (est. 1856) is located near Nantucket.

Sources

Robert A. McCaughey

Compiler

Peter Richards

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