Nantucket Landmarks

There are a lot of great landmarks in Nantucket that should be visited if you're on the island.  Being such an old city the landmarks in Nantucket have a lot of history behind them and are very interesting.  Some of the great landmarks that should definitely visit are Great Point Lighthouse, The Nantucket Whaling Museum, and Brant Point Light house.  All these landmarks have great history and are really amazing to see.

  Great Point Lighthouse is one of the most history filled landmarks on Nantucket.  It was originally built in 1784 out of wood but was destroyed by a fire in 1816.  It was reconstructed as a stone tower in 1818 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.  It was then destroyed by a storm in 1984 but rebuilt yet again in 1986 and is still standing today.  It sits at Great Point on Nantucket which is a small stretch of land that is surrounded on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and by Nantucket sound on the other.  Great Point Lighthouse is an almost synonymous image to Nantucket and is a great place to visit.

Great Point Lighthouse

 The Nantucket Whaling Museum is another great landmark in Nantucket.  The museum allows one to look into Nantucket's past and see what life was like for people 400 years ago there.  The museum contains a large collection of whaling artifacts and memorabilia.  It has things such as long boats, and harpoons.  But the main exhibit in the museum is a 46 foot sperm whale skeleton that hangs from the ceiling of the museum.  The museum before it became a museum had been a candle factory.  When whales were brought into Nantucket they were brought here to make candles, and so to stay true to its original purpose the building still has an exhibit on candle making and how the business works.  The whaling museum is a great exhibit and should be visited when on the island.

Sperm Whale Skeleton in Nantucket Whaling Museum

Brant Point Lighthouse was first constructed in 1746, this lighthouse was made of wood and burned down in 1758.  The current Brant Point Lighthouse was built in 1901 and has been in use ever since.  The lighthouse marks the entrance to Nantucket Harbor and is settled nicely on Brant Point with a small rock wall and beach surrounding it.  The lighthouse has been a landmark on Nantucket ever since its construction and it is a great place to visit.  Something fun to do when visiting Brant Point is to go when the 10:00 PM ferry is coming around the point and it is an amazing thing to watch.

Brant Point Lighthouse