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Originally published in the Historic Nantucket, Vol. 44, no. 2 (Summer 1994), p. 10-13

Reminiscences of Old Podpis
by Alcon Chadwick

At one time the NHA offered an annual prize for the best essay written by a Nantucket High School student about Nantucket's history. In 1922, with the help of English teacher Miss Elizabeth Lamed, eighteen pupils submitted entries in the contest. The first prize that year was a five-dollar gold piece, contributed by NHA president Alexander Starbuck. Alcon Chadwick's essay about "Old Podpis" was adjudged the best entry, and the gold piece was awarded to him. Mr. Chadwick states: "Needless to say, this prize was cherished, but in 1933, when gold coinage was called in, I felt obliged to part with the coin."

Six miles east from Nantucket town, and bordering the south shore of an inner harbor, namely Polpis, or Podpis, is the quiet little district of the same name. It is partly surrounded by the inland waterway, which takes the form of a "U." Swain's Neck, a peninsula, breaks up the harbor. From this, Polpis gets its name, which means "the divided or branched harbor."

The whole region is gently rolling, save for the great swamps. Here the wabsche grass crowds for room, and black ducks hide along the bay. The wide view across the harbor to Coatue, and beyond to the gray town, no one ever forgets. Farm dwellings dot the landscape. Perhaps the next most conspicuous building is the school-house. With its large windows, its white flag-pole, and its now silent belfry, it seems to act as a sturdy guard over the small settlement.

To the east of Polpis lies Squam, a very swampy country, with uplands overgrown with bayberry bushes and briars. Here is located the famous "Eat-Fire Spring," of Indian fame. It is large and never failing, and furnishes water now for the Heighten farm. This water is said to be the purest on the island.

To the west is a neck of land called Quaise, which means "the end, or point." Thomas Mayhew reserved this promising tract for his own use when he sold the island of Nantucket to the ten original purchasers. South of Polpis is Spotsor. Here dwelt an Indian tribe, for whose chief, Spotsor, this region was named. Through his wife, the daughter of Nickanoose, chief of the Wauwinet possessions, Spotsor was sachem for nearly forty years.

Polpis was occupied by the Wauwinet tribe of Indians when the island was first settled by the white men. By degrees it came into the hands of the newcomers. Nantucketers should be proud of their forefathers, because they did not steal the land away from the red men, as was done some times on the mainland, but bought it, for trinkets, beads, home-spun and grain. According to old records, John Swain, Sr., father of the first white male child born on the island, was one of its first settlers.

As time went on Podpis grew to be a village of importance, though made up mainly of farms. Even now the chief industry is agriculture. Only about one-fourth of the large old farms, however, are left. While cultivating one often digs up bricks and mortar, the remains of old dwellings. They used to keep large herds of cattle, which were allowed then to graze on the commons. All the land on the island, with the exception of house-lots, was owned in common by a body of share-holders called "The Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Lands." None of this was set off to individuals until the latter part of the last century. Then it was gradually bought up, and the farmers were forced to have their own pastures. Their chief crops were field corn and hay, up to about the year 1890, when Nantucket Island began to grow into a summer resort. At that time they began to do a little market gardening.

The great tracts of the old-time were owned mainly by retired sea captains, who, having either made their fortune or else lost it, settled down here to spend their declining days. Two of these were Capt. Joy, whose farm was on the lane almost opposite the schoolhouse, and Capt. Rule, who lived on the farm now occupied by Harry Dunham.

Capt. Joy was a famous whaling master and later took up farming. He was a resolute, hard working man. It is a good thing that he was, for he was the father of eight children. One of the Joy boys, after ploughing all day, was not too tired to walk the six miles to town to see the girls.

As shoes were made at home in those days they were preserved with care, and then passed along. The thrifty lad went barefooted as far as what we call now "Our Island Home." The leather strings of his home-made shoes were tied together and thrown around his neck, so a shoe was swinging on each side. On his way home he trudged along in his precious shoes until he reached his favorite outpost. Then he took them off, hung them on his shoulders, and footed it on home to Podpis in his bare feet.

Perhaps the best known of the old farmers was Frederick C. Sanford, a retired Nantucket ship owner, who, like other islanders of means, invested in a farm "out Polpis way." He used to wear a silk hat, drive a fast horse, and walk about with one hand in a coattail pocket. Many Nantucketers still remember him. His town mansion, on the corner of Broad and Federal streets, is now occupied by Capt. Killen.

Mr. Sanford's farms included those now owned by a gunning club, and the two belonging to the Nantucket Cranberry Co., known now as the Polpis Club, Beechwood and Norwood, respectively. It is said that while Mr. Sanford carried on the farm on Swain's Neck they used to turn up shells a foot deep by plough. He said that Spotsor and his Indians had probably put them there; but geologists have told that they indicated an ante-glacial deposit, other traces of which have been found in the Sankaty bluffs and while digging wells and cellars.

Farming was not the only occupation in old Podpis in former days. We find that a number of fulling mills were in operation during the colonial times. One of these, built over the small stream halfway between the public school house and the junction of the Polpis road, was in use in the year 1772. It was managed by a Scotchman named Nichols, with whom David Alien served as an apprentice until he became master of the trade. This Mr. Alien made the first cut nails ever used on the Island or even perhaps in this country.

A fulling mill was also built by the Gardner brothers at Podpis, but its exact location is not known. Another was operated at Quaise. Salt making was carried on, on a large scale, on Quaise Point. This busy, bustling village of Podpis was evidently more prosperous than the present Polpis.

Another necessary employment here was peat digging. The greater part of the peat used on Nantucket was found and dug in and around Podpis. These extensive beds seem to prove that at some time a great many trees grew on the island. Bartholomew Gosnold, who may have landed here first, reported that the eastern part of the island was densely covered with large trees when they found the island. Peat was for some time the chief fuel. Some of the older Islanders can remember now when coal was introduced here. Nantucket people did not like it, for it was so hard to kindle.

Peat gathering, especially during the War of 1812, when the British blockaded the island, and during the Civil War, when coal was a great luxury, became an important industry. The old beds are now low, wet swamps. To prepare peat for use, first the trees must be cleared; then the roots were pulled out and the turf removed, in much the same way as the Sankaty Head golf grounds are being cleared today. Next the peat was dug out, hauled to a bed, and harrowed until the lumps were well broken up.

Water was thrown on then to make the mass soft and pasty, so that they could slick it off and mark it into squares. The slicker was usually a board with a pole attached to both ends. This was drawn over the peat to smooth it off. A hay fork was used to mark it into squares. When the top of the peat was dry they turned the squares with forks and sometimes by hand. The peat, when ready, was piled in long, narrow houses, with tight roofs, and slats on the sides.

Great care was taken to get this fuel well dried before the white frost came; otherwise, it would crumble. Peat digging time always followed haying. It was common to hear the old farmer say, "Got to hustle and get this haying done, so that we can get at peating 'fore the frost comes on."

Some of the houses of the Podpisers, who were, of course, participants in the thriving industries of the settlement, are worthy of mention. The oldest was George Swain, Sr.'s. This dwelling, which stood on the farm now owned by Frank P. Chadwick, was built, it is said, about 1684. If so, it was two years older than 'The Old House," in town, the date of which is 1686. Near this site a cannon ball was found recently by the writer's brother, while planting potatoes. It is reasonable to suppose that this was fired here by the British during the War of 1812.

The second oldest, called the Meader house, stood near the Quaise line. A part of this was nearly as old as the Jethro Coffin House. It is said that when they took it down they found three floors in the parlor. The bark still remained on the timbers, and they were faced only where the floors rested. This structure and many others were built of the island timber.

The next oldest building known was constructed in 1704, by George Swain, Sr., for his daughter Elizabeth, who married Joshua Sevolle. This old landmark stood directly opposite the present school house. Love Smith was its last occupant. It was blown down in 1902, after having stood for nearly 200 years.

The cottage now owned by E. J. Hollister, on the high bluff in Quaise, overlooking the upper harbor, contains some timber, and five one-plank oak doors, from the famous Miriam Coffin house, the cellar hole of which is close by. "Miriam" (Keziah) Coffin was a shrewd and wealthy ship owner. She had built a handsome town mansion, on what is now Mrs. Maria T. Swain's lawn on Centre Street, and then this country house in Quaise.

From this secluded spot, she was supposed to have a tunnel to the shore, to use in smuggling. As yet, however, no trace of it has been found. History tells us that Miriam is believed to have rendered aid to the British during the Revolution, and that she was tried at Watertown later for smuggling.

We must not forget the Farmers' Institute, or the "Polpis Court House," as it was sometimes called. This was a one-room shack, which stood first on the lane almost opposite the school house. It was afterwards moved to a site near the mill pond. A few years ago it was blown down. Here, about 1855, the men folks gathered evenings to talk over the current news, and to brag about their crops, while the old whalers in the village were "gamming" in the "Captains' Room." They continued to meet here until about 1900. Near this building is a large boulder, which, as the story goes, jumped the fence one night. The truth is that the owner of the neighboring pasture moved his fence after dusk on the other side of the rock to get more land.

Polpis seems very quiet now, when we compare it with the flourishing village of old Podpis. It is, however, a beautiful place to live in. One can look for miles, from any point of the settlement. Strangers have begun to realize that this part of the island has great charm. Three summer cottages have been bought by off-islanders within the last few years. Now that a permanent road is to be built through to 'Sconset, it is predicted that much of the travel will be lured this way, and that the settlement here will increase. Thus, this beautiful section of the island has changed from a bustling village to a quiet little settlement, and from "Podpis" to "Polpis." No one who has grown up on a farm, with the sea-scape in front, the brown and green hummocky landscape behind, and the old echoes and traditions all around, would ever "wish to change his place."