Extremely Rare an Important Late 18th Century Nantucket Lighthouse Ledger Page

Extremely Rare an Important Late 18th Century Nantucket Lighthouse Ledger Page documenting Subscriptions and Donations to rebuild the Brant Point Lighthouse on Nantucket. Brant Point guards the entrance to Nantucket Harbor and is the second oldest lighthouse in the United States, first built in 1746. The original towers were variously destroyed by storms or fires in 1774, 1783, 1788 and 1795, and were rebuilt by public subscription – in other words donations from private individuals. The U.S. Congress stepped up after 1795 and assumed the responsibility to finance the maintenance and construction of all future towers.

This document is a handwritten ledger page from one of the four dates, listing the names of individuals and the amounts they donated to rebuild this crucially important lighthouse. The list comprises a veritable “Who’s Who” of early Nantucket families. Lighthouse documents are quite rare, and extremely so from this early period, and early Nantucket documents are highly desirable and sought.

Brant Point Light was so important because Nantucket at the time was the largest whaling port in the world, and the whaling industry was the largest part of the United States’ gross domestic product – it was the most important sector of the nation’s economy and essentially funded the growth and expansion of the nation. The entrance to Nantucket Harbor crossed a very shallow sand bar at Brant Point; the lighthouse was essential to navigate this difficult and treacherous shoal.

The document is in amazingly good condition for its age and has been conservation matted and mounted in a contemporary frame.

Measures: 14 in H x 8-1/2 in W
Framed: 20-1/8 in H x 14-5/8 in W