The Village of 'Sconset on Nantucket Island

It is difficult to describe the essence of 'Sconset, except to hint that it is perhaps indescribable. Edward Underhill, one of the village's early promoters, comes very close:

Life out-of-doors, under awnings on the beach or in hammocks; saunters or rides over moors laden with perfumes of wildflowers; lawn tennis; croquet; golf; baseball; cycling; straw-rides in odd-shaped Nantucket box wagons or carts; "squantums." (Squantum is half picnic and half clambake.) Indoors, social gatherings; evening entertainments; games; music; dancing.

'Sconset is a kind of refinement, or elixir, of all that makes Nantucket beloved-a community of beauty, set against a backdrop of history, with a magic all its own. This exhibition is dedicated to presenting the history, the artwork, the architecture, the personalities, the institutions, and the inexpressible charm of this unique "patchwork village" by the sea.

Nantucket Historical Association, exhibit introduction 2008: "'Sconset 02564: A Celebration of the Patchwork Village"