'Sconset: A Comfortable, Safe Place

Описание: This mini-documentary about ’Sconset as a safe, comfortable place in the 1940s was produced for the 2008 exhibition ’Sconset 02564 at the Nantucket Whaling Museum. It includes excerpts from a series of oral histories of ’Sconset residents conducted by the NHA in 2007 along with archival video and photos on the topic.

In this video, Bob Longley (1932–2013) begins by noting that ‘Sconset was a very quiet and safe place to live as an introduction to his wife’s story about being left alone in ‘Sconset by her parents in the 1940s. Nan Dempster Longley (1934–) remembers how her parents, wanted her at age 12 and her brother, age 10, to live in ‘Sconset for the summer to avoid polio. Because her parents both worked, Nan and her brother were left alone during the week and some weekends. Nan looked after the house, cleaned, bought groceries, cooked, and generally took care of things. Her neighbors, Marion and Walter Folger “kept a good eye on us,” she said and the arrangement worked successfully for several years during the polio scare. During this time, Nan’s brother brought Bob home for lunch, and Nan’s cooking was so good, she said, “He never left!”