NANTUCKET TREES 21 



spread to Nantucket. An account of the enterprise was 

 given to the Nantucket Historical Association in 1898 

 by Rev. M. S. Dudley. The summary follows. In 1832 

 William H. Gardner had a prosperous mulberry plantation 

 at Quaise. George Fitch planted mulberry trees at his 

 home lot on Academy Hill; one fine tree is still bear- 

 ing fruit there. George Easton had an orchard of 1000 

 mulberry trees about his homestead at North Water Street 

 in the rear of the house next south of Springfield Lodge. 

 In 18^5 Aaron Mitchell had a grove of 4000 mulberry trees 

 a little out of town. Thorn Lot on Duke Street of the 

 old village of Sherbourne was formerly a mulberry or- 

 chard planted by Gideon Gardner with a thorn hedge 

 around it for protection. The interest in the silk in- 

 dustry crystallized in 18^5 in the formation of the 

 Atlantic Silk Company. The factory was on Gay Street, 

 the last building on the left as one goes up the street 

 toward the High School. For a while four looms were 

 busy here, but the factory was closed down in 1844. To- 

 day only an occasional white mulberry tree bears witness 

 to the venture. 11 



In 1842 three young weeping willows were brought 

 by Captain Plasket of the ship "Napoleon" from the grave 

 of Napoleon on St. Helena. They were set out on Centre 

 Street near Broad and are said to have grown to be huge 

 trees. Storms blew down two; the third, half -rotted, 

 was cut down in 1918 but there is still a survivor on 

 the spot, grown from the old root. 46 ' There are other 

 survivors. According to Mrs. M. W. Boyer, when the 

 original trees were cut down Dr. Coleman had some of the 

 wood put in his yard, corner of Hussey and Centre Street, 

 to be cut up 'for fire wood. One piece lay there so 

 long it sent out shoots and in 1935 two good sized trees 

 were standing there. These were damaged by wind and 

 have been cut down. However, on land on North Beach 

 Street owned by a daughter of Dr. Coleman there are 

 several trees, .offsprings of- the original willows. 6 Ac- 

 cording to Charles Kimball, there is a healthy tree from 

 a shoot of the Napoleon willow now growing near the 

 Madaket Road opposite the junction with Crooked Lane. 30 



In Hotte's Book of Trees we read of another cut- 

 ting from the weeping willow on St. Helena. This one 



