74 THE ISLAND OF NANTUCKET. 



1849; Mission, Orange Street, 1866 ; Eoman Catholic, 

 Federal Street, formerly Harmony Hall. 



The compiler gratefully acknowledges his indebted- 

 ness to Win. C. Folger, Esq., who has been unwearied 

 in his labor of looking up facts for this book, for the 

 following in relation to the earlier churches : — 



" The early white settlers were mostly farmers, fish- 

 ermen, and mechanics, and their houses were consid- 

 erably scattered. It is probable that for many years 

 after the island's settlement, religious services were 

 held in private dwelling-houses. Two ' meeting- 

 houses ' are said to have been built in 1711, one for 

 the Friends and one for the Congregationalists. The 

 latter stood on rising ground, in what has since been 

 called the l Holmes country,' on the north side of 

 West Centre Street road, and not far from c No Bot- 

 tom Pond.' It was moved to town in 1765, and used 

 by the society until 1834, when it was moved farther 

 back on the hill to make room for the present edifice, 

 which was erected that year. It adjoins the church, 

 and is used as a vestry, where prayer meetings and 

 the Sunday school are held. 



" The Friends' first meeting-house — built in 1711 — 

 stood a little to the southeast of the Forefathers' or An- 

 cient burial ground, on land adjoining their first burial 

 place. It ceased to be used as a meeting-house after 

 their second one was built in 1730, but was used as a 

 school-house; and in 1736, whilst one Draper, called 

 ' Little Draper,' was the teacher, a stick or log left 

 standing in a corner of the fireplace burnt off in the mid- 

 dle, the upper part of it rolled off the hearth on to the 

 floor, set that on fire, and the school-house was burned 



