218 the island of nantucket. 



Maddaket, 



Maddequet, Madeket, Madaquet, Madaket, Mattaket 

 (the reader can take his choice of spelling), is a very 

 small hamlet situated at the west end of the island, on 

 a harbor of the same name. Many persons believe this 

 locality to have been the site of the first town. Macy 

 in his History claims it as such, and makes the assertion 

 that Thomas Macy spent the winter, of 1659-60 here, 

 " having found a rich soil and an excellent spring of 

 water." It is possible that Thomas Macy spent his 

 first winter at this point, but it is certain that in the 

 spring he found a " better place at Watercomet"; 

 and there is nothing to substantiate the belief that 

 here was the first town. 



Large quantities of bluefish, scup, eels, herring, lob- 

 sters, and clams are annually caught at this place. 

 The village is about five miles from the town of Nan- 

 tucket. The town voted at its last annual meeting to 

 erect a school-house here, and made an appropriation 

 for the purpose, authorizing the school committee ta 

 maintain a school six months of the year. 



Mechanical Trades. 

 Forty or fifty years ago there was scarcely a mechan- 

 ical trade but what was followed upon the island, from 

 the making of a tin pot to the, building of a ship. 

 Although the mechanical trades are now at a low ebb, 

 yet there are many fine mechanics, who have no supe- 

 riors in their lines. There are blacksmiths, boat 

 builders, carriage builders, carpenters, and cabinet 

 makers who can turn out as fine pieces of work as 



