The historic Mill House in Vineyard Haven overlooking the lower entrance to the harbor has been torn down. The mill still stands as the sole survivor of an unusual home that had many occupants over the centuries. Molly Merry allowed British soldiers to bunk down on her floors. In the late 1800s General Walker added the mill onto that little Cape, which then became the center of a larger home as he added another wing for his family and a long porch that wrapped around the front of the house facing the water. Years later Lillian Hellman and Dashiell Hammett lived there together. My family owned and cared for this wonderful home for 50 years. We were custodians of a house that we thought would last long beyond our time. There was an article written about this home by Henry Beetle Hough in the Vineyard Gazzette in the 1960s as I recall. One summer it was included in a tour of historic homes in Vineyard Haven. It is unbelievable that the town allowed this to happen. It is a loss of a part of its history. Some may call this progress. To me it is lack of respect for the past and terribly sad.

Margaret Snow

Florence, Italy