The Gazette had its hundred and seventy sixth birthday yesterday, and we’ve never felt younger. It's true what they say about staying active. Martha's Vineyard is a mosaic of communities that comes together as one community, a great diversity of hearts and minds and souls that have in common an Island that helps define their values and their lives.

Since Edgar Marchant put out the first issue on May 14, 1846, the Gazette's job has been to report on those lives and those values to the community as a whole. It's an imperfect craft, journalism, and it's been called the first draft of history.

After a hundred and seventy six years, the Gazette has written a few subsequent drafts as well.