The Martha’s Vineyard Museum’s Evening of Discovery was held Saturday at the future museum location at the former marine hospital overlooking the Lagoon in Vineyard Haven.
Of all the exhibits the Martha's Vineyard Museum has to move to its Vineyard Haven location, the Fresnel lens is the biggest project. Specialist Jim Woodward is taking apart hundreds of glass prisms.
The history of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum is the latest sponsored collection to be added to the Time Machine, the Vineyard Gazette’s online tour through Island history.
More than 2,000 Portuguese family histories are included in a manuscript being prepared by the Dukes County Historical Society.
The document chronicles the arrival of Portuguese immigrants to the Vineyard, particularly the whaling crews recruited in the Azores and Cape Verde in the 19th century. It includes mention of approximately 7,000 individuals and 2,350 families, whose descendents today make up a significant portion of the Island’s year-round population.
The Dukes County Intelligencer is well on its way, according to Gale Huntington, its editor. The quality of the publication may possibly be judged by a sample of some of its surplus. These items were rejected by Eleanor Mayhew when she wrote her account of Christiantown:
For 73 years, the Dukes County Historical Society has been the resource for those interested in the history, genealogy, culture and natural history of Martha’s Vineyard.
But institutions need to move with the times. At the society’s annual meeting on August 19, the membership voted to change the name of the organization. From now on, the gate house at the corner of School and Cook streets in Edgartown will read Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society.
“What’s in a name?” asked Romeo. The answer the Society expects, will be recognition.
