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Overview
Skip Finley's Town of Oak Bluffs columns in the Vineyard Gazette were widely popular thanks to his breezy style and historical content. In this curated collection, he presents a chronological telling of how the community became the welcoming seaside resort for a uniquely diverse group of residents and visitors, including five American presidents. Discover how islanders like Ichabod Norton, Old Harry and Lucy Vincent Smith helped to define the island we know today. From the Panic of 1873 to the Inkwell and beyond, these witty and whimsical tales prove why this particular spot is featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781467143974 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing SC |
| Publication date: | 08/05/2019 |
| Series: | American Chronicles |
| Pages: | 176 |
| Sales rank: | 1,144,278 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Skip Finley's career in media began in 1971. In addition to serving the leadership of the major broadcast industry associations, the popular executive was responsible for forty-three stations (four of which he owned) encompassing seventeen U.S. markets. His work has included business successes with radio networks, syndicated programs, formats and a satellite channel. Finley was a frequent contributor to radio industry trade publications. Retired, today he is a writer and works for the Vineyard Gazette Media Group as director of sales and marketing and is a guest columnist. He is a member of the Martha's Vineyard Museum Board of Directors. From June 22, 2012, to June 16, 2017, Finley wrote the Vineyard Gazette's weekly Town of Oak Bluffs column. Thanks to the Vineyard Gazette's circulation of 11,500, his 253 columns were widely read. In addition to the Vineyard Gazette, he is a regular contributor to Martha's Vineyard Magazine, Martha's Vineyard Island Weddings and the Martha's Vineyard Museum publication, the MV Museum Quarterly (formerly the Dukes County Intelligencer).
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 11
Introduction 13
Chapter 1
My Story 15
Ann Margetson (December 28, 1931-April 20, 2014) 15
Foundations 19
Discovery 20
Contact 20
New Religion 21
Governor Thomas Mayhew 21
Thomas Mayhew Jr. and Hiacoomes 22
Pulpit Rock 23
Geography and Geology 26
The Barbary Coast 27
Early Economics 28
Methodism 29
New Beginnings 29
Ichabod Norton and Old Harry 29
The Azores 30
Chapter 2
Abolitionists 31
Jeremiah Pease (April 8, 1792-June 5, 1857) 31
Reverend Hebron Vincent (1805-1890) 33
Robert Morris Copeland 34
Ebenezer Lamson (1814-1891) 35
Ichabod Norton Luce (1814-1894) 35
Edward Dobbs Linton 36
Frederick Douglass 37
William Claflin and Hiram Rhodes Revels 37
Gilbert Haven 38
City in the Woods: Prayers for All 39
The Captains of Cottage City: 1866-74 39
The Partners 41
Willam Bradley (1825-1895) 41
Captain Shubael Lyman Norton 41
Grafton Norton Collins (1820-1889) 42
Ira Darrow (1799-1871) 42
The Off-Islanders: E.E Carpenter and William Hills 43
Triumph, Disaster and Secession 44
Katama and the Railroad 45
Chapter 3
The Panic of 1873 47
Cottage City 48
The End of the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company 50
Charles Tallman 51
Bathing and Beaches 53
Real Estate and Neighborhood Developments 54
Lucy Vincent Smith 55
Iconic Architects and Architecture 58
Ellen Weiss 58
Robert Taylor 58
Samuel Freeman Pratt (1824-1920) 59
The Pink House 60
Tarleton Cadwallader Luce 62
Chapter 4
The Great Hotels: 1871-79 64
Highland House Hotel 64
Sea View House 65
Prospect House 68
The Wesley House 68
1874 69
Illumination and Fireworks 70
Presidential Visit 70
Killing and Murder in the News 71
Agassiz Hall: The Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute 73
Cottage City Star 74
Chapter 5
Freedom 76
Secession: 1880 77
Black Citizens 78
Rural Improvement Society: 1881 80
Town Hall: 1882 81
Phoebe Moseley Adams Ballou: 1883 82
Eunice C. Rocker 83
The Flying Horses: 1884 84
Electricity 85
Soldiers' Memorial Fountain: Charles Strahan (November 10, 1840-March 24, 1931) 85
Reconciliation, Redemption and Repudiation 85
Titticut Follies 88
Chapter 6
The Oakland Mission: 1895 89
The Bradley Memorial Church 90
Portuguese American Club 91
The Woman in Red 92
The Automobile Arrives 93
Phillip J. Allston (1860-1915) 96
Shearer Cottage 97
Dorothy West 97
The Inkwell 99
Golf 101
The Phidelah Rice School for the Spoken Word 103
The Arcade: Blind Nathan 105
Chapter 7
Diversions 107
The Tivoli Ballroom 108
Dreamland 109
Movie Theaters 111
The Herald and the Old Variety Store 112
Henry (Harry) Thacker Burleigh (December 2, 1866-September 12, 1949) 114
Airplanes: "$10.00 for 10 Minutes" 116
Prohibition 117
Stuart MacMackin 117
Eben Daws Bodfish 118
Phyllis Clair Deitz (September 2, 1921-July 22, 2014) 119
Reverend Leroy C. Perry (1874-June 26, 1960) 120
Chapter 8
Joseph Sequeira Vera July 14, 1928-May 22, 2018) 122
Joseph August Sylvia (August 19, 1892-December 2, 1968) 124
Adam Clayton Powell. (November 29, 1908-April 4, 1972) 125
Johnny Seaview 127
Charles H. "Cee Jay" Jones 128
Black Resort 129
Dr. Adelaide M. Cromwell 130
The Swanson House: William Melvin Davey 130
Coleman's Corner 131
The Swanson House Redux: Truman R. Gibson Jr. 132
Herbert Loring Jackson (1908-1978) 132
Cottagers Corner 133
Judge Herbert Edward Tucker (August 30,1915-March 1, 2007) 134
Lenwood Joseph Overton 135
Rally at the Tabernacle 136
Chapter 9
The Delegate: C. Melvin Patrick 137
Lincoln G. Pope Jr. (May 29, 1916-January 10, 1979) 138
Edward W. Brooke (October 26, 1919-January 3, 2015) 139
Lucy Hart Abbot 142
Cilian B. Powell and James L. Hicks 144
Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin (March 31, 1939-December 30, 2014) 146
Justine Tyrell Priestiy Smadbeck (1921-2004) 147
Linda Marinelli (February 27, 1931-January 31, 2013) 149
Chapter 10
Lola's 152
Clarence Leroy Holte (February 19, 1909-January 29, 1993) 154
Signs of Oak Bluffs 154
Della Louise Brown Taylor Hardman (May 20, 1922-December 13, 2005) 155
Wayne Coutinho (August 15, 1946-June 3, 2002) 155
Coin Diving 157
Chief Eric Blake 158
African Americans at Home on an Island 158
Chapter 11
Philip H. Reed (February 21, 1949-November 6, 2008) 159
The Boiling Family 160
The Nelson Family 161
Final Thoughts 161
Notes 163
Bibliography 173
About the Author 176