When I met my husband he was living in Nahant, a “land-tied island” (two actually) to the south, between Salem and Boston. It’s one of the smallest towns (if not the smallest) in Massachusetts, a single square mile in size with less than 4000 inhabitants. I spent quite a bit of time there while we were dating, and when we decided to get married there was a bit of a tussle which Salem (and I) won. I think this was the right decision for us as a couple, and certainly for his architectural practice, but I do wonder occasionally what our lives would be like if we decided to live in Nahant rather than Salem. And of course, I picked out all of my (our) potential residences during the time I spent there–something I do in pretty much every town in which I spend more than a few hours. The other day while I was driving by the causeway that leads out to “the island” I decided to revisit these houses. Nahant has some amazing coastal properties, but only one is on my list–all the others are on or just off the main road that runs through the center of the town. It was only when I returned home and looked at all the pictures that I realized all of my favorite Nahant houses are yellow.
I always loved the Nahant Post Office…..below, “my” houses: the first one overlooks Egg Rock (which never seems to stay in the same place!) and is very difficult to photograph so you’re not really seeing its entirety or its details. The rest are easier to capture…even the long double Whitney house, once an inn and tavern, which is the oldest structure in Nahant. The last house–a Gothic Revival cottage near the library–is my very favorite: if my future husband had owned it we probably have wound up in Nahant!
July 18th, 2016 at 11:15 am
The house on the bend (your top yellow house) is one of my all-time favorite houses anywhere, any time of year. Great choice of yellow.
July 18th, 2016 at 11:27 am
That house has an amazing situation and lots of great details–but there are so many additions it is hard to photograph. Sprawling!
July 19th, 2016 at 8:50 am
You’re probably right about size by acreage, though there are several towns with a smaller population (e.g., Gosnold, population of 75 in 2010).
July 19th, 2016 at 10:44 am
GOSNOLD??? I thought I knew every Massachusetts town but I’ve never heard of that one—-way out west?
July 19th, 2016 at 10:48 am
Oh I looked it up: the islands, of course.
July 19th, 2016 at 5:02 pm
Southeast: the Elizabeth Islands, the chain that runs southwest from Falmouth and parallel to the coat of Martha’s Vineyard. Most of the year-round residents live on Cuttyhunk, which is also the only publicly-accessible island. (And when I decided to visit every municipality in the state, it was the last of the 351 to be visited.)
February 5th, 2024 at 7:16 am
Let’s get this straight. I lived in Nahant from 1958-1983. Nahant & Little Nahant are not Islands. Technically they are “Tombolas” Def. (An island connected to the mainland by a curved sand bar). There are only three on the entire east coast. The third one is called Marblehead Neck.