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In 1602, explorer Bartholomew
Gosnold claimed for England a windswept island 25 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. The Wampanoag Indians, who lived
on the crescent-shaped island, called it Nantucket, "faraway land", because of it's distance from the
mainland. Quaker settlers arrived there in 1659, fleeing the religious persecution they had faced in Maccachusetts.
They lived peacefully alongside the Wampanoags until 1763, when diseases brought by the settlers killed nearly
all the Native Americans. By the time of the American Revolution, Nantucket had become one of the world's major
whaling ports. More than 125 whaling ships were based there, and wealthy captains built grand mansions along the
islands cobblestones streets. Today Nantucket is a popular summer resort, famous for it's natural beauty and old-fashioned
charm. In 1955, the entire island was designated a National Historic District so that it's many historic buildings
would be preserved. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation owns and protects some 8,200 acres of cranberry bogs
and moorland, much of which is open to hikers. Tourists enjoy visiting the Nantucket Whaling Museum and the Nantucket
Museum of history. Many families who live in Nantucket today are decendants of the original settlers of the 17th
century.