DECEMBER MOONRISE

This is a view of downtown Nantucket looking southeast. The building in the center is the Rotch Market, built in 1775. In 1842, the first floor was occupied by the Commercial Insurance Company and across the street were the offices of Citizen's Bank. The buildings in the foreground are the Gardner-Coffin warehouse and the Macy-Hussey warehouse. The buildings bordered on the square at the lower end of Main Street. The area from the square to the wharves was filled with warehouses and businesses relating to the maritime industries of the island, most notably, whaling. This entire section of town, including a large portion not pictured, was destroyed by fire in 1846. The fire began a decline in the fortunes of the island which has recently been reversed by the tourist industry.