Maria Mitchell Assn

I had never heard of Maria Mitchell before arriving on Nantucket, and I had no idea what to expect from a visit to her house, but we had a really good time there. Unfortunately, it was an overcast day, so we couldn’t take advantage of any public stargazing, but we did get an excellent tour of her house.
Tours of the house don’t seem to run on any particular schedule – you just ring the doorbell and an employee shows you around. Our tour was just the two of us and one other lady who happened to be there at the same time. Either way, it’s always refreshing to learn about a scientific pioneer who came from modest means – especially a woman famous for astronomy back when women in science were either rare or not recognized.
Mitchell seems like a really cool old broad whose contribution to science and women’s history is still felt today. In fact, the google doodle three days before we visited (August 1) was in honor of her 195^th birthday.
Mitchell was also the first professor of Astronomy at Vassar, where she taught for 23 years, and the first woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Our tour guide was clearly very enthusiastic about Miss Mitchell’s legacy and that added to the fun of our tour.

Best spot for starwatching on the Island. Her remarkable history is worth a long visit!

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Maria Mitchell was a famous (at least on Nantucket) astronomer that discover a comet and was a great teacher, educator and advocate of women’s advancement in sciences.
She was born on Nantucket in 1818 and died in 1887. The Maria Mitchell Assn, to their great credit, preserved the house she lived in and it is now open to the public. There is also a natural history museum, a science library, and the actual observatory that she used. These are all open to the public. The library is exceptionally facinating with lots of old papers, books and documents.
The association also gives various lectures, demonstrations and teaching seminars. The Maria Mitchell House and association seems to be oriented more toward the locals on the island but it certainly is a great place for a visitor to spend some time and actually learn more about this great but relatively unknown woman.