On the night of July 13th, 1846, the island of Nantucket went to bed after another busy day as a bustling one-industry town which was known throughout the world. On the morning of July 14th, 1846, Nantucket woke up to find that it was all gone, and everything the island had become up until that point was destroyed overnight by a devastating fire. Nantucket's success in the 1800s had depended upon two main forces: one, Nantucket's stubborn independent spirit, and two, whale oil. And yet, it was those same two factors that would play such major roles in the island's Great Fire of 1846. This book tells the story of that fateful fire, and it also tells the stories of many of the men who would help see the island through its devastation. The island may have been small but these men were not; they were men who achieved great success prior to the fire, and they were men who would demonstrate greatness in the decisions they made for Nantucket following the fire. While many cities in the United States experienced great fires in the 1800s, none faced the challenges that Nantucket did in trying to recover and rebuild from its near-total devastation. Remember, there was an ocean between Nantucket and ANY help whatsoever, and time was of the essence as the island tried desperately to survive. But survive it did, and this book tells the story of how it all happened, warts and all.
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