Wharf Rat Club, Old North Wharf, Nantucket, Nantucket County, MA

Significance: Located on the north side of Old North Wharf, this structure has served as the meeting place for the Wharf Rat Club since its founding in 1915. It was built on the south of the wharf after 1900 and moved to its present location by 1923. The building served as the headquarters for the Perry and Coffin Quahaug Business and was later a marine clothing store until 1955. The west half of the building was converted to a living space in 1957; since then, the Wharf Rat Club has had exclusive use of the east half of the building. The maritime interests of the members are strongly suggested by the contents of the unpretentious space; pictures of past commodores and sailing vessels, ship quarterboards, charts of local waters and marine memorabilia crowd the walls and rafters everywhere. The Club began informally while Nantucket natives and summer visitors gathered around the pot-bellied stove in the store to exchange yarns and indulge in gams, or storytelling sessions, which are traditional with all water-front communities. There are no by-laws, dues or membership restrictions, yet there are traditions and symbols. The motto, "No reserved seats for the mighty" expresses the democratic nature of the group and the club insignia of a debonair rat carrying a cane and smoking pipe indicates the whimsical, lighthearted spirit of the organization.
Survey number: HABS MA-1280