Plimoth Patuxet Museum’s Fuller Shallop To Visit Nantucket Harbor

A reproduction of a small ship that traveled across the Atlantic stowed aboard the Mayflower in 1620 is coming to Nantucket.

The Plimoth Patuxet Museum’s Fuller Shallop will be docked in Nantucket Harbor on August 20th and 21st, crewed by sailors in colonial garb. The ship will present a series of events in collaboration with the Egan Maritime Institute, including a talk with local historian Nathanial Philbrick, tours of the ship, and a film screening.

“We're honored to bring this piece of maritime history to Nantucket,” Egan Maritime Institue executive director Carlisle Jensen said. “Paul Cuffe's story and the voyage of the Fuller Shallop connect our Island to the broader story of the Revolution and our coastal neighbors, and we're excited to share it with our community and visitors.”

The shallop’s visit is part of The Blockade Runners, an event commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence and captain Paul Cuffe, who used a similar shallop to evade the British blockade and deliver supplies to Nantucket during the war.

Cuffe, a Black and Wampanoag abolitionist, philanthropist and whaler, founded one of the first racially integrated schools in the United States, and was one of the most influential and wealthiest members of the Black and Native American communities in the United States during his lifetime.

The movie, set to be screened on August 21st from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Whaling Museum, is a dramatic short film on Cuffe’s life and legacy. It will be followed by a panel discussion featuring filmmaker Anita Allison; Cuffe’s descendent Robert Cox; historian David Cole, who wrote a book about Cuffe; Museum of African American History representative Alivia Pierce; and Nantucket Historical Association chief curator Michael Harrison.

The shallop will also be visiting Westport Point, Padanaram, and Cuttyhunk.