Mahon About Town Nantucket Blog

T-shirts are pieces of Nantucket history. They have become America’s mobile billboards. They confirm where we travel, what rock bands we like, where our children go to college, and our politics.

Bo Overlock, a long time ‘Sconset resident, is an avid collector of pop culture artifacts, shirts among them. This column, written by Bo, will focus on shirts made before 1980. Many of these shirts are fun, simple, and made in very limited numbers, sometimes as few as 2 dozen. They speak to friendship, small businesses, and your builder who cared enough to show up to do the work and drove with you to Marine Lumber to get supplies.

Over to you Bo.

Back in the 1970s, the venerable institutions and heritage of the island started to change. You could always buy fresh lobster right off the boats, but for countless years there were 2 fishmongers: Walter Glidden on Steamboat Wharf, and Charlie Sayle. The stories about Walter Gildden and his dry Yankee persona abound. Walter’s son David runs the family business with the same dry perspective today.

About 1975, a new, out of nowhere fish store opened up on Straight Wharf, the Nantucket Seafood Co., Kevin Shore proprietor, near the Hy-Line. It was harder to get to, but it felt “right”, being directly on the wharf.

The best part of it was Jim Shaw and his boat the Stone Horse (named for a shoal off the island) was always tied up right in front of the store. Jim was new blood. He and wife Joanne came from Rochester and quickly became part of a new bunch of islanders. Jim was handsome, Joanne had a great sense of spirit, Jimmy’s boat was in great shape, with a beautiful dark green hull….everything was different. Whatever happened after that is not available on a t-shirt.

You must have some great t-shirts in the bottom of your drawers. They may be worn out, or with paint on them, but they are a great starting place for memories and charming stories. Take a picture of your not later than the 80’s shirt and add some comments . . . then send it along to the newsletter. It will be featured in an upcoming edition.