Nantucket Island, Massachusetts has plenty of cobblestone streets.
According to the Nantucket Historical Association, before cobblestone was used, Nantucket was a very muddy mess. When it rained, the waste parts of butchered animals and manure decomposed in puddles of water on the sand and clay streets, where mosquitoes and flies thrived.
During the mid 1800’s, cobblestones were used to pave the streets, and spelled progress for the nearly seven thousand year-rounders and even more summer visitors.
Where the cobblestones came from has been a debatable subject for Nantucketers. There are several theories as to their origins, and the question of how the cobblestones got here in the first place has become island lore. The popular belief is that the cobblestones were ballast for ships arriving into port, having emptied its trade in Europe. Others feel they were purchased from elsewhere on the East coast and brought in.
Today there are more cobblestoned streets in town than before. Recently the town tore up a portion of India Street to replace antiquated sewer pipes. Instead of resurfacing the street with macadam, workers laid many of the same cobblestones that had been buried under the blacktop for nearly eighty years!
Nantucket Island is a place to visit for those who appreciate the charm of old cobblestone streets!
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