Tour Nahant Landmarks
“Klein aber fein!” as the Germans say, “small but nice.”
Nahant is the smallest town in Massachusetts, a little over one square mile in size. It has the ambiance of an Island since it is almost entirely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, connected by a causeway to the mainland and about 10 miles north of Boston. There are lots of interesting things packed into its small area. And It’s possible to see many of the significant sites in about an hour just by strolling around. There’s another view of the ocean from nearly every street.
Tour Introduction
Take a walking or driving tour of Nahant. This scenic route begins at the Nahant Life Saving Station (NLSS) on Short Beach, travels up Nahant Road in a roughly circular route heading east past family and town landmarks out to the various beaches. It bends to the right and meanders to different sites. It’s impossible to get lost since there’s only one road that leads into or out of Nahant: and it’s called ‘Nahant Road.’
Nahant Life Saving Station, 96 Nahant Road
The NLSS has front doors on one side that face Nahant Road and on the opposite side are big boat room doors that open up right on to Short Beach. You can either start off the town tour on the sidewalk or take off your shoes and stroll on the sand.
Short Beach – along Nahant Road stretching between Little Nahant and Big Nahant
Short beach is a favorite of Nahant residents. This is the beach where the Nahant Life Saving Station is located and where our party is being held. It’s a shallow beach where the Sheehan kids first learned to swim. The walking tour continues up Nahant Road past the Police Station and Green Lawn Cemetery.
211 Nahant Road, early childhood home of the Sheehan kids
This is the home where the five Sheehan Siblings lived from the 1950s to the early ‘60s. It is also the house in which 80% of them were born.
295 Nahant Rd, The Edgehill Apartments
The residences where Art & Phyllis Sheehan lived before moving their growing family to 211 Nahant Rd.
Grandparents’ House, 32 Summer Street
Take a slight righthand detour off Nahant Road onto Summer Street and go midway down to No. 32. The brown house situated perpendicular to the street (providing most rooms with excellent views of the ocean) is the legendary former home of grandparents Morrill & Helena Maxwell. Many family holiday celebrations were held here and the house is associated with some of their grandchildren’s fondest memories of visiting their grandparents in Nahant.
Nahant Public Library, 15 Pleasant Street
The place where young family members were first introduced to the pleasing rhymes of Dr. Seuss children’s books. The Nahant Public Library, founded in 1819, is one of the oldest libraries in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the Library will be closed on July 4th, but this Website provides “A self-guided tour of the Nahant Public Library”
40 Steps Beach & Canoe Beach – near 391 Nahant Rd
40 Steps Beach is located close to where Nahant Road takes a sharp right turn. The ocean views from the top of the stairs are stunningly beautiful. Although there are now more than 40 steps, the stairs lead down to a pebbled beach. The waves tend to be a little rougher than the surf at Short Beach. It drops off quickly and is for more experienced swimmers. Close by to the right is Canoe Beach which is a popular spot for snorkeling.
WWII Coastal Defense Towers - 9 & 11 Swallow Cave Road
There are several concrete WWII coastal defense watch towers located on the eastern shore of Nahant. The towers are about 70 feet tall. Two of the towers are easily seen from the street at 9 & 11 Swallow Cave Rd. Both are on private property though so please don’t bother the owners. Here are some Web links with more information about the towers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Point_Military_Reservation
The towers were once part of a larger network of defensive naval gun emplacements built to defend Boston Harbor during WWI and WWII. Later during the “Cold War” of the 1950s & 60s the site was converted into underground bunkers for launching Nike ballistic missiles. The last fully restored Nike missile site in the US is in California. This site explains what the missile sites were like, including the site in Nahant: https://www.nps.gov/goga/nike-missile-site.htm
More info is available on Wikipedia.
Northeastern University Marine Science Center, 430 Nahant Rd
Today the former Nike site is home to Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center, for marine research and education. Here is a link to the center’s Website: https://cos.northeastern.edu/marinescience/
Nahant Village Church, 27 Cliff Street. Wedding site!
This is the church where Francine and Mark were married on July 5, 1986. There are several photos from that event on the main page of this Website. See the Nahant Village Church’s Website for more photos of what the church looks like today:
https://www.nahantvillagechurch.org/
Town Wharf & Nahant Dory Club – 2 Wharf Street
Nahant was the scene of some of the earliest organized yacht racing in North America. The Nahant Dory Club was founded in 1894. The Club offers a sailing school open to all residents. Many Nahant kids take lessons at the wharf, including our niece, Julianne. She can tell you more about it (if you ask nicely). https://www.doryclub.org/ and this Website includes a description of the 100+ year history of the Nahant Dory Club: https://ndc.rawasy.com/history?post_id=2
Tudor Beach / Dorothy Cove – along Willow Road between Summer and Winter Streets
Tudor Beach (a.k.a. Dorothy Cove) is a south-facing beach with views of Nahant Harbor and the Boston skyline. There is a paved promenade along Willow Road, with benches overlooking the beach.
Nahant Historical Society – 41 Valley Road
The former Nahant High School building now houses the Nahant Historical Society’s collection of town memorabilia. The Society has an exhibition, “Nahant on the Rocks.” This is an interactive exhibit showing the history of the town from its early days as grazing land for Lynn livestock, through its days as a fishing community, and its heyday as the summer resort for Boston’s wealthy families and artists. https://nahanthistory.org/
Across the street from the Nahant Historical Society is the most recent family homestead in the town. Mark’s brother, Dana, and his wife Patty moved back to Nahant more than a decade ago. Their move was an area homecoming for Patty too, who grew up in nearby Marblehead. Their daughter Julianne has spent a larger percentage of her life in Nahant than any other member of the family.
Knights of Columbus Hall - 17 Relay Yard
Family members continue to connect with Nahant. In 2012 France and Mark’s niece Cloie and nephew-in-law Matt Andrysiak celebrated their wedding overlooking the ocean on the grounds of the Knights of Columbus Hall near Bass Point, adding another special chapter to the family's Nahant story.
Keep Going …
There are many other things to see in Nahant. The town’s small size allows explorers to wander as widely as their curiosity will take them. It’s almost impossible to get lost, just keep walking and you’ll soon find yourself back where you started. Somewhat like this party