Today, my “One Postcard Saturdays” feature is an antique postcard showing the paddlewheel steamer named “Gay Head”. This ship was named after the town of Gay Head, in Massachusetts. It was first launched in 1891 and taken out of service in 1924.

Steamers used one or more steam engines and moved by either propeller or paddlewheel. Steam operation was developed by Robert Fulton, with the first successful trip on the Hudson River in 1807.

The first steamer to enter Boston Harbor was “the Massachusetts” in 1817.

Nantucket was one of the first places on the Atlantic Coast to use the steam invention of Fulton, with the first steamer to cross Nantucket Sound being “the Eagle”. This 92-foot-long ship was built in 1818 in New London, Conn., and made its first trip to Nantucket in May of that year. Scheduled trips between Nantucket and New Bedford began in June of 1818, a distance which took “the Eagle” over eight hours to complete.

After three months of service to Nantucket, “the Eagle” was sold and placed in service between Boston and Hingham, Mass..

All steamers running to Nantucket, prior to 1842, burned wood for fuel.

The “Gay Head” sidewheel steamer was built in 1891, in Philadelphia. The “Gay Head” was built for the New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamboat Co. and was the largest sidewheeler ever operated by the company at a length of 203 feet.

The New Bedford, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamboat Company was formed in 1886 through the consolidation of the older New Bedford, Vineyard and Nantucket Steamboat Co. and the Nantucket and Cape Cod Steamboat Co.

The “Gay Head” operated as a ferry, serving the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket during the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. The ship was named after the town of Gay Head, Massachusetts, which was located on Martha’s Vineyard. The town was incorporated in 1870 and was later renamed to Aquinnah in 1997.

In July 1898, the “Gay Head” collided with the steamer “Nantucket” while crossing Vineyard Sound in a dense fog. The “Nantucket’s” bow was badly damaged during that collision.

Postcard Sender and Recipient:

My featured postcard was addressed to Aunt Etta (Henrietta James Hooper), in Franklin, Mass. and was postmarked on August 23rd, 1915, from Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The sender was “Carrie” who I think was a cousin of Aunt Etta’s but I am not certain–her relationship may be determined at a later time.

Carrie’s message reads: “Ma and I are here for a week–Having lots of good times. Lovingly, Carrie”

This postcard was published by Tichnor Brothers Inc. (1908-1987); the printed seal on the reverse of the card says “Coast to Coast” and lists publishing locations of Boston, Mass. and Los Angeles, CA.

Resources:

Archive.org; The Story of the Island Steamers; Turner, Harry B.; Publ 1910, The Inquirer and mirror press, Nantucket, Mass.; Accessed 24 January 2026.

en.wikipedia.org Accessed 23 January 2026

vineyardgazette.com/news/1957/06/21/steamer-history-vineyard-history; Accessed 23 January 2026.