The Nantucket Historical Association is now accepting applications for our 2021 E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney Fellowship.
The Nantucket Historical Association is the principal repository of Nantucket history, with extensive archives, collections of historic properties, and art and artifacts that broadly illustrate Nantucket’s past. Topics of research for recent scholars have included whaling and health aboard whaleships, women at sea, scrimshaw, samplers, local artists, Nantucket’s architectural heritage, Quakerism, the African-American and Cape Verdean communities on Nantucket, the Quaise Asylum, and abolitionism.
In an effort to enhance the public’s knowledge and understanding of the heritage of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the Nantucket Historical Association offers an annual fellowship, the E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney Fellowship. Established in 1999, the award encourages research in the collections of the Nantucket Historical Association Research Library and is open to academics, graduate students, and independent scholars.
Award Overview and Requirements
The E. Geoffrey and Elizabeth Thayer Verney Fellow will commit to a research residency of up to three weeks during March–May or October–December 2021, adhering to state and federal guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic. The fellow also agrees to participate in the intellectual life of the association, including delivering a public presentation on their research topic and preparing an article suitable for publication in Historic Nantucket.
The Verney Fellow receives a stipend of $300 per week during their time in residence, for up to three weeks. Travel expenses are reimbursed up to $600. Additionally, housing is available at the Thomas Macy House, a history property owned by the association, during the three week period.
The deadline for applications is January 31, 2021. Recipients will be announced in February 2021.
Applicants must submit the following materials:
- A project proposal (up to 1,000 words), including
- a description of the project and its significance,
- a description of the anticipated research outcomes and audiences, and
- the specific materials the applicant wishes to consult and their relevance to the project.
- A current curriculum vitae.
- One letter of recommendation.
- For applicants who do not hold a Ph.D., the letter must come from a faculty member familiar with your work and with the project being proposed.
- Proposed dates of travel.
Research topics should be strongly supported by the Nantucket Historical Association’s collections. We encourage prospective applicants to email Amelia Holmes, Director of Collections & Research Services, to discuss their research project and the collections that might support it before submitting an application.
Applications or inquiries may be sent to:
Verney Fellowship
c/o Amelia Holmes
Nantucket Historical Association
PO Box 1016
Nantucket, MA 02554
-or-
aholmes@nha.org
(with subject line: Verney Fellowship)
URL: https://nha.org/research/research-library/verney-fellowship/
