'Sconset

Book excerpt: 'Sconset, the popularized version of its official name Siasconset, prides itself on preserving the charm and rich, historical character of the quaint, little village in the southeastern corner of Nantucket Island. Acclaimed as one of America's first summer vacation retreats, 'Sconset is cherished for its rose-covered cottages, lush hydrangeas, quiet paths and lanes, three miles of soft-sand beach, its iconic Sankaty Head Lighthouse, and a host of seasonal amenities. Siasconset is a Wampanoag Algonquian word meaning "place of great bones." Seven miles from bustling Nantucket town, 'Sconset was a remote fishing station of the Wampanoag when they first met with Europeans in 1659. Today, 'Sconseters embrace a strong sense of community with more than 2,000 summer residents but only about 200 hardy souls living there year-round.