THE BUILDING Completed in 1854, after two years of construction, the Coffin School is an impressive example of Greek Revival architecture. It is one of the few public buildings constructed of brick on the Island. THE COLLECTION In the main hall, early 19th century portraits of prominent Nantucketers grace the walls. Also on view are paintings by the accomplished Island artist, Elizabeth Rebecca Coffin, a school trustee who studied with renowned American painter, Thomas Eakins.   collection of the Nantucket Historical Association The Coffin School, ca. 1870 THE SCHOOL Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin's Lancasterian School was founded in 1827, at the height of Nantucket's whaling era, by an English Baronet and descendant of Tristram Coffin, one of the Island's original settlers. First located on Fair Street, the school was moved to its present location on Winter Street after the Great Fire of 1846. In addition to "giving a good English education to the youth who are descendants of late Tristram Coffin" (which included almost every child on Nantucket), the school emphasized nautical skills. For this purpose, the Admiral purchased the first training ship in America -- the Clio, an 87-foot brig that took Nantucket boys as far as Rio de Janeiro. Around the turn of the century, the school became a center of manual training and home economics for the Nantucket Public Schools. In recent decades, the school has housed various non-profit organizations and is now the home of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies.   collection of the Boston Atheneum Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, 1830, by Samuel Osgood Home - Coffin School - Exhibits & Events - Research & Staff - Mill Hill Press Egan Institute of Maritime Studies The Coffin School, 4 Winter St., Nantucket, MA 02554 Phone: 508-228-2505   Fax: 508-228-7069 E-mail: eganinst@nantucket.net Designed by Point Infinity / design@PointInfinity.com