Abbe Family
Harthaven artists have, over the years, done some impressive work. Bill Abbe, who lived in the Abbe home at 19 Farm Pond Road, was one of our community’s most prolific artists. Here is a brief bio: William Abbe (1916-1983), spent all his summers in Oak Bluffs where he maintained a studio. He was an illustrator for the U.S. Army during World War II, a teacher at Saint Paul’s School for 32 years and he traveled around the world twice recording his impressions in sketch books, paintings, prints and photographs. But it was the daily scenes of life on the Vineyard that attracted much of his attention, whether the gaudy filigree of the Camp Grounds, or a regatta off Edgartown or his famous lithograph of the “On Time” - the Chappaquiddick Ferry - when it was pressed into service to bring passengers and cars from Falmouth during the two month long steamship strike of 1960. Major exhibitions of his work have been held at the New Britain Museum of American Art; the Red Barn Gallery (now the Granary) in West Tisbury; and the Library of Congress' National Exhibit of Prints (1950).
EDWARD (ED) HOWARD ABBE
“I suppose I should start out by explaining how the Abbes fit into the Harthaven scene. My maternal grandfather was Ed Peck. His aunt was Martha Peck (Mrs. William H.) Hart. Furthermore, Ed’s sister, Carol Peck, married Harry Boardman and they built the house just to the west of our house in 1931-32. We built our house in 1930-31.
As a kid, I remember there were large sand dunes along the Harthaven waterfront. In fact, we could barely see the ocean from our house because of them. Also, there were no trees obstructing our views as there are now. My first memory, it must have been 1927 or 1928, goes back to when we stayed in Oak Bluffs. We could drive in to Harthaven by turning in where Chick Knight’s house is now (the first house on the right as one enters Harthaven from Oak Bluffs) and drive along the pond through the honeysuckle and other growth up to where Louis Sullivan’s house now is, the former house of Ros and Sally Johnson and, before them, the Stanleys. The dirt road branched there.
I also remember the second harbor entrance very well. The original entrance was situated close to where the present entrance is. But the second one was way to the north near the sea wall. Batter boards were installed behind which the dredged spoil was dumped along
with boulders that were shipped in. Those boards and boulders are still very much in evidence. This entrance lasted only ten or twelve years before the ‘38 hurricane closed it. I do recall there was another shallow opening a bit north of the Youngs’. I don’t think this had been dredged but resulted from a break through during a storm. The present harbor entrance was established in 1947 or 1948.” In John Moore - Harthaven, A Brief History.
View from the Abby home on Farm Pond. Dakkan Abbe.
See Ed Abbe talking about Farm Pond on the Friends of Farm Pond website
Bill and his 1930 Franklin, Bill sailing Gull Rose
Ed Abbe - continued
There was a small shack on what is now the Joseph A. Sylvia beach between the first and second inlets where Mervin Hart and I used to change.
What do I remember of the Hart clan and others? It certainly was a tight-knit, social group. I vaguely recall George P. Hart as a very dapper man. His brother Ed left Harthaven early-on, selling his house to the Vibberts, also from New Britain. There were two wheel-bound sisters in that family, sisters of Phronsie Vibberts Conlin. The Vibberts were related to the Chamberlains, one of whom, Louise, married another Hart brother, Walter. Then there was Aunt "Mattie," the only daughter of William H. and Martha Peck Hart. She was always nice to us, and it was because of her and her husband, E.A. Moore, that I went to Kent School, Kent, Connecticut, class of '34.
Waiter owned first the Sea Hound and then the Sea Pup. He was a fine sailor but he didn't like going out alone. Accordingly he'd ask some one of us to join him on one of his customary afternoon sails.
Then of course there was Howard Hart, another brother. He'd take us kids over to Eldridge's (which was close to the Edgartown Yacht Club) either in his great Pierce Arrow, his Lincoln or his boat, Wildcat. Everybody has heard of his ice cream parties. There was at least one time when we had a clam contest to see who could eat the most little neck clams at one sitting. I don't recall who won. Even earlier, in the twenties, he would take us out on his Chappaquoit.
In 1927 or 1928, Howard would walk in the mornings, cane in hand, down a path on the right side of Beach Road to the second house on the left across from the sea wall, to see my grandfather, Edward F. Peck. They would sit and talk, and he would tell my brother Bill and me tales, sometimes tapping us on the head for emphasis. To this day I still have a lot of respect for Nantucket Sound, and water in general, because of Howard's tutelage.
Speaking of the Sound, I had the use of several boats while growing up. My first was in 1928. It was a duck boat with high sides which was also used as a duck blind in season. Then there was a 14 foot sailboat, a Cape Cod dory. Around 1937 I had a small open cockpit catboat, the Flight. After the war, my brother Bill and I had the Gull Rose that was built by Manuel Schwarz around 1929. Everybody, it seemed, had the use of a boat. And we shared a lot.
Occasionally there were soirees up island to Chilmark Pond where George had a row boat to get across. Sometimes Ed Stanley, president of New Britain Savings Bank, would accompany us along with his two portly daughters. My brother Bill and I would row the boat across fully loaded with the Stanleys, gunwales almost awash. As we approached the far side of Chilmark Pond, Bill and I would gently start rocking the boat until it slowly sank. The Stanleys never caught on.
Some people might wonder how Joe Hooker, and therefore his daughter Isabel, became involved with Harthaven. Joe's wife was Stan Eddy's sister. Stan married Howard Hart's daughter, Alice, or "Aunt Al" as she was known.
From John Moore - Harthaven, A History
Farm pond circa 1956 a kids view
The summer routine in the fifties for those of use that did not spend all day at the VH Yacht club was a morning swim at Buoy or Youngs’ beach, lunch, than if we were old enough not to have to take afternoon rest, we got into our various row or sail boats for adventures. Adventures could be going to tic island and pretending we were pirates, or maybe to the outlet, and if very brave going through the culvert into inlet pond and the harbor. Sometimes we would pack a lunch and hit one of the beaches near the Polly Pease house and pretend we were on an ocean liner. Sometimes we would have paddle fights or bumper boats( a version of bumper cars). This would go on until, if we were lucky Dad or Bill would decide to take a late swim at Katama. After dinner there might be a game of capture the flag on the front lawn of the Moores’ house or better yet a trip to the Flying Horses.I also remember our parents and their what seemed to be almost nightly round of cocktail parties, everyone dressed in their wonderfully colorful summer best.The participants of these wonderful summer days were a gaggle of Peases, Youngs, Grandfields, Abbotts, Clarks, Stevens and Hydes. Of course in the 50’s the eel grass was not as bad, and for some reason we didn’t think too much about snapping turtles, tics, and mosquitoes. I do remember the mosquito spray truck going through Harthaven at least once a week so it was possible to be outside a good bit of the day and early evening, and Lyme disease not a factor. I also remember making chocolate chip cookies and going around the circle and selling them to neighbors, as well as a few of my well worn Nancy Drew and Bobbsey Twin books. When I think about the Vineyard these are the summer days I hold the dearest. These were innocent and carefree times for not only children of a certain age but in some ways the parents who had the luxury of spending summers in such a special place
carol abbe
