Lightship Baskets of NantucketOn the island of Nantucket, the Nantucket Lightship Basket developed over many decades into the distinctive basket so highly prized by collectors today. The baskets evolved in the mid nineteenth century from wooden splint baskets made by Algonquin Indians and were adapted by Nantucketers, who introduced hardwood bottoms, utilized wooden molds, and replaced wooden splints with rattan. The fascinating history of this basket and its makers is richly