NAHANT — When it comes to her role as executive director of the Nahant Historical Society, what excites Julie Tarmy most is uncovering new facts about the town’s past for future generations to enjoy.
She explained that before she started documenting Nahant’s history, her professional background began in customer service.
“I spent many years working in a personnel firm, and then I wound up working for 16 years at Johnson Elementary School. I was a special education teaching assistant, and that job opened up my eyes to the need for a proper education,” Tarmy said.
She continued that in 2003, she was on the Bicentennial Committee when Nahant celebrated its 150th anniversary. She was researching the community’s history to produce a commemorative book on the occasion and spent time at the NHS building on Valley Road. There, she met Calantha R. Sears, curator emerita and co-founder of the NHS.
“She tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted to be on the Board of Directors for the Nahant Historical Society, so that’s how it all began for me… If you were to ask me in high school if I would wind up in a historical organization, I would’ve told you that you were crazy,” she said.
She said that throughout school, it felt like history was all about dates, events, and people like leaders and military generals, rather than the actual stories behind the events. Tarmy added that what the NHS aims to do is unearth and share the stories behind the people and events.
“Calantha spent time sharing a bedroom with her grandmother who would tell her bedtime stories, but they weren’t about ‘Cinderellas’ or ‘Sleeping Beauties,’” she said. “It was all about the people in town that made Nahant what it is… Hearing that, I was truly inspired to make sure that everyone knows — including myself — about the town’s deep and rich history.”
Tarmy said she’s also excited by uncovering the stories behind talented artists and individuals who either called Nahant home or came to the island for inspiration.
“It was exciting, and I wanted to make sure, especially for the youth, that they understood the exciting parts of history,” she said.
She noted the most rewarding part of her work is seeing peoples’ eyes light up when they learn cool facts about Nahant’s past for the first time. Tarmy recalled people saying “Nahant had what?” or “Who lived here?” She said these questions sparked excitement when people would “learn something new and outrageous.”
“We had a gentleman here in town, Bob Steeves, who was on the Board of Selectmen, head of the Department of Public Works, and I found out he was an engineer who developed the process of metalizing paper, which became the space shields (Kapton Foil) for NASA,” Tarmy said.
The NHS later created an exhibit called “From Nahant to the Moon” based on Steeves’s work. Its popularity grew to the point where the Town of Wenham Council on Aging asked if Tarmy could bring the exhibit there for people to enjoy. She added that the City of Beverly Council on Aging traveled to the NHS building to learn more about Nahant.
In September, the NHS celebrated its 50th anniversary. Tarmy called it a historic milestone for the organization. The group held an event at the Costin family home to ring in the achievement. There was music, a crowd of people who came to enjoy the evening, and citations from the Town, State Sen. Brendan Crighton, and State Rep. Sean Reid.
“It’s to show that history is not about the day-to-day dates and events, but more about the stories, sharing them, and getting people excited about them,” she said.
She added, “What I want people to take away from my efforts is that it’s essential to know what happened in our past, so that we cannot repeat the errors of our past and (do) learn from them, to learn how important the stories are… I want the NHS to share this history and enrich the lives of residents, neighbors, and worldwide communities.”
