Epilogue Summary

In 1997, a sperm whale washed up on Nantucket. Efforts to save it were futile and it was decided that the skeleton would be saved for the Nantucket Whaling Museum. Staff members from the Nantucket Historical Society used old tools from the Whaling Museum to cut away the blubber in much the same way that the whalers over a century ago had done.

Nantucket has changed in recent decades, becoming a thriving summer resort. The history of the Essex does not fit neatly or comfortably into the romantic glorification of whaling. Evidence of the disaster can still be found. Pollard's house still stands, now a gift shop. Owen Chase's house remains largely unchanged. The boarding house that Nickerson later owned has become a building associated with a large hotel.

The Whaling Museum devotes a small exhibit to the Essex. The crew is listed, including...