The Alison Boylston Piazza House

Welcome to my home, a 200 year-old former whaling captain's home in the heart of historic Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard (not Nantucket). From here, every amenity - shops, beaches, harbor, restaurants, and night life - is accessible by foot or bicycle. No car needed. ***IMPORTANT***the price listed is for the main double guest room that has one queen-sized bed. There is an additional charge for the second, single room ($100). To book two separate beds you must specify 3 people in your party. The space (Updated, December 2026) I am very happy to be beginning my 12th year as an AirBnB host, many of those years as a Super Host. I've learned a lot along the way, and one thing I do know - I love the hospitality business. This house is my childhood home, to which I returned to live full time in 2012. I spent several years lovingly restoring this old house - painting and repairing every room with my own hands. The house was built in the early 1800s, about two miles out of town, by a whaling captain, Captain Alexander Palmer Weeks. It was moved to its in-town location in the mid 1930s by a team of forty yoke of oxen. Here is the story of the house move (and I recently wrote a couple of fiddle tunes - an air and a jig - for Captain Weeks. If you read to the end, you will see why, and I will play these tunes for you upon request): "May Snowstorm That Took an Unkind Turn (from a 1948 edition of the Vineyard Gazette) "The cold May storm, a proverbial part of the Vineyard spring, took an especially unkind turn about a century ago, on May 26th, the date being recalled because it coincided with moving day for an old house which found a haven on Main Street, Edgartown. "The house, then owned by Capt. Alexander Weeks, once stood at Ocean Heights, but yielding to that irresistible urge which seemed to overtake both houses and their owners in the olden days, it was decreed that it should become a town dweller. Propelled by forty yoke of oxen and a large force of men, the house made its slow and stately way over the sandy roads until it reached its present site, on the corner of Green Lane, where it is now the home of Mrs. Herbert M. Boylston. "The usual barrel of New England liquid refreshments as was the custom in those halcyon days,' the Gazette recalled wistfully a quarter of a century ago, 'flowed freely and when spirits rose to the point that when the new location was reached it was decided to hold a dance then and there. A fiddler was procured, fair ladies recruited, and the evening passed all too swiftly, the home-going guests finding to their surprise that a heavy snow had fallen while they were celebrating and that many of the weary and hungry oxen had dispersed, leading to a chilly chase on the night of the great snow, before the beasts were stabled and their masters housed.'" (More information about Captain Alexander Palmer Weeks, from my mother's files, includes the facts that he was born on May 18, 1804 and died on August 29 or 30, 1856, lost at sea in a hurricane, and that in 1835 Captain Weeks was skipper of the ship Leader whose home port was New Bedford. I have also learned - from the National Maritime Digital Library - that Leader, a whaling bark, with Captain Weeks listed as its master, departed New Bedford for the Pacific Ocean in May of 1835, and returned in April of 1838, reporting 480 sperm, and 138 whale. Leader is listed as having been built in 1815 in Fairhaven, and that she broke up in 1851.) Guest access Your rental includes: bedroom(s), living room, breakfast nook, private bathroom, in other words, when you are in my home, your rental becomes your own private suite. You also have use of front porch and garden seating. There is also off-street parking in my yard, though I can't stress enough how unnecessary a car is in this location and is often a hindrance during peak season. During your stay I am either at home or nearby most of the time. I am a native Edgartonian and can give you insider's advice, history, and point of view of the town. I'm always happy to sit and chat with anyone who is interested, but am also careful to respect your privacy. On some summer evenings you may find me playing my fiddle and/or singing on the front porch, either alone or with friends. If you want to play or sing along, all the better. Your rental includes your bedroom(s), the living room, a small breakfast nook with coffee machine, small refrigerator, along with essentials for continental-style breakfast, including milk, cream, juice, cereal, granola bars, coffee and tea; also, private bath. In other words, you are renting your own private suite in the front of my house, also including use of the front porch and garden seating. There is parking for one guest car on the premises. Other things to note ***IMPORTANT*** the price listed is for the main double guest room that has one queen-sized bed. There is an additional charge for the second, single room ($100). To book two separate beds you must specify 3 people in your party. This house is also home to a small photo gallery (very low key, and will not interfere with your stay) and is the setting for occasional music and song jams. Guests are always invited to attend and/or participate in these gatherings. I have several young grandchildren and they are often on the premises, so if young children are not your cup of tea, this is probably not the place for you (on the other hand, if you are traveling with children, please do ask about my overflow options as this is a very child-friendly home). Also, as noted, this is a 200 year-old house. If you are expecting modern, fancy, and fluffy, you will be disappointed - clean, orderly, friendly, convenient, historic, and interesting, yes - but by no means, fancy.