by Kimbery Nolan

Regardless of age or athletic ability, collecting seashells at the beach is a timeless tradition.

On the island, seashells decorate gardens, driveways, windowsills and window boxes. The Nantucket bay scallop is more than just a shell, it is a delicacy and a livelihood. Beyond Nantucket Sound, across the Atlantic Ocean, the scallop shell is associated with a spiritual journey. 

I spent a month, walking an ancient pilgrimage through the Basque region of Spain. The route is marked by a scallop shell, an icon with a storied past. For centuries, the shell has directed pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. In search of food and shelter, pilgrims stopped at homes where a scallop shell hung outside the door. To host a pilgrim was to pay homage to St. James and his devotees. Like those pilgrims, I followed the scallop shell for 550 miles across Spain.

Two years later, I visited Nantucket for the first time. I awoke that January day at dawn and walked North Water Street. At my feet lay one scallop shell after another. I followed the shells into town. They appeared to have washed ashore, although the tidal line was not in sight. Unbeknownst to me, it was scallop season on the island. I saw those castaway shells as a sign and moved to the island soon after. Never underestimate the power of a Nantucket seashell.