Martha's Vineyard History:

Martha's Vineyard, the largest island in New England, was formed by glacial action 10,000 years ago and lies 7 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. The Island is roughly shaped like a triangle with its base the straight south shore. It is 9 miles wide and 23 miles long at its furthest points and has a total land area of about 100 square miles. The Vineyard has 124.6 miles of tidal shoreline.

The first inhabitants of the Island were Native Americans and archaeological remains indicate that they have inhabited the Island for at least 5,000 years. The Wampanoag people whom the white settlers found established on the Island in the early 1600s had a sound economy based on agriculture and fishing. Some of their descendants still live on the Island. The name Wampanoag means 'Easterners' while the Wampanoag name for the Island is Noepe, which means 'island in the streams.'

Legend has it that in 1602, the English explorer, Bartholomew Gosnold, who was charting New England waters, came upon a beautiful island where he found a perfusion of grapes growing wild. He named the island for these vines and his baby daughter, Martha.

There are six towns on Martha's Vineyard; three up-Island towns: Aquinnah, Chilmark and West Tisbury and three down-Island towns: Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown (which includes Chappaquiddick). The terms up-Island and down-Isdegreese nautical references to degress of longitude designated on a maps and charts.

Edgartown was the Island's first colonial settlement and has been the county seat since 1642. The town is renowned for its stately, white Greek Revival and Federal houses built by whaling captains. The distinctive, museum-piece architecture preserves the ambience of the 19th century seaport to the present day.

The town of Tisbury, also known as Vineyard Haven, was one of New England's busiest ports in the 1800s. At that time, the area around the harbor was known as Holmes Hole and was a convenient anchorage for ships traveling between the East Coast of the United States and Europe. In those days, most of the coastwise shipping traveled through Vineyard Sound. In 1845 13,814 vessels were counted.

Oak Bluffs, formerly known as Cottage City from the many gingerbread cottages which are still found there, is also home to the Flying Horses Carousel, the oldest operating merry-go-round in the United States. The horses were hand-carved in New York City in 1876. This Historic Landmark is maintained by the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust that manages this and several other historic sites on the Island.

West Tisbury, incorporated in 1892, was the 'industrial' heart of the Island, as it was home to the Island's grist mill, a clay works, a salt works, extensive trap fishing operations and a manufacturing center for satinet, a heavy, Island-made, woolen fabric used to make whalemen's jackets.

Aquinnah (Gay Head) is home to the Wampanoag Tribe, the only federally recognized Native American tribe in
Massachusetts. This recognition has resulted in a government-to-government relationship between the United States and the Wampanoag Tribal Council. On May 14, 1997 voters in the town of Gay Head decided to change the name of the town to Aquinnah. This change was signed into law on May 7, 1998.

Chilmark is known for its rolling hills and unmatched coastline. Before the days when the Coastguard looked out for shipwrecked vessels, Vineyarders took it upon themselves to form volunteer groups that provided assistance to sailors in times of need. The open dories, one of which was provided by the Massachusetts Humane Society, were launched into stormy seas from Squibnocket Landing, the only beach on the south shore shallow enough for boats to be landed or launched in heavy weather.

Martha's Vineyard is part of the County of Dukes County, which also includes the Elizabeth Islands and Noman's Land. There are seven towns in Dukes County, the six Vineyard towns and the town of Gosnold on Cuttyhunk Island, the most southerly of the Elizabeth Islands. The population of Martha's Vineyard is approximately 14,248 year round and 105,625 during the summer. (courtesy of MV Chamber of Commerce)


Martha's Vineyard Trivia:

Q: What is the largest Island in New England?

Q: What is the oldest town on the Vineyard?

Q: Where on Cape Cod at the far corner of Martha's Vineyard will you find embedded exotic fossils of prehistoric camels?

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Trivia Answers:

A: Martha's Vineyard
A: Edgartown
A: Gayhead Cliffs (150' high)

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