Rainsford Island

Rainsford Island

Rainsford Island is a 21 acre island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, situated between Long Island and Peddocks Island. The island is composed of two drumlins, reaching an elevation of convert|49|ft|m above sea level. The shoreline is predominantly rocky with a sandy cove in the south side, and a variety of wildflowers abound. Access is by private boat only.cite web| title = Rainsford Island Factsheet | url = http://www.bostonislands.org/factsheet_template.asp?rsIslands__MMColParam=rain | publisher = Boston Harbor Islands Partnership | accessdate = July 29 | accessyear = 2006]

This island was named for one of earliest recorded settlers, Edward Rainsford, nephew of Richard Raynsford and a descendant of King Henry III of England [ [http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=jweber&op=SHOW&surname=Rainsford%2C+Edward+%2C+Elder+of+Old+South+Church&ti=&track= Ancestors & Descendants of Edward Rainsford] ] ; he owned the island by 1632.

The island is known to have been used by Native American Indians and, during the colonial period, was occupied, farmed and grazed. Between 1737 and 1925 the island has served as a quarantine hospital, almshouse, veterans hospital, reform school and resort.

However only foundations and a dilapidated seawall still survive from these uses.cite web| title = Rainsford Island Factsheet | url = http://www.bostonislands.org/factsheet_template.asp?rsIslands__MMColParam=rain | publisher = Boston Harbor Islands Partnership | accessdate = July 29 | accessyear = 2006]

Rainsford Island hospital facilities were expanded and improved in the early 1800s. A huge Greek Revival-style building, the Stone Hospital or Greek Temple [ [http://aritek.com/hartgen/vignettes/1421-0.htm Grecian Temple on Rainsford Island] ] , was built in 1832 by Josiah Rogers. The Stone Hospital may have been designed by his brother, the American architect Isaiah Rogers, who was celebrated for his designs of the Boston and New York Merchants' Exchange, the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., and the Tremont Hotel in Boston. [cf. Claesson, 2001.]

References

Bibliography

* [http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=1252 "Rainsford Island: Resort to Reformatory"] , lecture by Ellen Berkland, Boston City Archeologist, Boston Landmarks Commission, and Elizabeth Carella, curator, Archives for Historical Documentation, Wednesday, May 14, 2003, held at the [http://www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org/ Old South Meeting House] , Boston, Massachusetts.

"From a farm, summer resort, quarantine hospital, almshouse and a boy's reformatory to eventually an abandoned eleven acres, Rainsford Island in Boston Harbor has served many since its 1636 occupation by Edward Rainsford. Ellen P. Berkland, Boston City Archeologist, and Elizabeth Carella, Curator of Photography, present how one archeological field season and extensive documentary research shed light on the fascinating history of Rainsford Island. This slide lecture reviews the archeological and historic evidence and examines the ways in which the island has served the marginalized populations of Boston for decades."

* [http://fishhistory.org/publicBio.php?bio=5 Claesson, Stefan] , [http://fishhistory.org/project_rainsford.php "Rainsford Island Archaeological Survey"] , Gulf of Maine Cod Project: History of Marine Populations, University of New Hampshire, 2001 (and continuing).



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Long Island (Massachusetts) — This article is about the island Long Island, Boston. For other islands called Long Island, see Long Island (disambiguation). Long Island is situated in Quincy Bay, in the middle of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The island forms part of the City… …   Wikipedia

  • Moon Island (Massachusetts) — Moon Island is situated in Quincy Bay, in the middle of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. All of the land on the island is owned by the City of Boston but the island is under the jurisdiction of Quincy, Massachusetts.[citation needed] It is also part …   Wikipedia

  • USS Long Island (CVE-1) — Эскортный авианосец CVE 1 «Лонг Айленд» USS Long Island (CVE 1) …   Википедия

  • List of islands of Massachusetts — Rainsford Island is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, a National Recreation Area situated among the islands of Boston Harbor of Boston, Massachusetts The islands of Massachusetts range from barren, almost completely… …   Wikipedia

  • Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area — Infobox Protected area name = Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area iucn category = caption = locator x = 266 locator y = 50 location = Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk counties, Massachusetts, USA nearest city = Boston, Massachusetts lat… …   Wikipedia

  • Boston Harbor — This article is about Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. For other uses, see Boston Harbor (disambiguation). Topographic map of Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of… …   Wikipedia

  • Boston Harbor — ist ein natürliches Hafenbecken bei Boston, Massachusetts. Es beherbergt den Port of Boston, einen bedeutenden Frachthafen im Nordosten der USA. Seit seiner Entdeckung durch den Abenteurer John Smith im Jahr 1614 zählt Boston Harbor zu den… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Boston — This article is about the capital of Massachusetts. For other uses, see Boston (disambiguation). Boston   City   Clockwise: Skyline of Back Bay seen from the …   Wikipedia

  • The Most Dangerous Game — This article is about the short story by Richard Connell. For the film, see The Most Dangerous Game (film). For the novel by Gavin Lyall, see The Most Dangerous Game (Gavin Lyall novel). The Most Dangerous Game , also published as The Hounds of… …   Wikipedia

  • Colchester Abbey — was an Benedictine abbey in Colchester (Grid reference TL994242 or TL994266). In 1120 Eudo Dapifer, steward to William I and Henry II, was buried there, whilst May 1157 Henry II held a trial in the Abbey concerning the right of the pope to over… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”