From the May 20, 1938 edition of the Vineyard Gazette:

The first air mail in the history of the Vineyard was flown across Vineyard Sound yesterday. And the first air mail between two Island towns was flown from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs, such historic milestones are not always marked so deliberately, as part of a national observance, but the events of yesterday constitute a milestone nevertheless. Those of us who can still marvel at the “firsts” of the onward march of science may put this down with the rest.

It is unlikely that there will be air mail service the year round between the Vineyard and the mainland, but it will surprise no one if summer mail is inaugurated fairly soon. The whole tendency seems to be in that direction. Air transportation can hardly supplant the carrying of mails on the earth’s surface, but as the former becomes more economical, we may expect a double-barreled service. Rush mail will be by air, and bulk mail will go by surface routes.

The cachets devised by the Island post offices have added an interesting item for collectors, and the date May 19, 1938, will not go uncommemorated in hundreds of homes.

Times do change. In the old files of the Gazette again and again we read a word of thanks to Captain So-and-So or Mr. So-and-So for the favor of “mainland papers ahead of the mail.” Throughout our history news came haltingly to the Island, but it comes haltingly no longer. It flies through the air.

The house adjoining the Charlotte Inn in Edgartown has been purchased by the owners of the inn, Mr. and Mrs. Philip S. Pent, from Mrs. Philip S. Vincent of Jamaica Plain, and the other heirs of the property. The sale was made through Avery & Co.

The new owners plan to remodel the Vincent house and use it as an annex of the inn in future seasons, adding an additional eight rooms with several baths, to the facilities of the inn. The grounds of the two properties will be combined and it is probable that garages will be erected in the rear of the Vincent house.

The New Haven Railroad’s Picture and Cycle Train on Sunday will have the Vineyard for its destination.

Attractive advertising leaflets distributed in Boston and elsewhere announce the “Picture and Cycle Train to Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, for Camera Enthusiasts, Sketchers and Cyclists.”

“Ride the Picture and Cycle Train,” the leaflets say, “plus a delightful cruise to Martha’s Vineyard, Sunday, May 22nd, from Boston, Quincy and Brockton.

“Picture material abounds throughout the length and is yours for the taking! Color film won’t be amiss for mementoes of springtime splendor.”

“The attractions of all the towns are set forth in similar fashion. The train on Sunday will consist of air-conditioned coaches and a refreshment bar car.

From Bassettville, on the South Road, comes this tale by the mayor, John D. Bassett, which is attested to by Louis Maciel, who is a government employee and therefor must be believed.

A starling has built a nest in the mayor’s mailbox and has hatched out five chicks. The bird had evidently been harassed by enemies, and sought out the residence of Mayor Bassett as being the most secure place to be found, or possibly it had learned about “protection” in some unexplained manner. At any rate, the starling has taken possession of the steel mailbox and has learned to operate the cover, which is hinged, opening the box to enter, and gently closing the lid when she is at home; performing the same acts when she leaves the nest. Plenty of air enters the box through the letter slot and the young birds are doing well.

Maciel, who delivers mail to Mayor Bassett daily, says that the bird, while tame, will not remain in the box while he deposits the mail, but will open the lid and fly out on his approach, having timed his deliveries with clocklike precision. It is evident, however, that the mother starling resents this interruption of her domestic duties, because, after the mail has been placed in the box, it has been her practice to pick up each piece and throw it on the ground.

This week, however, the mayor reports a change in the system and one which he claims establishes the starling as having almost human intelligence. According to this reputable gentleman, after Maciel had left the mail, the starling took it, piece by piece, and flew with it to the house, where it entered the dwelling and laid the letters, newspapers and magazines, on the kitchen table. Then, with an appealing look at the mayor and his wife, who sat astonished, the bird flew to a hook on the wall, where hung a padlock and key, and attempted to lift the hardware from the hook, meanwhile uttering sounds that sounded almost like words.

“The bird has made its home in my mailbox and she wants a lock for the door,” reasoned Mayor Bassett. “Be darned if I don’t rig some kind of a lock for her and see if she can work it!”

Compiled by Hilary Wall
library@mvgazette.com