Time Machine Terms
October 18, 1940
539 Register As Island Man-Power
The eligible, man-power of Dukes County registered for the selective draft on Wednesday, the total number of registrants reaching 539. The figures for registration in the several towns are as follows: Tisbury, 174 resdents, 21 non-residents; Edgartown, 140 residents, 6 non-residents; Oak Bluffs, 132 residents, 6 non-residents; West Tisbury, 27 residents, 1 non-resident; Chilmark, 19 residents, 2 non-residents; Gay Head, 6 residents; Gosnold, 3 residents, 2 non-residents.
October 18, 1940
More About Dr. Fisher; His House, His Character
More memories of Dr. Daniel Fisher, whose place in Vineyard life was interestingly told in an article by Martin B. Faris, present owner of the beautiful Dr. Fisher House at Edgartown, published in a recent issue of the Vineyard Gazette, are contained in a letter written to Mr. Faris by Henry Franklin Norton. By permission of Mr. Norton and Mr. Faris the letter is presented here as a postscript to the earlier article.
August 20, 1940
Editorial: Exit the Runic Rock
We note with some sadness the disappearance of the runic rock of Noman’s Land, yet this is as proper an ending as any for a memorial to Leif Eriksson which scholars say Leif or any of his men never carved. Noman’s Land is an island of romance and mystery, and has been these many years, but all its tales seem to have an ironic ending.
August 16, 1940
Noman’s Land’s Runic Rock Has Disappeared, Shore Erosion Blamed
The runic rock of Noman’s Land has apparently disappeared, and it is believed that erosion of the shore line of that island during the hurricane of 1938 may have buried it or changed its location so that it is no longer accessible to searchers, Joshua Crane, owner of Noman’s Land, has looked for the rock unsuccessfully, and there is no record that it has been seen since the hurricane.
May 31, 1940
When Is a Spy Not a Spy? And How Do Spy Stories Start and Where Do They Lead?
These are questions which have taken considerable of the Gazette staff’s time for the past week or so, and the result is not substantial.
May 31, 1940
Editorial: Nothing About the War?
Now and then a reader asks why the Gazette does not print anything about the war. Don’t we realize that this generation is witnessing one of the greatest ordeals the world has ever known, and that the tragedy on so vast a scale cannot fail to affect all our lives? How can we remain silent?
February 2, 1940
Quake Heard Here
Echoes from the earthquake which rippled along the mainland coast from Hyannis to New Bedford on Sunday evening, were heard on the Vinevard in the vicinity of Menemsha Creek, and it is possible that other demonstrations were noted but not associated with the quake itself.
The family of Donald Poole reported a rumble, resembling the labored exhaust of a heavy car and continuing for about fifteen seconds. Cap’n and Mrs. Everett Poole also heard the same sound, though it appeared deeper. All who heard it said that it appeared to come from a northerly direction.
September 1, 1939
Will Be Remembered Long by All Mankind
Vineyarders who turned on their radios this morning heard that Warsaw had been bombed, and that the incredible war of destruction seemed to have begun in Europe. On the Vineyard the northeast storm of the past few days was clearing, the sun coming through the morning clouds, and the air reviving with all the clarity and sweetness of early fall. Since Sept. 1, 1939, will be remembered long by all mankind, it is better for Vineyarders to be able to remember how the day dawned on the Island.
August 18, 1939
Talks on Preservation of Wild Flowers
A talk on the preservation of wild flowers, with fascinating illustrations in water color, painted by the lecturer, was presented before the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club Tuesday afternoon by Miss Eloise L. Luquer. Miss Luquer charmed her audience by her personality and her interesting and constructive lecture, given with just the correct light and amusing touch which makes the acquirement of knowledge a pleasant and easy task. The water colors, about thirty in number, were hung on the walls of the garden club center.
June 9, 1939
Golf
Golf was first played on Martha’s Vineyard in 1893, when six holes were laid out near the West Chop lighthouse. The first golf course in Edgartown was laid out in a cow pasture in 1897, cows being numbered among the hazards. Oak Bluffs was not far behind, early courses being put in play at East Chop and also where the present Martha’s Vineyard Country Club has its eighteen hole course. In general the rise of golf was coincident with the decline of agriculture, and as cows lost their pastures, golfer gained a course.
