Martha's Vineyard History

July 5, 1996
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Gold Fever: Impoverished or Greedy, Islanders Sailed for California

Tom Dunlop
Six ships sailed from the Vineyard to San Francisco between February and October 1849, carrying away more than 400 Island men to the gold mines of central California. Not long ago Ann Allen calculated that in Edgartown and Chilmark roughly one man in five between the ages of 18 and 50 set off for “the El Dorado of America”; in Tisbury it was closer to one in four. Many gathered - and died - in a settlement that came to be known as the Vineyard Camp on a southern bank of the Stanislaus River, two miles east of the town of Melones. The town and the camp now lie under a reservoir.
Gold Rush
August 5, 1887
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A New Summer Resort

Vineyard Gazette
Capt. William Lewis has sold to a syndicate of Boston gentlemen all the land, wharf property, &c., of the West Point Land Co., on West Chop, Martha’s Vineyard. This land was purchased by Capt. Lewis some 12 or 15 years ago and improvements made to the extent of several thousand dollars. Avenues were laid out, a wharf was built and the land was plotted for cottage lots, but the boom at Cottage City at that time diverted attention from this fine locality. The purchasers are heavy men and include William Minot, Stephen Weld and Francis Peabody.
 
West Chop
Housing and Development
August 1, 2019

How Martha's Vineyard Grew from Shabby to Chic

Noah Asimow
While Chappaquiddick left an indelible mark on the Vineyard, the broadscale population change and development that occurred on the Island over the next 50 years had started long beforehand.
Housing and Development
Martha's Vineyard history
July 30, 1999

Riches of Whaling Industry Came to Frigid End As Vineyard Captains Lost Ships Off Alaska

Tom Dunlop
You can name the place, date, and even the hour that whaling died as an industry on Martha’s Vineyard -- 1:30 in the afternoon of Sept.
Whaling
May 8, 1998

It is Official: It's Aquinnah

The Vineyard Gazette
One week after the bill was laid on his desk, acting Gov. Paul Cellucci yesterday signed into law the change that has been awaited by the Island’s smallest town since almost a year ago.
Aquinnah History
Aquinnah
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
July 5, 1996

It Took Many Years for the Gazette to Fully Report the Tisbury Fire

Tom Dunlop
The Tisbury fire, which began one summer evening in the very heart of downtown Vineyard Haven, destroyed 62 buildings valued at $200,000.
Tisbury Fire 1883
Fires
Tisbury History
July 5, 1996

Death of Whaling Ended an Island Way of Life

Tom Dunlop
No single event finished off whaling, of course. It was doomed from the moment in 1859 when geologists discovered oil in the crust of Pennsylvania.
Whaling
June 28, 1996

Tisbury Loses Stately, Historic Linden Tree

Marcus C. McGraw
Tisbury has lost one of its oldest residents - the Linden Tree is dead. While some sprouts still appear from its trunk, its vast summer canopy is lost.
Trees
March 15, 1996

Hebrew Center Dedicated In Solemn Island Service

Jason Gay
In a three-hour ceremony marked by community celebration, joyous music and traditional Jewish rituals, the new Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center was consecrated Saturday morning in Vineyard Haven.
MV Hebrew Center history
Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center
June 16, 1995

Unprecedented Conservation Pact Between Flynn Family Trust and State Adds Over 800 Acres to State Forest

Julia Wells
Some 830 acres of unspoiled upland property in the rural perimeters of Edgartown - part of the vast place known to many as Pohogonot, whose total land area at one time included some 5,000 acres o
Manuel F Correllus State Forest
Nature Conservancy
June 16, 1995

Dike Bridge Is Open to Pedestrians

The new Dike Bridge is complete and now open for pedestrian traffic. Gates are being installed today and in a week, the bridge will be open to limited off-road vehicle use.  
Chappaquiddick
Trustees of Reservations
Cape Pogue Pond
Cape Pogue
Dike Bridge
November 11, 1994

Proud Moment for Vineyard Agricultural Society: An Old Barn Captures the Spirit of an Island

Yvonne Guzman, Mark Alan Lovewell
In a spectacle described as incredible, amazing and historic, hundreds of Islanders turned out to hammer boards, paint window sills and raise the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society's new barn in a three-day event that was a festival of community spirit.
Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society
August 11, 1992

Search Begins for Cause of QE2 Accident; Board of Inquiry Will Convene Tomorrow

Mark Alan Lovewell
A 90-foot NOAA Coast and Geodetic Survey ship will continue its search today for the mysterious rock or underwater obstacle that seriously damaged the Queen Elizabeth 2 in Vineyard Sound Friday night.
Queen Elizabeth 2
June 28, 1988

State Set to Take Over South Beach

Mike Kolleth & Richard Stradling
James Gutensohn, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM), plated a crucial role in the public effort to save South Beach from private developers.
South Beach

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