 Grape Island in 2012 | |
 Interactive map of Grape Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston Harbor |
| Coordinates | 42°16′08.44″N70°55′15.05″W / 42.2690111°N 70.9208472°W /42.2690111; -70.9208472 |
| Administration | |
United States | |
Grape Island is anisland in theHingham Bay area of theBoston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is part of the territory of the town ofWeymouth, Massachusetts. The island has a permanent size of 54 acres (220,000 m2), plus anintertidal zone of a further 46 acres (190,000 m2), and is composed of twodrumlins, reaching an elevation of 70 feet (21 m) abovesea level, and connected by a marshy lowland. Tidal sand spits extend from the west end towards Weymouth Neck inWebb Memorial State Park and from the east end towardsSlate Island.[1]
As a visitor attraction, Grape Island offers trails, rocky beaches, and camping in wooded campsites. At weekends and summer weekdays it is served by a shuttle boat to and fromGeorges Island, connecting there with ferries toBoston andQuincy.[2]
The island was farmed and grazed for three hundred years, until the 1940s. On the eve of the American Revolution, the island was owned by Hingham resident Elisha Leavitt, aTory.[3] In 1775, British troops raided the island during thesiege of Boston, asAbigail Adams wrote to her husbandJohn about May 24, 1775: "...it seems their Expidition (sic) was to Grape Island for Levets hay."[3] A pitched battle ensued until the British were forced to retreat to the mainland. The angry colonists burned Leavitt's barn to the ground.[4] In the end, very little damage was done to either side despite the effort expended. Three British soldiers may have been wounded (unconfirmed), no Continental soldiers or partisans were wounded, and less than two tons of hay were taken by the British.[5]
Since the abandonment of agricultural use in the 1940s, the natural succession of vegetation has created a wooded and shrubby landscape. Vegetation on the island includes early successional tree and shrub species on the drumlins, includingstaghorn sumac,gray birch, andquaking aspen. The island has an abundance of berries, includingblackberry,dewberry,raspberry,blueberry,huckleberry, andAmerican elderberry. The island's marshy lowland contains salt tolerant species such assaltspray rose,cordgrass,purple loosestrife,honeysuckle, andseaside goldenrod.[1]
Grape Island contains two freshwater springs. One spring is located on the north side of the western drumlin and is located underneath a large boulder that faces Peddock's Island. Another freshwater spring is located behind the marsh that is situated in the saddle between the two drumlins. Both of these areas are off the trail.
