Martha’s Vineyard | Can’t Sleep? Explore The Famous Island

Martha’s Vineyard has been home to communities, visitors, and changing traditions for centuries. This episode explores the island’s geography, history, towns, and the people who have shaped life there over time. Along the way, you’ll hear about its maritime past, distinctive communities, historic landmarks, and how Martha’s Vineyard became one of New England’s best-known islands.

It’s steady and consistent, with no whispering and no sudden changes, just enough to give your mind something to follow as you wind down. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast, Where I help you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host Benjamin Boster, And today's episode is about Martha's Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard, Often simply called The Vineyard, Is an island in Massachusetts, Lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular affluent summer colony and includes the peninsula Chappaquiddick Island. It is the 58th largest island in the U. S. , And the 9th largest in the contiguous United States, With a land area of about 96 square miles, And the 3rd largest on the East Coast after Long Island and Mount Desert Island. Martha's Vineyard constitutes the bulk of Dukes County, Massachusetts, Which also includes the Elizabeth Islands and the Island of No Man's Land. The island's year-round population has considerably increased since the 1960s. In the 2023 Martha's Vineyard Commission Report, The year-round population was 20, 530, An increase from 16, 460 in 2010. The summer population swells to more than 200, 000 people. About 56% of the vineyard's 14, 621 homes are seasonally occupied. Though many have suggested that the island was renamed after English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold's daughter Martha, It is more likely that both the island and his daughter were namesakes of his wealthy mother-in-law, Martha Judd Golding, Who partly funded his expedition in 1602, The first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod. A smaller island, The South, Was first to be named Mars's Vineyard. But the name later became associated with this island. It is the 8th oldest surviving English place name in the United States. The island was subsequently known as Martin's Vineyard, Possibly after a captain in the exploratory party, John Martin. Many people and maps up to the 18th century called it by this name. When the United States Board on Geographic Names worked to standardize place-name spellings in the late 19th century, Apostrophes were dropped. Thus, For a time, Martha's Vineyard was officially named Martha's Without an Apostrophe Vineyard. But the board reversed its decision in the early 20th century, Making Martha's Vineyard one of the five place names in the United States that takes a possessive apostrophe. According to historian Henry Franklin Norton, The island was known by Native Americans as Nopi, Or Capawock. It is referred to in the 1691 Massachusetts Charter, Which transferred the island from the province of New York during the breakup of the Dominion of New England, As Capawoc. The island was originally inhabited by Wampanoag people, When Martha's Vineyard was known in the Massachusetts language as Nopi, Or Land Amid the Streams. In 1642, The Wampanoag numbered somewhere around 3, 000 on the island. By 1764 that number had dropped to 313. European settlement began with the purchase of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, And the Elizabeth Islands by Thomas Mayhew of Waterton, Massachusetts, From two New England settlers. He had friendly relations with the Wampanoags on the island, In part because he was careful to honor their land rights. His son, Also named Thomas Mayhew, Established the first settlement on the island in 1642 at Great Harbor, Later Edgar Town, Massachusetts. The younger Mayhew began a relationship with Hayakumas, A Native American neighbor, Who eventually led to Hayakumas' family converting to Christianity. During King Philip's War later in the century, The Martha's Vineyard Band did not join their tribal relatives in the uprising and remained armed, A testimony to the good relations cultivated by the Mayhews as the leaders of the colony. Mayhew's grandsons, Matthew Mayhew, John Mayhew, And other members of his family, Assisted him in running his business and government. In 1665, Mayhew's lands were included in a grant to the Duke of York. In 1671, A settlement was arranged which allowed Mayhew to continue in his position, While placing his territory under the jurisdiction of the province of New York. In 1682, Matthew Mayhew succeeded his grandfather as governor and chief magistrate, And occasionally preached to the Native Americans. He was also appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Dukes County in 1697 and remained on the bench until 1700. He was judge of probate from 1696 to 1710. In 1683, Duke's County was incorporated, Including Martha's Vineyard. In 1691, At the collapse of rule by Sir Edmund Andros, And the reorganization of Massachusetts as a royal colony, Dukes County was transferred to the province of Massachusetts Bay, And split into Dukes County, Massachusetts, And Nantucket County. Following the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Charter in 1684, William Coddington, Jr. , Who was governor of Rhode Island at the time, Attempted to seize Martha's Vineyard through a group of militia as reparations for former damages of past leaders made by the settlers, Most likely referring to the Puritan actions on Rhode Island leaders Roger Williams and Ann Hutchinson, As well as annex threats made by Massachusetts. It is possible that Coddington only wanted to annex Martha's Vineyard due to its proximity to Rhode Island and the fact that it would have taken more labor for colonists in Massachusetts to reach Martha's Vineyard before Rhode Island could obtain full control of the island. The plan flopped. Rhode Island militiamen were deployed in a group of three boats, And upon seeing men on Martha's Vineyard, The men immediately fled the vicinity of the island, And returned home after the governor dispatched them from their duties, And made the plan defunct. There is debate as to who told leaders from Massachusetts about the plan. One story has prevailed that a traveler going to and from Rhode Island to Massachusetts for business purposes heard the claim and reported it back to officials in Massachusetts. Massachusetts, Specifically Martha's Vineyard, Was not intimidated by this attempt and thought Rhode Island to be weaker because of their immediate retreat. As for the history following the attempted annexation, Native American literacy in the schools founded by Thomas Mayhew Jr. And taught by Peter Folger, The grandfather of Benjamin Franklin, Was such that the first Native American graduates of Harvard were from Marza's Vineyard, Including the son of Hayakuma's, Joel Hayakuma's. Caleb Cheeshateamug, Another Native American resident of Martha's Vineyard, Graduated from Harvard in 1665. Chisatiyamuk's Latin address to the corporation, New England Corporation, Which begins, Honoratissimi Benefactors, Most Honored Benefactors, Has been preserved. In addition to speaking Wamapoag and English, They studied Hebrew, Classical Greek, And Latin. Mayhew's successor as leader of the community was Levith Thaxter, Who married Martha Mayhew, A descendant of Thomas Mayhew, And was an Edgartown educator described by Indian Commissioner John Milton Earl as a long and steadfast friend to the Indians. After living in Northampton, Thaxter, A lawyer, Returned home to Edgerton, Where he took over the school founded by his father, Reverend Joseph Thaxter, And served in the State House and the Senate, Was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council, And later served as U. S. Customs Collector for Martha's Vineyard. Having rechristened his father's Edgar Town School, Thaxter Academy, On February 15, 1845, Thaxter was granted the sum of $50 per year for the support of William Johnson, An Indian of the Chappaquiddick tribe. Thaxter Academy became known for educating both white and Native American youth. Like the nearby island of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard was brought to prominence in the 19th century by the whaling industry, During which ships were sent around the world to hunt whales for their oil and blubber. The discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania gave rise to a cheaper source of oil for lamps, And led to an almost complete collapse of the industry by 1870. After the Old Colony Railroad came to Woods Hole in 1872, Summer residences began to develop on the island, Such as the community of Hearthaven established by William H. Hard. The community of Ocean Hides, Developed near Zengi Kontaket Pond in Edgerton by the prominent island businessman, Robert Marsden Laidlaw. Although the island struggled financially through the Great Depression, Its reputation as a resort for tourists and the wealthy continued to grow. There is still a substantial Wampanoag population on the vineyard, Mainly located in the town of Aquinnah. The island was the last refuge of the heath hen, An extinct species of the greater prairie chicken, Which was a once common game bird throughout the northeastern United States. On October 15, 2020, Edgar Town Harbor was officially recognized as an Underground Railroad Site by the National Park Service. This recognition was given after a submission from a non-profit corporation, The African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard. The corporation was founded in 1998 by Martha's Vineyard NAACP Vice President, Carrie Camillo Tankard, And teacher Elaine Cauley Weintraub. Their mission is to continue to research and publish previously undocumented history, And to involve the island community in the identification and celebration of the contributions made by people of color to the island of Martha's Vineyard. The trail consists of 31 sides, All marked by a descriptive plaque. Martha's Vineyard became known as an everyone signs community after three centuries of an unusually high level of hereditary deafness caused Martha's Vineyard to be labeled a deaf utopia. Its Deaf heritage cannot be traced to one common ancestor and is thought to have originated in the Weald, A region that overlaps the borders of the English counties of Kent and Sussex, Prior to immigration. Researcher Nora Gross estimates that by the late 19th century, 1 in 155 people on the vineyard was born deaf, About 37 times the estimate for the nation at large. Because of a recessive pattern of genetic deafness circulated through endogamous marriage patterns. Deaf vineyarders generally earned an average or above-average income, And they participated in church affairs with passion. The deafness on the island affected both females and males in approximately the same percentage. In the late 19th century, The mixed marriages between deaf and hearing spouses comprised 65% of all deaf marriages on the island, As compared to the rate of 20% deaf-hearing marriage in the mainland. The sign language used by vineyarders is called Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, MVSL, And it is different from American Sign Language, ASL. However, The geographical, Time, And population proximities state that MVSL and ASL are impossible to develop in complete isolation from each other. MVSL was commonly used by hearing residents as well as deaf ones until the middle of the 20th century. No language barrier created a smooth communication environment for all the residents of the island. In the 20th century, Tourism became a mainstay in the island economy, And tourism-related jobs appeared. However, Jobs in tourism were not as deaf-friendly as fishing and farming had been. Consequently, As intermarriage and further migration joined the people of Martha's Vineyard to the mainland, The island community more and more resembled the oral community there. The last deaf person born into the island sign language tradition, Katie West, Died in 1952, But a few elderly residents were able to recall MVSL as recently as the 1980s, When research into the language began. Martha's Vineyard has a humid subtropical climate in all but the northernmost portions, Which fall into the oceanic climate zone. But all of the island had an oceanic or even warm summer humid continental climate as recent as the late 20th century. The climate is highly influenced by the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, Which moderates temperatures throughout the year, Although this moderation is nowhere near as strong as on opposite sides of the Atlantic or the Pacific coast of the United States at similar latitudes. Winter temperatures tend to be a few degrees warmer, While summer temperatures tend to be cooler than inland locations. Winters are cool to cold, With a January average of just above 32 degrees Fahrenheit, Or 0 degrees Celsius. Owing to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, Temperatures below 5 degrees Fahrenheit or negative 15 degrees Celsius are rare, Occurring around once per year, With most days during the winter months rising above freezing. The average annual snowfall is 25. 3 inches or 643 mm. Summers are very warm and humid, With only one or two days reaching or exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32. 2 degrees Celsius. The warmest months, July and August, Average around 72 degrees Fahrenheit or 22. 2 degrees Celsius. Martha's Vineyard is divided into six towns. Each town is governed by a board of selectmen elected by town voters in each of the towns, Along with annual and periodic town meetings. Each town is a member of the Martha's Vineyard Commission, Which regulates island-wide building, Environmental, And aesthetic concerns. Some government programs such as the Special Education System, Emergency Management, And Waste Management have been regionalized. There's a growing push for further regionalization in areas such as law enforcement, Public schools, Water treatment, And medical services. The towns are Tisbury, Which includes Vineyard Haven and the West Chop Peninsula. It is the primary port of entry for people and cargo, Supplemented by the seasonal port and oak bluffs. The Marses Vineyard Museum is located in Vineyard Haven. Edgar Town, Which includes Chappaquiddick Island and Catawma. Edgar Town is noted for its rich whaling tradition and is the largest town by population and area. Oak Bluffs is best known for its gingerbread cottages, Its open harbor, And its vibrant town along busy Circuit Avenue. Oak Bluffs enjoys a reputation as one of the more active nightlife towns for both residents and tourists. It was known as Cottage City from its separation from Edgar Town in 1880 until its reincorporation as Oak Bluffs in 1907. It also includes the East Chop Peninsula, Lagoon Heights, And Hearthaven. West Tisbury is an agricultural center and it hosts the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair in late August each year. Chilmarg, Including the fishing village of Manimsha. Jailmark is also rural and features the island's hilliest terrain. It is the birthplace of George Claghorn, Master shipbuilder of the USS Constitution, A. K. A. Old Ironsides. Aquinnah is home to the Wampanoag Indian Tribe and Clay Cliffs. In the era before modern highways and jet planes, Travelers took New York, New Haven, And Hartford railroad trains from New York City or Boston to Woods Hole or Hyannis, At which point they would embark on ferries to the island. The Marses Vineyard Transit Authority provides year-round bus service throughout Marses Vineyard. Martha's Vineyard is accessible via ferry. The Steamship Authority operates year-round ferry service from Woods Hole. This is the only ferry that can transport vehicles to and from the island. Seasonal ferry services depart from Falmouth, Ionis, And New Bedford in Massachusetts, North Kingston in Rhode Island, And limited service from New York City to New Jersey. During the whaling era, Wealthy Boston sea captains and merchant traders created estates on Martha's Vineyard with their trading profits. Today the vineyard has become one of the northeastern United States' most prominent submarine havens, Having attracted numerous celebrity regulars. The island has a year-round population of about 20, 530 people. In summer, The population increases to 200, 000 residents, With more than 25, 000 additional short-term visitors coming and going on the ferries during the summer season. The most crowded weekend is July 4th, Followed by the late August weekend of the Agricultural Fair. In general, The summer season runs from June through Labor Day weekend, Coinciding with the months most American children are not in school. In 1985, Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick Island were included in an American Viticultural Area Designation for Wine Appellation of Origin Specification. Martha's Vineyard AVA Wines produced from grapes grown on the two islands can be sold with labels that carry the Martha's Vineyard AVA designation. Martha's Vineyard was the home to the winemaker Chicama Vineyards in West Tisbury, Though it closed after 37 years in 2008. Its relatively small year-round population has led to an activist citizenry. Tourism, Overdevelopment, Politics, And environmentalism are of keen interest to the community, Which seeks to balance the tourist economy with the ecology and wildlife needs. In contrast to the seasonal influx of wealthy visitors, Dukes County remains one of the poorest in the state. Residents have established resources to balance the contradictions and stresses that can arise in these circumstances. Notably the Martha's Vineyard Commission and Martha's Vineyard Community Services. Many high-profile residents, Movie stars, Politicians, Writers, And artists contribute to fundraisers and benefits that raise awareness of the fragile ecosystem of the vineyard and support community organizations and services. The largest of these is the annual Possible Dreams auction. The majority of the vineyard's residents during the summer are well-established seasonal vacationers. While many of these come from all over the United States and abroad, The island tends to be a destination for especially those whose primary residence lies within close proximity in the northeastern U. S. Many communities around the island tend to have deep family roots on the island that have matured over the years to create hamlets of good friends and neighbors. Nevertheless, Many visitors are summer renters and weekenders.

Reviews

Fascinating I had no idea about the deaf community

I visited Cspe Cod & Martha’s Vineyard once back in 2007. I was only on the island for several hours. It seemed very touristy. Glad to get more of the history. No idea about the prevalence of deafness and MVSL. Thank you, Benjamin.