Bakers Island
Encyclopedia
Bakers Island is a small, private residential island in Massachusetts Bay
, in Salem, Massachusetts
. It's located southeast of Great Misery Island
& Little Misery Island
, northeast of North Gooseberry Island & South Gooseberry Island, and far northeast of Cat Island. It is the outermost island on the main shipping channel into Salem Harbor.
The island is pear-shaped. Most of its coast is rocky ledges, except for its western coast. There are three small landlocked ponds located near one another at the center. There is some shrubbery, trees, and other vegetation spread across parts of the island.
There is a private pier on the west side. Most of the buildings are concentrated in the western and southern portions of the island.
The approximately 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) island was known as Baker's Island as early as the 1630s. Originally owned by Massachusetts colony, it was granted to the town of Salem in 1660. John Turner was the first private owner of the island. The island once housed a hotel, but is now almost entirely cottages, most of them individually named. The island also has a store, fire house, and the Sherman C. Burnham meeting hall.
The U.S. Coast Guard owns approximately 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) of land at the north end of the island where Bakers Island Light and its accompanying buildings sit. The island initially had twin lights on a single house, first lit on January 3, 1798. Two towers were built in 1816 and 1820. The shorter tower was demolished in 1926.
Unauthored, "The Baker's Island Chronicle 1964-1988", Baker's Island Association (1989).
Massachusetts Bay
The Massachusetts Bay, also called Mass Bay, is one of the largest bays of the Atlantic Ocean which forms the distinctive shape of the coastline of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Its waters extend 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts Bay includes the Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay,...
, in Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
. It's located southeast of Great Misery Island
Misery Islands
The Misery Islands are an nature reserve established in 1935 in Salem Sound, Salem, Massachusetts and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The islands' name come from shipbuilder Robert Moulton who was stranded on the islands during a winter storm in the 1620s. The island, in the past,...
& Little Misery Island
Misery Islands
The Misery Islands are an nature reserve established in 1935 in Salem Sound, Salem, Massachusetts and is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. The islands' name come from shipbuilder Robert Moulton who was stranded on the islands during a winter storm in the 1620s. The island, in the past,...
, northeast of North Gooseberry Island & South Gooseberry Island, and far northeast of Cat Island. It is the outermost island on the main shipping channel into Salem Harbor.
The island is pear-shaped. Most of its coast is rocky ledges, except for its western coast. There are three small landlocked ponds located near one another at the center. There is some shrubbery, trees, and other vegetation spread across parts of the island.
There is a private pier on the west side. Most of the buildings are concentrated in the western and southern portions of the island.
The approximately 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) island was known as Baker's Island as early as the 1630s. Originally owned by Massachusetts colony, it was granted to the town of Salem in 1660. John Turner was the first private owner of the island. The island once housed a hotel, but is now almost entirely cottages, most of them individually named. The island also has a store, fire house, and the Sherman C. Burnham meeting hall.
The U.S. Coast Guard owns approximately 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) of land at the north end of the island where Bakers Island Light and its accompanying buildings sit. The island initially had twin lights on a single house, first lit on January 3, 1798. Two towers were built in 1816 and 1820. The shorter tower was demolished in 1926.
Sources
Wise, DeWitt E., "Now, Then: Baker's Island", Baker's Island Association (1964).Unauthored, "The Baker's Island Chronicle 1964-1988", Baker's Island Association (1989).