Choate Island (Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Choate Island, also known as Hog Island, is an island
located in the Essex River Estuary in Essex, Massachusetts
. It is part of the Crane Wildlife Refuge
, which is owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations
. The 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) island is a refuge
for a variety of birds and animals. It is surrounded by a salt marsh
and has a spruce
forest which was planted in the 1930s and makes the island easily visible from much of the surrounding area. The island has been inhabited by the Native Americans
of the area, and was visited by early Europeans, who established farming on the island. The Choate House
, built around 1730, remains relatively unchanged.
The island is connected to Long Island, which has a farmhouse and a barn, by a salt marsh
and a causeway
. There is a dock on Long Island which provides access to Choate Island by boat.
The Crane Wildlife Refuge was established by Miné S. Crane in memory of her husband, Cornelius Crane, and both are buried at the summit of the island.
Much of the 1996 film The Crucible, based on Arthur Miller
's play
regarding the Salem witch trials
, was filmed on the island. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis
reportedly spent a lot of time on the island preparing for his role in the film.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
located in the Essex River Estuary in Essex, Massachusetts
Essex, Massachusetts
Essex is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, north of Boston. The population was 3,504 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Essex.- History :...
. It is part of the Crane Wildlife Refuge
Crane Wildlife Refuge
The Crane Wildlife Refuge, located in Ipswich and Essex, Massachusetts, is a property managed by The Trustees of Reservations. Located nearby are the Trustees of Reservations managed Castle Hill and Crane Beach.-External links:*...
, which is owned and managed by The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...
. The 135 acre (0.5463261 km²) island is a refuge
Wildlife refuge
A wildlife refuge, also called a wildlife sanctuary, may be a naturally occurring sanctuary, such as an island, that provides protection for species from hunting, predation or competition, or it may refer to a protected area, a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected...
for a variety of birds and animals. It is surrounded by a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and has a spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
forest which was planted in the 1930s and makes the island easily visible from much of the surrounding area. The island has been inhabited by the Native Americans
Agawam (tribe)
The Agawam tribe was a Native American tribe in New England at the arrival of the English colonists in the early 17th century. Decimated by pestilence shortly before the English colonization and fearing attacks from their hereditary enemies among the tribes of Maine, they invited the English to...
of the area, and was visited by early Europeans, who established farming on the island. The Choate House
Choate House (Massachusetts)
There is a Choate House located in New York, formerly owned by the same Choate family.Choate House is a historic house on Choate Island in the Crane Wildlife Refuge, Essex, Massachusetts, owned and administered by the nonprofit Trustees of Reservations....
, built around 1730, remains relatively unchanged.
The island is connected to Long Island, which has a farmhouse and a barn, by a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
and a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
. There is a dock on Long Island which provides access to Choate Island by boat.
The Crane Wildlife Refuge was established by Miné S. Crane in memory of her husband, Cornelius Crane, and both are buried at the summit of the island.
Much of the 1996 film The Crucible, based on Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
's play
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
regarding the Salem witch trials
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
, was filmed on the island. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor with both British and Irish citizenship. His portrayals of Christy Brown in My Left Foot and Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood won Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, and Screen Actors Guild as well as Golden Globe Awards for the latter...
reportedly spent a lot of time on the island preparing for his role in the film.