Hingham Bay
Encyclopedia
Hingham Bay is the easternmost of the three small bays of outer Boston Harbor
, part of Massachusetts Bay
and forming the western shoreline of the town of Hull
and the northern shoreline of Hingham
in the United States
state of Massachusetts
. It lies east of Quincy Bay
and is met at the southwest by the mouth of Weymouth Fore River
, also forming part of the waterfront of Weymouth
. The bay is home to several of the Boston Harbor Islands
.
. There are two passages to Nantasket Roads and the Atlantic Ocean
, one a 1300 feet (396.2 m) opening at Hull Gut
between Peddocks Island and Windmill Point in the northwest and a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) passage at West Gut between the island and Hough's Neck
at Nut Island
, part of the city of Quincy
. Along the western portion of Hingham Bay a 300 feet (91.4 m) wide, 35 feet (10.7 m) deep channel allows oceangoing ships access from Hull Gut to Weymouth Fore River. To the north and east the bay is bordered by the town of Hull, where the contiguous water reaching the Hull shore is also known as Hull Bay. On the south, moving west, Hingham Bay is fed by three estuaries: Weir River
between Hull and Hingham, Weymouth Back River
between Hingham and Weymouth, and Weymouth Fore River between Weymouth and Quincy.
Bumpkin Island
(30 acres (121,405.8 m²)) in Hingham and Grape Island
(54 acres (218,530.4 m²)) in Weymouth, along with the smaller Slate Island and Sheep Island, are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
. Spinnaker Island
in the north is attached to Hull by a low bridge. Other islands under 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) in size that are associated with the bay include Button
, Langlee
, Ragged
and Sarah
Islands, all in Hingham Harbor. The southeast part of the bay is separated from Weir River estuary by World's End, a peninsular park owned by The Trustees of Reservations
.
s. During the last 100,000 years two glacial periods shaped the typical topography of the area through creation of drumlin
s and moraine
s followed by marine incursion flooding the low levels as the glaciers receded. This geological activity accounts for the variety of necks, peninsulas and islands in the harbor. The native Massachusett
and antecedent tribes populated the islands of Hingham Bay as early as 8,000 years before the present, taking advantage of a rich marine ecology which featured shellfish, fishing and wild flora. The natives were first encountered in 1621 during the colonization
of the Atlantic seaboard by settlers from England
in the 17th century. Native Americans were removed from the islands and Hingham Bay area as a result of King Philip's War
in 1675, while fishing continued to be a main activity of the colonists.
Military posts were established on Peddocks Island and Fort Revere
at the strategically important Hull Gut entrance to Hingham Bay beginning in the American Revolution
. Ships and submarines were produced at Fore River Shipyard
located on Weymouth Fore River near where the river enters Hingham Bay beginning in the early 20th century.
During World War II
, hundreds of ships produced for the United States Navy
at Fore River Shipyard and the associated Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham first entered the Atlantic at Hingham Bay.
Following the war, the list of possible locations for United Nations Headquarters
included the unused land at World's End on Hingham Bay. The land was also later considered as a location for a nuclear power plant
that was eventually built in Plymouth. The protection of Hingham Bay has been assisted by the establishment of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in 1996 and the establishment of the Weir River Estuary Park Committee by the towns of Cohasset
, Hingham and Hull in 2002.
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
, part of Massachusetts Bay
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,...
and forming the western shoreline of the town of Hull
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
and the northern shoreline of Hingham
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It lies east of Quincy Bay
Quincy Bay
Quincy Bay is the largest of the three small bays of southern Boston Harbor, part of Massachusetts Bay and forming much of the shoreline of the city of Quincy, Massachusetts. Locally in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy it is known as Wollaston Bay...
and is met at the southwest by the mouth of Weymouth Fore River
Weymouth Fore River
Weymouth Fore River is a small bay or estuary in eastern Massachusetts and is part of the Massachusetts Bay watershed.The headwater of Weymouth Fore River is formed by the confluence of the Monatiquot River and Smelt Brook in the Weymouth Landing area of Braintree...
, also forming part of the waterfront of Weymouth
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
. The bay is home to several of the Boston Harbor Islands
Boston Harbor Islands
The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area situated among the islands of Boston Harbor of Boston, Massachusetts. The area is made up of a collection of islands, together with a former island and a peninsula, many of which are open for public recreation and some...
.
Description
The bay is roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) wide east to west and 4 miles (6.4 km) long south to north. It is nearly enclosed on all sides, surrounded by peninsulas, former islands joined to the mainland, and Peddocks IslandPeddocks Island
Peddocks Island is one of the largest islands in Boston Harbor. Since 1996 it has formed part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is located at 42° 17' 32.6" North longitude and 70° 56' 21.6" West latitude. The area of the island is . The island is managed by the...
. There are two passages to Nantasket Roads and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, one a 1300 feet (396.2 m) opening at Hull Gut
Hull Gut
Hull Gut is a narrow channel of water, about half a mile wide and thirty-five feet deep, in Boston Harbor running between Hull and Peddocks Island. It is the southern entrance to the Inner Harbor connecting it to Hingham Bay. The gut is a dangerous waterway with strong cross-currents and often...
between Peddocks Island and Windmill Point in the northwest and a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) passage at West Gut between the island and Hough's Neck
Hough's Neck
Houghs Neck is a one-square-mile peninsula in Quincy, Massachusetts. It is surrounded by Quincy Bay, Hingham Bay and Rock Island Cove...
at Nut Island
Nut Island
Nut Island is a former island in Boston Harbor, part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has been connected through a short causeway to the end of Houghs Neck, becoming part of the mainland of Quincy, Massachusetts....
, part of the city of Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. Along the western portion of Hingham Bay a 300 feet (91.4 m) wide, 35 feet (10.7 m) deep channel allows oceangoing ships access from Hull Gut to Weymouth Fore River. To the north and east the bay is bordered by the town of Hull, where the contiguous water reaching the Hull shore is also known as Hull Bay. On the south, moving west, Hingham Bay is fed by three estuaries: Weir River
Weir River (Massachusetts)
Weir River is a short stream and estuary that empties into Hingham Bay, part of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts, United States. The name is attributed to the location of a fishing weir in the stream...
between Hull and Hingham, Weymouth Back River
Weymouth Back River
The Weymouth Back River, sometimes called Back River, is a short, primarily tidal river in Hingham and Weymouth, Massachusetts, about south of Boston...
between Hingham and Weymouth, and Weymouth Fore River between Weymouth and Quincy.
Bumpkin Island
Bumpkin Island
Bumpkin Island, also known as Round Island, Bomkin Island, Bumkin Island or Ward's Island, is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor. Since 1996 it is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has an area of , plus an intertidal zone of a further...
(30 acres (121,405.8 m²)) in Hingham and Grape Island
Grape Island (Massachusetts)
Grape Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is part of the territory of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. The island has a permanent size of , plus an intertidal zone of a further , and is composed of two drumlins, reaching...
(54 acres (218,530.4 m²)) in Weymouth, along with the smaller Slate Island and Sheep Island, are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area situated among the islands of Boston Harbor of Boston, Massachusetts. The area is made up of a collection of islands, together with a former island and a peninsula, many of which are open for public recreation and some...
. Spinnaker Island
Spinnaker Island (Massachusetts)
Spinnaker Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts...
in the north is attached to Hull by a low bridge. Other islands under 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) in size that are associated with the bay include Button
Button Island (Massachusetts)
Button Island is a small island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has a permanent size of under , plus an intertidal zone of a further . It is composed of a massing of glacial till which rises to a height of above sea level...
, Langlee
Langlee Island
Langlee Island or Langley Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has a permanent size of , plus an intertidal zone of a further , and is composed of a massing of roxbury puddingstone which rises to a height of above sea level...
, Ragged
Ragged Island (Massachusetts)
Ragged Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The island has a permanent size of , and it is composed of a massing of roxbury puddingstone which rises to a height of above sea level...
and Sarah
Sarah Island (Massachusetts)
Sarah Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has a permanent size of just under , and is composed large outcroppings and ledges of roxbury puddingstone together with glacial till which rises to a height of above sea level...
Islands, all in Hingham Harbor. The southeast part of the bay is separated from Weir River estuary by World's End, a peninsular park owned 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...
.
History
Boston Harbor and its smaller sections such as Hingham Bay are characterized by geography created through Quaternary glaciationQuaternary glaciation
Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, the current ice age or simply the ice age, refers to the period of the last few million years in which permanent ice sheets were established in Antarctica and perhaps Greenland, and fluctuating ice sheets have occurred elsewhere...
s. During the last 100,000 years two glacial periods shaped the typical topography of the area through creation of drumlin
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s and moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s followed by marine incursion flooding the low levels as the glaciers receded. This geological activity accounts for the variety of necks, peninsulas and islands in the harbor. The native Massachusett
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
and antecedent tribes populated the islands of Hingham Bay as early as 8,000 years before the present, taking advantage of a rich marine ecology which featured shellfish, fishing and wild flora. The natives were first encountered in 1621 during the colonization
British colonization of the Americas
British colonization of the Americas began in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia and reached its peak when colonies had been established throughout the Americas...
of the Atlantic seaboard by settlers from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 17th century. Native Americans were removed from the islands and Hingham Bay area as a result of King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
in 1675, while fishing continued to be a main activity of the colonists.
Military posts were established on Peddocks Island and Fort Revere
Fort Revere Park
Fort Revere Park is an historic site situated on a small peninsula located in Hull, Massachusetts. It is situated on Telegraph Hill in Hull Village and houses the remains of two seacoast fortifications, a water tower with an observation deck, a military history museum and picnic facilities. It is...
at the strategically important Hull Gut entrance to Hingham Bay beginning in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Ships and submarines were produced at Fore River Shipyard
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
located on Weymouth Fore River near where the river enters Hingham Bay beginning in the early 20th century.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, hundreds of ships produced for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
at Fore River Shipyard and the associated Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham first entered the Atlantic at Hingham Bay.
Following the war, the list of possible locations for United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
included the unused land at World's End on Hingham Bay. The land was also later considered as a location for a nuclear power plant
Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station
Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station is currently the only nuclear power plant operating in the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in the Manomet section of Plymouth on Cape Cod Bay, south of the tip of Rocky Point and north of Priscilla Beach...
that was eventually built in Plymouth. The protection of Hingham Bay has been assisted by the establishment of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in 1996 and the establishment of the Weir River Estuary Park Committee by the towns of Cohasset
Cohasset, Massachusetts
Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,542 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, Hingham and Hull in 2002.