| Martha's Vineyard |
Article Index for Martha's Vineyard |
Limousines in Marthas Vineyard |
Website Links For Vineyard |
Information AboutMartha's Vineyard |
|
Martha's Vineyard (including nearby Chappaquiddick Island ), is an 87.48 square mile (231.75 km&2) Island off the southern coast of Cape Cod (both forming a part of the Outer Lands region) and is often known simply as "the Vineyard". Located in the U.S. State of Massachusetts , in Dukes County, Massachusetts (the rest of the county consists of Cuttyhunk and the other Elizabeth Islands and the island of Nomans Land ). It was home to one of the earliest known Deaf communities; consequently, a special Dialect of Sign Language , Martha's Vineyard Sign Language , developed on the island. The island is primarily known as a Summer Colony , and is accessible only by boat and by air. Nevertheless, its year-round population has grown quite considerably since the 1960s. A study by the Martha's Vineyard Commission found that the cost of living on the island is 60 percent higher than the national average and housing prices are 96 percent higher. Full Article . HISTORY Exploration Originally (and still) inhabited by the Wampanoag Indians, Martha's Vineyard was known in their Language as ''Noepe'', or "land amid the streams". It was named Martha's Vineyard by the English explorer, Bartholomew Gosnold , who sailed to the island in 1602 . Gosnold's mother-in-law as well as his second child, who died in infancy, were both named Martha . Gosnold named Martha's Vineyard after his daughter who was christened in St James' Church (now St Edmundsbury Cathedral ), Bury St Edmunds in the English county of Suffolk . Martha is buried in the Great Churchyard which lies in front of the Abbey Ruins between St Mary's Church and the Cathedral. The original name of the island was ''Martin's Vineyard'' (after the captain of Gosnold's ship, John Martin); many islanders up to the 1700s called it by this name worked to standardize placename spellings in the late 19th century, including the dropping of apostrophes. Thus for a time Martha's Vineyard was officially named Marthas Vineyard, but the Board reversed its decision in the early 20th century, making Martha's Vineyard one of the few placenames in the United States today with a possessive apostrophe George R. Stewart . ''Names on the Land''. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston (1967), pg. 345. Colonial Era English Settlement had its origins in the purchase of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands by Thomas Mayhew of Watertown, Massachusetts . Mayhew worked through the claims of two English "owners" of the islands and during his lifetime had friendly relations with the Wampanoags on the island in part because he was careful to honor their land rights as well. His son, also Thomas Mayhew, began the first English settlement in 1642 at Great Harbor (later Edgartown, Massachusetts ). The younger Mayhew began a relationship with Hiacoomes, an Indian neighbor, which eventually led to Hiacoomes' family converting to Christianity . Ultimately, many of the tribe became Christian, including the paw-waws (spiritual leaders) and sachems (political leaders). It became arguably the first successful cross cultural church planting mission in the history of Protestantism (Eliot's work on the mainland began a few years later). By most evidence the Mayhew approach was remarkably free of cultural imperialism so often a part of other missions of that and later eras. During King Phillip'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 English colony. The younger Thomas Mayhew was lost at sea on a trip to England in 1657. The site of his farewell address became a memorial stone pile created by the Wampanoags which is preserved today. The elder Mayhew took over leadership of the English component of the Indian mission, and the Mayhew involvement continued for another three generations. Indian literacy in the schools founded by Mayhew and taught by Peter Folger, the grandfather of Benjamin Franklin , was such that the first Native American graduates of Harvard were from Martha's Vineyard, including the son of Hiacoomes. They were literate in Wampanoag, English, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Sadly, all of the early Indian graduates died shortly after completing their course of study. However, there were many native preachers on the island who also preached in the English churches from time to time. In 1683, Dukes County, New York was incorporated, including Martha's Vineyard. In 1691, the entire county was transferred to the newly formed Province Of Massachusetts Bay , being split into Dukes County, Massachusetts and Nantucket County, Massachusetts . Nineteenth Century Like the nearby island of Nantucket , Martha's Vineyard was brought to prominence in the 19th Century by the Whaling industry, sending ships around the world to hunt whales for their oil and Blubber . The discovery of Petroleum in Pennsylvania produced 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 mainland Woods Hole in 1872, summer residences began to develop on the island. Although the island struggled financially through the Great Depression , its reputation as a Resort for Tourist s and the wealthy continued to grow. There is still a substantial Wampanoag population on the Vineyard, mainly located in the town of Aquinnah . Aquinnah (which means "land under the hill" in the Wampanoag language) was formerly known as Gay Head but was recently renamed its original Indian name. Modern Era The linguist William Labov wrote his MA essay on changes in the Martha's Vineyard dialect of English. The 1963 study is widely recognised as a seminal work in the foundation of Sociolinguistics . The island received international notoriety on July 18 , 1969 , when Mary Jo Kopechne was killed when a car driven by U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy drove off the Dike Bridge. The bridge crossed Pocha Pond on Chappaquiddick Island (A smaller island connected to the Vineyard and part of Edgartown). As a foot bridge, it was intended for people on foot and Bicycles , as well as the occasional emergency vehicle when conditions warranted them. Currently, 4x4 vehicles with passes are allowed to cross the reconstructed bridge. On November 23 , 1970 , in the Atlantic Ocean just west of Aquinnah, Simas Kudirka, a Soviet seaman of Lithuania n nationality, attempted to Defect to the United States by leaping onto a United States Coast Guard cutter from a Soviet ship. In what is known as a significantly embarrassing incident in modern American history (prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union ), the Coast Guard allowed a detachment of KGB agents to board the cutter, and subsequently arrest Kudirka, taking him back to the then- Communist Soviet Union. In 1974, '' were filmed on the island as well. In June, 2005 the island celebrated the 30th anniversary of ''Jaws'' with a weekend long " JawsFest ". Distressed over redistricting, in 1977, Martha's Vineyard tried to Secede from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts along with the island of Nantucket to become the nation's 51st State {Link without Title} . On March 5 , 1982 , John Belushi died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles, California, and was buried four days later in Abel's Hill Cemetery in Chilmark. On his gravestone is the quote: "Though I may be gone, Rock 'N' Roll lives on". Due to the many visitors to his grave and the threat of vandalism, his body was moved elsewhere within the cemetery. Many people visit his grave and in the summer it is often littered with beer cans, joints and other "tokens" for Belushi. Martha's Vineyard received more world-wide attention when U.S. President William J. Clinton spent vacation time on the island during his presidency, along with his wife, US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter Chelsea . While the Clintons have made the Island famous in recent years, during the 1800s another famous President Ulysses S. Grant was also a summer visitor, staying in a Gingerbread Cottage in the Methodist campground in Oak Bluffs. On July 16 , 1999 a small plane crashed off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, claiming the lives of pilot John F. Kennedy, Jr. , his wife Carolyn Bessette and her sister, Lauren Bessette . Kennedy's mother, former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , maintained a home in Aquinnah (formerly Gay Head ) until her death in 1994. In the summer of 2000, an outbreak of Tularemia , also known as rabbit fever, resulted in one fatality and piqued the interest of the CDC who wanted to test the island as a potential investigative ground for aerosolized '' Francisella Tularensis ''. Over the following summers, Martha's Vineyard was identified as the only place in the world where documented cases of tularemia resulted from Lawn Mowing . The research may prove valuable in preventing Bioterrorism . POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY Martha's Vineyard is made up of six towns:
ACCESS Martha's Vineyard is located approximately 3 1/2 miles off the southern coast of Cape Cod . It is reached by a ferry that departs from Woods Hole, Massachusetts and by several other ferries departing from Falmouth , New Bedford , Hyannis , and Quonset Point, Rhode Island . There is regularly scheduled air travel (in season from June-October) from Boston , Providence , New York , Philadelphia , and Washington, DC to the Martha's Vineyard Airport . Regular shuttle services operate between most of the ferry piers and the Amtrak station in Providence. Amtrak has connections to the ferries all year. RESIDENTS Locals refer to Martha's Vineyard as "The Rock" (as in "I am getting off the Rock"), "The Island" or "The Vineyard" and its residents as "Islanders" or "Vineyarders". Its relatively small year round population has led to a very activist citizenry who are highly involved in the Island's day to day activities. ''People and Predicaments: Of Life and Distress on Martha’s Vineyard''. Published by Harvard University Press (1976), Cambridge, MA. Due to its many high profile residents, movie stars, politicians, writers and artists also band together with residents in fundraisers and benefits to raise awareness for the fragile ecosystem of the Vineyard and to support community organizations and services. The largest of these is the annual Possible Dreams Auction . The best known celebrities that live or frequently visit "The Island" are president Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, comedian and talk show host, David Letterman , and musician Carly Simon . Also, retired anchorman Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes are summer residents of Martha's Vineyard. In addition to the national celebrities who have homes on Martha's Vineyard, "The Island" has also become a summer retreat for many of the nation's most prominent Jewish families. The first Jewish families to build summer estates on the island did so in the mid 20th century when they were implicitly discouraged from settling on the equally exclusive island of Nantucket. Today the island is famous as a summer hideaway for wealthy Jewish families, like the Rosenwald family, Pillsbury family, Fleishman family, Tishman family, Sulzberger family and Scheuer family. Martha's Vineyard has also been or is home to a number of artists and musicians including , Willy Mason , and Unbusted , Mike Nichols , Diane Sawyer , and Kahoots. Historian and author David McCullough is also an island resident. The late author William Styron also lived on the Vineyard. The Academy Award winning Patricia Neal owns a home on the island. Paul McCartney owns a home in Edgartown. POINTS OF INTEREST Vineyard Haven ( Tisbury ) (formerly "Holmes Hole")
Oak Bluffs (formerly "Cottage City")
Edgartown Edgartown is an old whaling town that re-emerged in the 20th century as a summer sailing and beach town. It is characterized by 18th and 19th century homes, including well-preserved whaling captains' homes and historic churches.
West Tisbury
Chilmark
Aquinnah (Formerly "Gay Head")
EDUCATION
ANNUAL EVENTS All Towns
Chilmark
Edgartown
Tisbury
Oak Bluffs
West Tisbury
TOURISM The Vineyard grew as a tourist destination primarily because of its very pleasant summer weather (during summers, the temperature rarely breaks 90°F) and many beautiful beaches. Wealthy Boston sea captains and merchant traders formerly created estates on Martha's Vineyard with their trading profits. Today, the Vineyard has become one of the Northeast 's most prominent summering havens, having attracted celebrities like Bill And Hillary Clinton , Tom Welling , Warren Buffett , Jake Gyllenhaal , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Ted Danson and Mary Steenbergen , Carly Simon , James Taylor , Peter Simon , Alfred Eisenstaedt , Dan Aykroyd and Donna Dixon , the late John Belushi , Spike Lee , Michael J. Fox , William F. Buckley , Alan Dershowitz , former US Senator Bill Bradley , Diana Ross , Beverly Sills , Art Buchwald , Walter Cronkite , Dorothy West , the late Mike Wallace , David Letterman , Jay-Z , David McCullough , the late Katherine Graham , the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis , the late Diana, Princess Of Wales , Patricia Neal , Luke & Owen Wilson , Tom Hanks , and Meg Ryan . Grammy Award -Winning music artist Sheryl Crow had album cover stills taken here. A collection of these photos can be seen in her The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow CD booklet. Martha's Vineyard is one of the traditional resorts of U.S.'s African-American upper class. Due to a long history of racial harmony on the island, many black families started vacationing there a century ago. The center of black culture on Martha's Vineyard is the town of Oak Bluffs , where many African American celebrities own houses. Its main beach has been dubbed " The Inkwell " by African-American residents. The island now boasts a year-round population of about 15,000 people in six towns; in summer, the population swells to 100,000 residents, with more than 25,000 additional visitors coming and going on Ferries every day. The most crowded weekend is July 4 . In general, the summer season runs from June to the end of August, correlating with the months most American children are not in school. Martha's Vineyard Airport links the island to the mainland with scheduled air carrier service. The Vineyard is home to Troubled Shores , a theater company that teaches and performs comedy improv along with other types of theater. Its improv troupe, WIMP, held their last show on July 6, 2005. The IMPers, a teenage improv troup, perform regularly. Troubled Shores also runs a summer theater camp, known as IMP All Things Theater Camp. The Vineyard's only Equity theatre is The Vineyard Playhouse located in Vineyard Haven. During the summers the theatre converts from community based productions to a SPT (Small Professional Theatre) approved space featuring equity actors from around the country. The island has been designated an official American Viticultural Area and is home to the winemaker Chicama Vineyards in West Tisbury. Other popular attractions include the annual Illumination festival in Oak Bluffs; Katama Farm in Tisbury; and the Flying Horses in Oak Bluffs, the oldest carousel in the United States. More information about visiting Martha's Vineyard including planning guides may be found at the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce . LOCAL TV & RADIO
GENETIC DEAFNESS AND SIGN LANGUAGE A high rate of genetic deafness was documented in Martha's Vineyard for almost two centuries. The island's deaf heritage cannot be traced to one common ancestor and is thought to have originated in the Weald , a region in the English county of Kent , prior to immigration. Researcher Nora Groce estimates that by the late 1800s, 1 in 155 people on the Vineyard was born deaf (0.7 percent), almost 20 times the estimate for the nation at large (1 in 2,730, or 0.04 percent). Groce, Nora Ellen (1985). Everyone here spoke sign language: Hereditary deafness on Martha's Vineyard, Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-27040-1 Mixed marriages between deaf and hearing spouses comprised 65% of all deaf marriages in the late nineteenth century, (higher than the US average of 20%) Lane, Harlan L., Richard C. Pillard and Mary French. ''Origins of the American Deaf-World: Assimilating and Differentiating Societies and Their Relation to Genetic Patterning''. Sign Language Studies 1.1 (2000) 17-44. Online. Accessed via Project Muse on April 23, 2006 and Martha's Vineyard Sign Language was commonly used by hearing residents as well as deaf ones until the middle of the twentieth century. Bahan, B., and J. Poole-Nash. "The Signing Community on Martha's Vineyard". Unpublished address to the Conference on Deaf Studies IV. Haverhill, Mass. 1995. Quoted in Lane 28 This allowed deaf residents to smoothly integrate into society. In the twentieth century, tourism became a mainstay in the island economy. 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 wider community there. The last deaf person born into the island's 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. EDUCATION Martha's Vineyard is served by Martha's Vineyard Public Schools . Five of the six towns have their own elementary schools, while Aquinnah residents are closest to Chilmark's elementary school. Martha's Vineyard Regional High School , which is located in Oak Bluffs , serves the entire island. The principal is Margaret Regan. SEE ALSO
REFERENCES |
|
|