By Dan Burns
History
Native American tribes, especially the Massachusett and Wampanoag, used Spectacle Island as a summer home. Archaeological digs found many seashells and fish bones, dating from 535 to 1590. The tribes caught fish using a method called “fish weir.” They placed sticks and branches in the water at low tide. When the tide came in, fish swam over the sticks. At the next low tide, they gathered their catch.
From 1616 to 1619, a disease outbreak killed 75% to 90% of New England Indians. European fishermen likely brought the disease, to which the tribes had no immunity.
In the early 1770s, authorities used the island as a quarantine hospital for smallpox. They sent ships suspected of carrying the disease there. The hospital operated for twenty years before moving to Rainsford Island.
In 1857, Nahum Ward, a businessman from Roxbury, bought the island and opened a horse rendering plant. The plant grew to include a glue factory and a grease-reclamation facility by 1911. By the 1920s, over 100 people and 13 families lived there. However, by the late 1920s, only the grease-reclamation plant was left. From 1935 to 1958, Boston dumped 350 tons of waste on the island daily.
In 1892, the Lighthouse Board suggested range lights on Spectacle Island to mark the center of a dredged shipping channel. They wanted to help vessels approaching Boston Inner Harbor from Nix’s Mate. They discontinued the range lights in 1913 and replaced them with an in-water buoy system.
The dump on Spectacle Island continued to leak trash and other pollutants into the harbor until the “Big Dig” started in 1992. The project needed a place to relocate tons of dirt that workers were creating from new tunnels. Spectacle Island was a logical and close-by location. In 1996, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project awarded Jay Cashman Construction a $160 million contract to clean up the island. The cleanup took over eight years. It turned the dump into a lovely and accessible 114-acre park.
Spectacle Island’s story is one of constant change. From a home for Native American tribes, to a quarantine station, industrial site, and ultimately a landfill, the island has seen both the best and worst of human impact on the water. Its transformation during the Big Dig into a vibrant public park stands as a powerful reminder that even the most altered landscapes can be restored and reconnected to their natural roots. Today, Spectacle Island stands as a landmark for Boston’s outer harbor, allowing sailors to navigate to and past its shores.
Navigation
You can go all the way around the island, but watch out for the many shallow areas and some nasty submerged ledges.
West Side
The west side of the island features a large pier. Ferries from Long Wharf leave here in summer and fall. There’s also a mooring field for day or overnight use, with depths around 8 to 9 feet. The water generally ranges from 8 to 15 feet deep at low tide but can drop to 4 feet near the island. Look for green buoy #9, which marks the western edge of the channel near Thompson Island.
South Side
Red nun #8 is located at the south end of the island on the 12′ depth contour line. There is deep water between this buoy and Sculpin Ledge, but the north side of this hazard is not marked. It’s much safer to continue south and head east when you can leave nun 8A, which is south of Sculpin Ledge, to port. In 1999, the Bid Dig Project created Sculpin Ledge Reef. It provides for a vital habitat for blue mussels, lobsters, and other shellfish.
East Side
Continue east after passing nun 8A. If you turn north immediately, you will hit the east end of the ledge. There are numerous rocks on the east side of Spectacle so stay closer to the Long Island shore where the depths are 15 to 20 feet.
North Side
On the north side, you’ll encounter President Row. Watch for commercial traffic using the channel. There’s some room between the two green buoys to cut inside them, but be cautious; the water gets very shallow near the island.