Hangman Island
Encyclopedia
Hangman Island, also known as Hayman's Island, is an island
in the Quincy Bay
area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
. The island is a barren outcrop of bedrock
, with a permanent size of half an acre
rising to only three feet above sea level
, plus an intertidal zone
of a further 5 acres (20,234.3 m²). Access is by private boat only.
Approach to this island should be made with care and with the use of a nautical chart since there are many rocks and shoals in the immediate area. There is a small pebbly beach on the southern side. Special care should be taken when passing close aboard this island. Shoals extend approximately 250 yards (228.6 m) to the northeast (061 degrees true) from this island and approximately 480 yards (438.9 m) toward the south and southwest (246 degrees true). There are many rocks and ledges in these areas that are hidden at high water. A green and white daybeacon on a pile marks the southwestern point of these shoals.
On a 1775, London
chart, this island was labeled Hayman's Island and shows a greater area than presently exists. There is no historical evidence that this island was used as a location for hanging
criminals. The source of its current name has a hazy history. In 1882, several fishermen built fishing shacks on Hangman Island and were reported to have cultivated a vegetable garden here among the rocks. As of 2006, there are no human inhabitants on Hangmans Island. It is being used as a bird sanctuary and landing on this island is discouraged. Local private fishermen fish for striped bass
among the rocks located on and near this island during the summer season.
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...
in the 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...
area 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...
. The island is a barren outcrop of bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
, with a permanent size of half an acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
rising to only three feet above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, plus an intertidal zone
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
of a further 5 acres (20,234.3 m²). Access is by private boat only.
Approach to this island should be made with care and with the use of a nautical chart since there are many rocks and shoals in the immediate area. There is a small pebbly beach on the southern side. Special care should be taken when passing close aboard this island. Shoals extend approximately 250 yards (228.6 m) to the northeast (061 degrees true) from this island and approximately 480 yards (438.9 m) toward the south and southwest (246 degrees true). There are many rocks and ledges in these areas that are hidden at high water. A green and white daybeacon on a pile marks the southwestern point of these shoals.
On a 1775, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
chart, this island was labeled Hayman's Island and shows a greater area than presently exists. There is no historical evidence that this island was used as a location for hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
criminals. The source of its current name has a hazy history. In 1882, several fishermen built fishing shacks on Hangman Island and were reported to have cultivated a vegetable garden here among the rocks. As of 2006, there are no human inhabitants on Hangmans Island. It is being used as a bird sanctuary and landing on this island is discouraged. Local private fishermen fish for striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
among the rocks located on and near this island during the summer season.