Shhh. Listen closely. Can you hear the cries of the gulls? We stand before Green Island a small rocky outcrop in Boston Harbor.
Green Island a mere 1.8 acres of rock and sparse vegetation has a history far richer than its size suggests. For thousands of years Indigenous peoples visited seasonally. Then in the 1600s Elder William Brewster claimed it. Later the town of Hull acquired it. By the 1680s it bore its current name after Joseph Green a prominent merchant who owned it.
Imagine Samuel Choate. He lived a solitary life on Green Island from 1845 until his death in 1865. His home a crude hut built of driftwood. He subsisted on fish and mussels. A harsh existence. The unforgiving winter of 1865 forced his removal to the State Almshouse in Bridgewater where he died at age 70.
Green Island is more than just a rocky isle. It’s a haven for wildlife. Herring gulls black-backed gulls cormorants barn swallows red-winged blackbirds and even rats call it home. Striped bass fishermen frequent its waters during summer. But access is difficult especially during nesting season.
Today Green Island is part of the Boston Harbor Islands State Park. Its story a testament to resilience and the enduring power of nature. A quiet yet captivating chapter in Boston’s rich history. A lonely island with a surprisingly vibrant past. A place where the echoes of the past mingle with the cries of the present.