Here sits Gallops Island a place with a story etched in every grain of sand. Gallops Island is one of the most fascinating islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. It’s a place where history whispers on the wind.
Gallops Island is located just over six miles from downtown Boston. The island’s size is about 23 acres with an additional 28 acres of intertidal zone. Gallops Island rises to 79 feet above sea level offering long vistas from its grassy bluffs.
Gallops Island got its name from John Gallop. He was one of Boston Harbor’s first pilots and lived on this very island. Over the years Gallops Island has been a restaurant, an inn and even a quarantine station.
During the Civil War Gallops Island became a military camp. It housed 3000 Union soldiers preparing for battle. In World War II the island transformed again. This time it was a radio school and a training ground for bakers and cooks. Imagine learning Morse code here.
During World War I Gallops Island served as an infirmary. Thousands of American soldiers suffering from Spanish influenza and pneumonia were treated here. Sadly many soldiers died on Gallops Island.
The island is home to a unique collection of plants. Ornamental trees shrubs and herbaceous plants thrive here. The Civilian Conservation Corps planted additional trees in the 1930s. Once a tree-lined street stretched the length of Gallops Island. Pathways and foundations still exist lined with privet hedges. You can still see lilacs mock-orange snowberry and forsythia. Sumac poplar poison ivy and bayberry also grow wild. Sadly rabbits have damaged much of the vegetation in recent years.
Indigenous peoples accessed Gallops Island seasonally for thousands of years before colonization. In 1635 Captain John Gallops took ownership of Gallops Island. He became the island’s namesake. Peter and Margaret Newcomb purchased the island to use as farmland in 1819. Following Peter’s death Margaret Newcomb opened a successful resort and inn on Gallops Island. She called it Newcomb’s Island.
In the 1860s Boston deeded Gallops Island to the federal government. Many local regiments mustered in on Gallops Island. The 54th and 55th Massachusetts regiments two of the first all-Black regiments in the United States stayed on Gallops Island.
After the Civil War the federal government returned Gallops Island to the City of Boston. The city established a quarantine facility allowing the Deer Island facility to close. By 1886 hospital staff saw more than 33000 people a year.
In 1916 the Federal Government paid the City of Boston 150000 dollars to allow the United States Public Health Service to assume control of the quarantine hospital. The hospital remained in use until 1937. Dr Alvin Sweeney planted ornamental shrubs and fruit trees throughout Gallops Island.
After the closure of the hospital the US Coast Guard established a maritime radio school and a cooking and baking school. In 1970 the Commonwealth purchased Gallops Island and established Boston Harbor Islands State Park.
Gallops Island closed in 2000 due to asbestos contamination. The island remains closed until remediation is complete. It is expected to reopen when it is safe for visitors.
Gallops Island stands as a testament to time. It has served many roles from a home to soldiers to a haven for the sick. Though currently closed Gallops Island waits patiently. It is a place where the past is always present. The island offers excellent views of downtown Boston and surrounding islands. Gallops Island is a reminder of Boston’s rich history.