“Where did Apple Island go?” a curious voice asks. That is an excellent question. Welcome to what was once Apple Island. Today, all that remains of Apple Island is part of a runway at Logan Airport. Imagine, if you will, a ten-acre island crowned with waving elms, a rare grace rising gently from the water’s edge. In earlier times, Apple Island belonged to Boston. It served chiefly for pasturage. Its rich soil and sheltered location made it private property.
Let’s jump back to 1723. Thomas Hutchinson, father of Colonial Governor Hutchinson, owned Apple Island. Fast forward to 1822. An Englishman named Mr. Marsh bought Apple Island for $550. He was attracted by its beauty and its fitness as a home. Here, Mr. Marsh lived happily until his death in 1833 at age sixty-six. He was buried on the western slope of Apple Island. Many people from Boston attended his funeral. Sadly, Marsh’s home burned down two years later leaving Apple Island lonely again.
Apple Island’s story takes a darker turn in 1867. Boston bought it. The island was sold to private citizens. Many old ships met their end here. If a ship ran aground or was damaged by a gale, it was hauled onto the beach and burned. The goal was to salvage the metal used in its construction. Imagine the island wrapped in rolling smoke. The harbor glowed like a volcano. The old steamships James Adger, the Baltic and the Ontario were all burned here.
Now let’s imagine the 1940s. Apple Island was swallowed up by land reclamation. This created an extension of Boston Airport. Eighteen hundred acres of landfill in Boston Harbor were added. This landfill came from Apple, Governor’s and Noddle’s Islands. In 1943, the state renamed the airport. It became General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport. He was a Spanish American War officer from South Boston. So, the next time you’re at Logan Airport, remember Apple Island. Once a place of grace and beauty, Apple Island is now part of a bustling transportation hub. Yet, Apple Island remains a hidden layer of Boston’s captivating past.