Naushon Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Elizabeth Islands |
|---|
 |
| Islands listed in order from east to west |
| Nonamesset Uncatena Naushon Pasque Nashawena Penikese Cuttyhunk |
Naushon Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands, is seven miles (11 km) long, just off (SW of) Cape Cod, and four statute miles (6 km) NW of Martha's Vineyard. The island is owned by the Forbes family and is included in the town of Gosnold, Massachusetts. It is the largest of the Elizabeth Islands in land area at 19.18 km² (7.4 sq mi) and had a permanent population of 30 persons as of the 2000 census.
It has been a Forbes family retreat for more than a century, ever since its purchase by the trader John Murray Forbes who made much of his fortune smuggling opium into China during the Opium Wars. It was purchased by Forbes in 1843, soon after which he became the sole owner. Naushon, Pasque Island, and Nashawena Island all were left in separate trusts to his heirs, Naushon's being Naushon Island Trust, Inc., and all three remain in the family today. About 20 houses are on the island, most of which on the northern end.
Naushon and the smaller islands that surround it are private property and closed to the public, with the exception of three beaches; (Kettle Cove, West Beach and Tarpaulin Cove). Hadley Harbor, on the east end of the island, is well protected with moorings. There are no paved roads but many miles of trails through the mostly beech woods. A lighthouse sits above Tarpaulin Cove. Sen. John Forbes Kerry and his first cousin Brice Lalonde summered there, and at another Forbes family estate in France, at Saint-Briac when he was growing up. The Senator did not visit the island during his 2004 presidential candidacy to keep media from intruding on the island's privacy.
