Nixes Mate

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Pyramid beacon on Nixes Mate at 1 hour after high tide

Nixes Mate, also known as Nixes Island, Nix's Mate and Nick's Mate, is one of the smaller islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is situated some 6 miles (9.7 km) offshore of downtown Boston, has a permanent size of 200 square feet, and rises to a height of 10 feet (3.0 m) above sea level. A prominent black and white wooden pyramid beacon, resting atop a granite base, increases the island's height to 20 feet (6.1 m). The base was erected by the Boston Marine Society in 1805. Currently managed by the United States Coast Guard, the island is not open to the public.^[1]

In 1636, Nix's Mate was granted to John Gallop, a harbor pilot who lived on nearby Gallops Island and used the then 12 acre island for grazing his sheep. Ship's ballast was quarried from the island during the 17th century, followed by slate in the 18th century, resulting in today's much smaller island. In 1726, upon the arrest of pirate chief William Fly, officials brought him to Boston where he was executed. His body was then gibbetted on Nixes Mate to serve as a warning to sailors not to turn to piracy. Before Fly's execution, he famously scolded the hangman for incorrectly securing his noose, then re-tied it himself. His body, as well as those of two other pirates, is buried on the island.^[1]