Mary Dyer

In front of the Massachusetts State House are two women statues, the first two women statues in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Anne Hutchinson (April 14, 1922) and Mary Dyer (July 9, 1959).

Anne Hutchinson statue is by the West Wing and Mary Dyer is on the East Wing.

Who was Mary Dyer?

Mary Dyer was a Quaker who kept visiting Boston to meet up with her friends in jail. Local officials had requested her not to come to Boston. But she defied the order and paid the ultimate price.

Here's a brief version of what happened to Mary Dyer:

In Colonial Massachusetts Puritans didn't have a favorable view of Quakers. Quakers would constantly interrupt Puritan's sermons with their own views.

In 1657 the General Court of Massachusetts who rules, "anybody who should lodge a Quaker should be fined for such offence at the rate of 40 shillings for every hour of such concealment...that every Quaker man after being once punished and banished should presume to return should have one of his ears cut off for the first offence, and for a second offence his other ear, and for a third offence should have his tongue bored through with a hot iron."

One night Mary Dyer, who became a Quaker while visiting England, was passing through Boston to her home in Rhode Island. She was arrested and imprisoned. She was released by the request of her husband.

A couple of years later, she returned to Boston to visit friends that were imprisoned. She was brought before the court, with her friends, and was told to get out of Massachusetts within the next 48 hours. If they were sill in the commonwealth after that time, they would be put to death.

Mary Dyer left Massachusetts to Rhode Island but returned to Boston 30 days later to visit other Quaker friends that were imprisoned. She was arrested and on October 27, 1659, was to be hanged.

Her son pleaded to the court for her release The court agreed and allowed her to return to Rhode Island.

In May 21, 1660, she returned to Boston. She was arrested and given the death penalty. The court wasn't going to accept any reprieve.

She was told by Governor John Endecott, the first Massachusetts Governor, "You will own yourself a Quaker, will you not? The sentence was passed upon you at the last General Court... now it is to be executed. Therefore prepare yourself tomorrow at 9 o'clock."

On May 22, 1660, at 9am she was taken from the Boston Gaol to the Great Elm of the Boston commons, a noose was placed around her neck, she was then asked if she would "go home and stay there."

She responded with "Nay. In obedience to the will have the Lord God I came, and in His will, I will abide faithful unto death."

Mary Dyer died minutes later. Her body was returned to her family in Rhode Island.

Why was the Statue Created?

Zeno Ellis, a banker from Vermont, put the following in her will

"I give and bequeath to the State of Massachusetts the sum of $12,000 for the construction and permanent erection on the grounds of the Capitol or State House in the City of Boston in said the State of Massachusetts as appropriate statue of my ancestor Mary Dyer who died in the year 1660."

Statue Information

The figure on the Statue is looking towards the Boston Commons where Mary Dyer was hanged. Her back is to the legislature as if to make a statement about her death. She is wearing typical Quaker clothes.

The sculpture was created by Sylvia Shaw Judson. She is perhaps best known for the 'Bird Girl' sculpture which was used on the cover of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

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William Billings

Next to the entrance gate of the Central Burying Ground in the Boston Commons is a marker for William Billings:

About William Billings

William Billings was one of the first American-born composers. He was singing master who tutored music to many wealthy families in Colonial Massachusetts.

He created songs that help inspired those that were fighting in the American Revolution.

Unfortunately he couldn't capitalize on his work because the newly formed country didn't have a well-established copyright system in place. He spent his final days as a poor sick man.

When he died his family couldn't afford a grave marker. He is buried in an unmarked grave someplace in the Central Burying Ground.

Central Burying Grounds

The Central Burying Grounds did encounter an incident in 1895. A few graves accidentally unearthed during the initial construction of the MBTA Subway system.

The unearth bodies were moved to a single gravesite. This is likely where William Billings final resting place is.

There is a marker to indicate where the bodies were relocated:

"Here were interred the remains of persons found under the Boylston Street Mall during the digging of the subway, 1895"

Misc Trivia about William Billings

• Born October 7, 1746 and died September 28, 1800
• William was blind in one eye, had a short leg and had Poland Syndrome. He enjoyed inhaling powdered tobacco.
• Married Lucy Swan on July 26, 1774. Lucy died in Boston in 1795. (I Wasn't able to find her burial site)
• They had nine children: Rachel, Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Adams, William, Lucy, Sarah, William, Peggy Dawes, Lucy
• He was a music educator that full filled the need for to improve congregational singing in the Churches in the mid-1700s.
• He was the best known and probably the most prolific composer in 18th century America.
• Billings has been called "the first important American composer"
• His friends included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
• Due to non-existent Copyright laws at the time, Mr. Billings didn't get a lot of credit for his music.
• William last job was a street sweeper in Boston.
• If there was an American Top 40s music list during the post revolution era, the song 'Chester' would have been in the top 10.
• Chester was sung in many churches during the American Revolution

You can find William Billings: Wake Evr'y Breath album on iTunes. His music is usually played around American Independent Day.

Listen to "Chester" on YouTube with Lyrics:

William Billing Most Well Known Songs

• Chester
• I am the Rose of Sharon
• Africa
• Creation
• Wake Ev'ry Breath
• Mourn, Mourn
• Chesterfield

When visiting Boston

If you plan on visiting Granary Burying Ground or King's Chapel Burying Ground, you may want to include the Central Burying Grounds as part of your tour.

October 7th, 2016 marks his 270th birthday.

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Bent 38 Central Artery Pole

On the corner of Clinton Street and John F Fitzgerald Surface Rd, near Quincy Market lies a memorial to the elevated part of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway.

The John F. Fitzgerald Expressway was a section of the highway in downtown Boston. Part of the highway was elevated from South Station to North Station, essentially splitting the North End section of Boston from the rest of the city.

Bostonians called this part of the highway many names: The Southeast Expressway, the Central Artery, Interstate 93, Route 3, the X-way, the Sexway, the Messway, Green Horror, and the Distressway.

Central Artery Trivia

• John Francis Fitzgerald (February 11, 1863 - October 2, 1950) was a mayor of Boston from 1906 to 1908 and again 1910 to 1914.
• His daughter Rose married Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., the son of his political rival P. J. Kennedy.
• The name the Central Artery to John F. Fitzgerald Expressway was proposed by Robert F. Murphy of Malden on January 16, 1951
• In 1959, Rep. Gerald F. Doherty filed a bill to name the highway James M. Curley Highway.
• Constructions of the Fitzgerald Expressway began in 1952.
• On opening day (June 25, 1959) of the completed North-South highway, 114,184 vichicles used the new road.
• The inital Central Artery was estimated to cost $68,758,000 over 25 years.
• The completed highway cost $450,000,000 paid by state highway bond funds.
• By the 1990's the accident rate on the elevated highway part was four times the national average.

Memorial Inscription

Bent 38

The elevated John F. Fitzgerald Expressway was one of the Commonwealth's most ambitious and controversial urban redevelopment projects, Built by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works between 1951 and 1959 its downtown Boston route stretched from Dewey Square to North Station and allowed the growing crowds of suburban commuters to bypass the city's narrow streets. Twenty thousand citizens we displaced and hundred of buildings were demolished to build the six-lane skyway. Nevertheless, planners hoped that i.e. would alleviate congestion and simplify interurban travel.

Over the next 31 years the Expressway's daily capacity grew from approximately 75,000 vehicles in 1959 to nearly 200,000 vehicles in 1990. Pollution and traffic jams became a regular part of the city skyline, while the Waterfront and North End languished in the shadow grease and grime of the Boston's "other Green Monster." Between 1990 and 2007, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project redirected I-93 into a modern network of downtown tunnels. It also demolished the dilapidated Fitzgerald Expressway restored the city's surface roads and created the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

This structural column knowns as "Bent 38" still rests on its original foundations and is the only piece of the elevated highway that was left undisturbed by construction. It remains as a memorial to the Expressway and to the impact that the health of our transportation system have upon the life of our community. It also symbolizes the labor of scores of men and women who work to improve our city every day.

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Eugène Létang Bronze Tablet

On the third floor in the McKim Building of the Boston Public library is a bronze tablet memorial for Eugène Létang. You can find this tablet just before you enter the Arts section.

The tablet reads: "1892 Born at the Boulleret France In the Province of Berri. He came to Boston in 1871 For Twenty Two Years He Taught Architectural Design At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology In Grateful Memory of this Loyal and Fruitful Service The tablet is erected By his Pupils and Friends"

The Letang memorial is a bronze tablet in a white marble frame. The upper part of the marble frame consists of a carved molding in Greek design.

The tablet was placed on December 31st, 1896, about four years after his death.

Here are some things I have learned about Eugène Létang and the tablet

• Graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris
• Served in the Franco-Prussian War.
• In the spring of 1872, he was recruited to MIT and be part of the newly formed Architecture school by William Robert Ware to teach design.
• He was a very strict Professor. He was known to focused on architecture quality and simplicity.
• He would call his students "his boys"
• Was one of the judges for the first American Architect Small House design challenge in 1882.
• The memorial tablet was designed by William Everett Chamberlain, who studied under Professor Létang. Mr. Chamberlain later went on to be a successful designer. Among his work was the Mount Auburn Hospital. MIT has an annual award named after him. The award is given to an architecture senior for academic excellence.
• Professor Létang is credited for making the Institute of Technology school of Architecture be so well known and respected.
• He was involved with the architecture design of the Boston Public Library and Century Club in New York.
• Eugene Letang died on November 29, 1892. He was buried at Forest Hills Cemetery in the family tomb.

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Apple Store (Boston)

On May 15, 2008, Apple open its first store in Downtown Boston at 815 Boylston St. Apple knew that the business opportunity in Boston would be huge (Educational market) and they wanted to have a store to meet that demand.

In 2000, Apple sought out the 815 Boylston Street location, but had to wait until the lease ran out for all the tenants. They had the opportunity to build a two-floor store in 2005 but wanted to wait a year until the last tenant left so they could have the whole building and have more flexibility.

In 2007, Apple demolished the building and put in a modern three story building with a green roof and the front made largely of glass.

Previous Tenant

Copy Cop was a printing shop located at the street level at 815 Boylston St. The building was built in 1906 and had been under numerous renovations. According to Apple development team, there was no significant architectural value to keep the previous structure.

The two buildings around 815 Boylston St. had both seen demolitions in recent years. Fidelity Investments occupy one of the building and Sir Speedy occupies the other recently demolished buildings. (Oddly enough Sir Speedy was a competitor to Copy Cop before they moved out of the Apple location.)

What makes the Boston store special

The Boston Apple store is 21,350-square-foot which makes it the largest Apple store in the United States. The average Apple Store is 8,400-square-feet.

Other notable larger Apple Stores:

• Apple Palo Alto store is 15,030-square-feet.
• Shanghai Pudong Store is 16,000-square-feet.
• New York’s Grand Central Terminal store in New York City is 20,000-square-feet.
• London’s Covent Garden store is 30,000-square-feet.

Other Notable Retailers average store sizes:

• CompUSA was 107,000-square-feet.
• Best Buy stores are roughly 28,032-square-feet
• Microsoft is 7,500-square-feet.

The Boston Store has a central spiral glass staircase. The Faraone Imperiale glass spiral staircase cost about $25,000.

The floor throughout the store has grey-blue Pietra Serena sandstone imported from Firenzuola, Italy. These are the flooring that Steve Jobs personally wanted to have in the stores because they were authentic Italian and had high integrity. When you walk around the store, your walking on the same type of flooring that is used around Florence, Italy.

When the store the open in 2008, the layout was: the first floor was dedicated to Macs (iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, Mac Pro); the second floor was devoted to smaller devices (anything running iOS), including iPhones and iPods (iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod classic); and the third floor featured the famed Genius Bar, where customers could get technical help. Concierge staff will be available on each floor just to help consumers navigate the building. (Note: The iPad had not come out when the store opened!)

Today, the first floor usually showcase some of the recently announced products such as the Apple Watch and iPads. There are 165 store workers -the Geniuses, Specialists, and Creatives at the Boston Apple Store.

Product Launches

Whenever Apple does a major product release, you will see a long line at the Boston Apple Store. Usually, the line starts about 24 hours before the official sale date. Local media will have their trucks park on Boylston street to talk about the product launch on the nightly news. (If the line is long and if it's a slow news day.)

Note: When you see a line at the Apple Store it's usually just customers waiting to purchase the newest products. You can still go inside the store and try out the new products.

Brief History of the Relationship of Apple and Boston

Macintosh Computer Introduction

On January 30, 1984, Steve Jobs demonstrated the Macintosh to the Boston Computer Society at MIT. The demonstration was a week after the official announcement at the Apple Investment meeting. This was the first public viewing of the Macintosh. Steve Jobs wanted to showcase the computer to diehard computer fans.

MacWorld Boston

During the summer of the 1980s and through the mid-1990s there was an annual gathering of Apple enthusiasts at MacWorld Boston. Apple would use these conferences to announce new products. The most famous moment was in 1997 when Steve Jobs returned to Apple and announced that Microsoft, a big competitor at the time, decided to invest $150 million in Apple stock.

Apple and Boston had a bit of a fallout in 1997 when Apple decided to move the conference to New York for a bigger venue and be closer to New York city graphic designers - a key demographic at the time.

MacWorld came back to Boston in 2004 and 2005 but without Apple participation - resulting into a much smaller conference.

Getting to the Store

The nearest T stop is the Green line’s stop at Copley Square, it's a nice four-minute walk to the Apple Store. When you exit the Copley T station, look for the Prudential Building and walk towards it. The Apple Store is across from the Prudential Mall. The big glass front face is hard to miss.

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Boston Stone

The Boston Stone is set into the wall of a building on 9 Marshall Street. It is really two stones - a rectangular base, with the carved inscription "Boston Stone, 1737," surmounted by a stone ball.

The Boston Stone has been a local landmark since it "magically" appeared in the 1700s. In 1835, it became an official Boston Landmark.

Here's some information Boston Stone trivia that I found:

There was no record of the "Boston Stone" until around 1770.

On the 'Boston Stone' is the year 1737. In my research, no one was able to identify the meaning of the date.

I came up with two possibilities:

• Celebrate the Irish Heritage - The first formal St. Patrick's Day celebration in Boston was in 1737.
• Commemorate John Hancock - John Hancock was born January 23, 1737.

Some people think that the stone was use as the central point of mileage measurement from the city of Boston. It's only a legend, as the new State House has always is the central point of mileage to Boston.

The stone actually had a purpose it was originally a paint mill, imported from England around 1700 by Painter Thomas Child (1655-1706), who owned the property. The long stone in which a painter would ground and mixed his paint by rolling a circular stone ball back and forth.

When Thomas Child died, John Howe purchased the property and place the long stone and stone ball to the corner of the property to protect it from passing carts.

The wooden house that Thomas Child and John Howe lived in was taken down in 1835. The stone was relocated and put into the new brick building that is standing today.

The top circular stone use to have an eagle on it. (Probably placed sometime 1875 - America Centennial Celebration)

The Boston Stone was was originally stops of the Boston Freedom Trail in the 1950s.

Real Meaning of the Boston Stone

Around the turn of the century, when people would ask about the stone they were given a pamphlet with the following description:

The old wooden house now standing, has for many generations been occupied by a Painter. When the grandfather of the present owner. Mr. John Rowe purchased the house, a large stone was found in the yard. It was hollowed out on one side, used to grind paint. Being of no use in the yard, it was removed to the corner of the house to prevent carts from injuring the building. When I was a boy, in passing the building, I saw a lad named Joe Whiting, whose father occupied the shop, writing on the stone these words - "Boston Stone, Marshall Lane." After I became a man I asked Mr. Whiting who set the boy to work on the stone. He said, "Marshal Lane" at that time no being named, it was difficult to designate his place of business. A Scotchman who opened a shop for the sale of Ale and Cheese directly opposite made a complaint of the difficulty. He said, in London there was a large stone at a certain corner, marked "London Stone," which served as a direction to all places near it, and if I would let Joe write the words "Boston Stone" on this, people would notice it, and it would set them guessing what it meant, and it would become a good landmark.

Now you know. The Boston Stone is nothing more than an 18th Century marketing tool to get people to go down Marshall Street.

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Sacred Cod of Massachusetts

The Sacred Cod is a four-foot, eleven-inch carved-wood effigy of an Atlantic codfish, hanging in the public viewing gallery of the House of Representatives chamber in the Boston's Massachusetts State House. It was placed in the House of Representative chamber ceiling in 1784 to commemorate the importance of the fishing industry to the Bay State.

Sacred Cod History

There have been three versions of the Sacred Cod:

• 1700s - 1747 - Displayed in the Old State House, destroyed by fire.
• 1747 - 1774 - Stolen by the British during the Revolutionary war.
• 1784 - Today - Moved to the new State House in 1895.

Stealing the Sacred Cod

There have been two cases of people stealing the Sacred Cod:

• April 16, 1933, some Harvard Lampoon students stole it, it was returned a few days later in a dramatic fashion. A phone call to the Harvard University Police to have them follow a car with no license plate. After a brief slow speed chase, the car pulled over and two men handed over the Cod and sped away. The Cod was returned about 50 hours after it was stolen.
• November 16, 1968, some Boston UMass students stole the Sacred Cod and was returned a few days later.

President Frankin D, Roosevelt

In 1941, the Sacred Cod became a topic when President Franklin D, Roosevelt visited Boston during a time when there was a push to use aluminum as part of the World War 2 defense. President Roosevelt was invited to visit Boston to start the nation-wide aluminum drive.

According to the Boston Globe, Franklin R. Roosevelt said, "I have been informed that the Sacred Cod emblem of Massachusetts, which hangs in your august chamber, is made of aluminum, or of aluminum sections. I think it would be a generous gesture and an example to the rest of the citizenry if the members of your honorable body voted to contribute the code to the cause of the defense."

The Sacred Cod is under the Massachusetts State Art Commission control, and they did not approve of removing it from the chamber. (There's no indication that they actually took President Frankin D, Roosevelt offer seriously.)

Assorted Sacred Cod Trivia

• John Hancock was the sitting Massachusetts Governor when the original Sacred Cod was given to the House of Representatives.
• The Sacred Cod is made of mostly pine and there's barely any trace of aluminum. The Sacred Cod is Four feet, 11 1/2 inches long, 10 inches wide at its fin point.
• In 1965, the Sacred Cod was cleaned, and when it was placed back it was hung backward facing the South. For 70 years, it was facing North.
• In 1937, some representatives wanted the Cod to be replaced by a greyhound as a tribute to "the power of the dog track operators." In 2008, Massachusetts eliminated Greyhound racing via Question 3 on the November 4, 2008, ballot. The last greyhound race was on December 26, 2009, at Raynham Park.

Viewing the Sacred Cod

You can see the Sacred Cod on a tour of the Massachusetts State House. Tour of the State House is free. You are allowed to take pictures inside the State House.

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Nickys Peanut Cart at Fenway Park

One of the oldest family businesses in Boston is the family that runs the Peanut cart near Gate 'A' at Fenway Park. The Jacobs family has been serving bag fresh roasted peanuts at Fenway Park since April 20, 1912. That's 104 years of service. As far as I know, the Paget family, who own the Swan Boats at the Boston Public Gardens have a long family tradition. (The Paget family started back in 1877.)

Family Cart History

• 1912 - 1945 -- Peter Davis
• 1945 - 1988 -- George Jacobs - "The Peanut Man," sold Peanuts from the stand from 1945 until he died in 1988.
• 1988 - Current -- Nicky Jacobs - Grandson of Peter Davis

Currently the cost of a Peanut bag at Nicky's Cart cost $5. Nicky Cart is not the original cart from 1912, he built the current art in 2000 using some of the parts of the original carts. Nicky still has the original cart.

Unfortunately Nicky's Peanut cart business about to end. In 1999, the management team at Fenway Park has requested that all outside food vendors be removed from Fenway park. Nicky's Peanut stand can still run, but when he dies or retires, the license can not be transferred to another person.

Currently there are 18 vendors that fall into the legacy category with Nicky's Peanuts being the oldest continuous outside vendor at Fenway Park. Vendors pay anywhere from $360 to $900 a year for the privilege to sell their goods.

Visiting Fenway Park

The next time your at a game at Fenway Park, why not enter at Gate 'A' and just before you enter, support one of the oldest Fenway Park tradition. You'll find the cart directly across the Red Sox ticketing area on Yawkey Way.

Fenway Game Day

• You are allowed to bring food into Fenway.
• You cannot bring in alcoholic beverages, soda, cans, and other various prohibited items.
• You're allowed one (sealed) bottle of water.

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Thompson Island Cemetery

Thompson Island is the only Boston Harbor island to have a private graveyard. The graveyard is located on the southern tip of the island.

The sign at the site reads:

In 1842, 23 students who were being rewarded for good behavior with a fishing trip perished tragically in a boating accident. To honor these students the school created this cemetery. Nearly five decades later another boating mishap took the lives of seven more students they too are buried here. The cemetery also includes students or island residents who passed away from illness or accidents, as well as several pre-contact Indians whose remains were discovered on the island.

People that are burried here:

	Born	Died
Charles W Ackers	1870	August 10, 1879
James Roach	Nov. 20, 1873	September 6, 1885
Charles Lind		October 1, 1902
Unknown Wampanoag Indiana		(Skeleton remains were reburied in 1941)

23 of the 29 Individuals that died in April 29, 1842, boating accident

Specific names were not found.

Seven of the 9 Individuals that died in April 10, 1892, boating accident

• George F. Ellis (16)
• Thomas Phillips (16)
• William W. Curran (17)
• Charles R. Graves (17)
• Harvey E. Loud (16)
• Adelbert H. Packard (16)

A view of Thompson Island Cemetery with overgrown weeds.

Some interesting information about the graveyard

• The cemetery has not been taken care of and many gravestones have sadly disappeared. There are lots of overgrown weeds growing throughout the cemetery.
• The only gravestone that is visible is Charles Lind who died on October 1, 1902.
• Based on various news sources there are 33 people buried at the graveyard.
• The graveyard seems very small for that many people being buried here. I estimate that the cemetery is 9 x 20.
• When the cemetery first opens the students at the Boston Farm would hold a special service on Memorial Day.

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Thompson Island

Thompson Island is one of the largest, most accessible and ecologically diverse islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day; otherwise access is by arrangement only.

The only way to get to the island is to use the Charter Boats. Private boats are not allowed to dock on the island.

The Island is 157-acres on Boston Harbor.

History of the island

This is a good brief summary of the history of the island found on one of the trail signs on the island:

In 1626, David Thompson established a trading post to barter with the Neponset Indians. Over the next 200 years, farmers leased the island to graze sheep. In 1833, the educational mission began when a group of philanthropists purchased the island and open the Boston Farm school, a vocational school for Boston orphaned or otherwise at-risk boys.

Tragic History of the Island

There were two fatal boating accidents which resulted in the death of several students and faculty at the Boston Asylum and Farm School for Indigent Boys:

April 29, 1842 Boating incident. The student’s boat, called the Polka, capsized after a fishing trip to the outer harbor. 29 individuals died. (I wasn’t able to find any specific names.)

Sunday, April 10, 1892 - A similar type of boating accident, when a small gust of wind capsize the boat. According to stories at the time, everyone on the boat survived the capsized. They all held on to the boat waiting for a rescue. The wait was long and they kept talking to each other for encouragement. The rescue boat took too long and nine members died:

A. F. Norbert (40) Instructor, Frank F. Hitchcock (19), George F. Ellis (16), Thomas Phillips, (16), William W. Curran (17), Charles R. Graves (17), Harvey E. Loud, (16), Adelbert H. Packard (16)

In 1941, Skeleton remains were found, possibly belonging to Wampanoag Indiana which lived on the island.

Most of the victims of the two boat accidents, the Indian skeleton remains are buried at the graveyard on the south side of the Island.

Things I Learned on a recent trip

• David Thompson was only on the island for a couple of years - yet for 200 years the island has named after him!
• It takes about 30 minutes to get from EDIC to the island dock.
• In 1863, the Philanthropists paid $6,000 for the rights to the island. What cost $6,000 in 1833 would cost $148,541.13 in 2015.
• The boat travels about 10 knots, a bit slower than other motor boats in the harbor.
• The boat entry and exit is downstairs, upstairs has a great view of the Boston skyline. There was very little light on upstairs at night.
• If you go for a company event, there are two areas that you can use: Ocean Bluff Pavilion and Waterfront Landing . The Ocean Bluff Pavilion is better for bigger groups.
• Make sure to bring plenty of suntan lotion, bug spray and bottle water. There are plenty of places on the island to have a picnic.
• I had no problems accessing the Internet on the island.
• There are several large fields for kids to run around and to play various sports.
• The trails around the island gives you beautiful views of Boston Harbor.
• There are various history spots where you learn what the boys at the Boston Farm School used at that location.
• On the Northern side of the island, you can see Airplanes taking off at nearby Logan Airport and then taking a sharp left over the island.

How do you get on the Island?

You get to the island from a private boat shuttle at the EDIC Pier in South Boston. Boat service is only available on weekends from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, or via private events.

Ferry service is cash fare. Adult: $17.00 per person, round trip. Children 3-12: $10 per child, round trip / under 3 years ride free. There are no island fee charges.

Corporate Events

Thompson Island is an excellent place for a summer outing. They offer excellent catering services and there is plenty of room on the island for any social gathering.

Be sure to check out Challenge Field as it’s a really cool team building exercise. If you don't do it, at least walk by the Challenge field to see what your missing!

Each Thompson Island venue comes equipped with the following:

• Volleyball, Horseshoes, Corn Hole, Ladder Ball, Can Jam,
• Bocce balls, frisbees, footballs, soccer balls, dodge balls,
• wiffle ball and softball (must provide own glove)
• Adirondack chairs and hammocks, trail maps for self-guided nature walks

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