Boston Harbor Islands

Boston Harbor Islands. . , On a Drowned Drumlin Field They Built Lighthouses, Forts, and Harbor Homes… , Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, as he embarked on the creation of Boston's Emerald Necklace in 1886, commented. We have … a city of some repute for its poets, its architecture, sculpture, music, gardening, its galleries, and its schools of art. Liberal, provident, thrifty, clean, it sits at the head of a harbor giving directly to the sea. The harbor has made the city. Various islands and headlands make the harbor., Each island has its own natural environment, evokes a distinct mood, and tells its story of the past. Yet each shares the unusual quality of being both a place apart and a facet of the city's maritime character. Together these 34 islands and peninsulas encompass a broad swath of the region's cultural and natural history., American Indians have sought out the islands for food, ritual, and recreation for thousands of years. Since the 1600s European newcomers have used them for everything from fishing settlements to harbor defense sites. Today, after a determined partnership effort to restore the health of the harbor and reclaim the islands from exploitation, they abound with things to do, ways to learn, and places to explore., We Come Now for Renewal , Twelve diverse islands are ready for exploring, and 22 more form an island wilderness. These Boston Harbor Islands offer historical landscapes where structures from the 1800s can pull you back to an earlier time. They offer refuge where you can turn from the clock and immerse yourself in natural settings ranging from the dramatic to the intimate, each special, each, Minutes away. Worlds apart.