Snake Island

Snake Island Lagoon

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Boston Harbor

MANAGED BY:

Town of Winthrop

Snake Island sits a little bit over five miles away from Boston. Named for its serpentine shape, the island has remained relatively untouched by humans.  

In the 1700s, John Terry owned the island and used it for grazing livestock. In the 1900s, a grounded steamer served as residence for the Treworgy brothers, lobstermen from Winthrop. Clammers and lobstermen squatted in cabins on the island. Squatters included James Adams, Horton D. Fullerton, Bill Carey, John Green, and Judson G. Fullerton, and Hunt. Eventually the Winthrop Board of Health forced the squatters off the island.   

Today, the island is owned and managed by the town of Winthrop. The island is used as a recreation destination, and supports a large population of nesting birds.¹  

Learn More...

Island Facts: Snake Island - Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

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Footnotes

1. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 2: Existing Conditions (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 238-242; Boston Harbor Islands: A National Park Area: General Management Plan (Boston: Boston Support Office of the Northeast Region National Park Service for the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership, 2002), 91.