“A Special Place to Live” Sign

"A Special Place to Live" Spectacle Island Waysides

NPS Photo/M Mark

Quick Facts

Location:

Spectacle Island

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Description

Low-profile wayside that is 36 x 24 inches, with interpretation panel spanning 36.5 inches wide. It has a grey square base with two rectangular pillars supporting the panel. The panel is framed in grey metal. The sign is located on interpretive trail on the North Drumlin. 

Layout

At the top of the sign is a black banner with white text. Aligned to the left is text that reads “Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.” Aligned to the right is text that reads “Owned by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.” The section of text is titled, “Island Life” in yellow text aligned to the left just underneath the black banner. There is a small wooden structure to the left of the house. The panel background is made up of a black and white photo of a two-story house on a barren landscape. The background of the image is colorized to a light blue. There are two columns of text, underneath the title, the one on the left is made up of two small paragraphs, the column on the right is made up of a quote from an island resident. Below the quote is two rows of images, two on the top row, and three on the bottom row. At the bottom of the panel the title reads “A Special Place to Live” in yellow text. 

Image Description (top left)

A black and white photo looking down on a boat as it heads towards Spectacle Island. A girl with short hair, wearing a white shirt, short-sleeve sweater, and shorts stands on the top of the boat. Along the island, to the left, is a barge resting on the beach. Behind the barge is a short, long building. In the distance beyond the short building are three trees and various structures, including industrial buildings and smokestacks.  

Image Description (top right)

Red tinted photo of a small building in between two trees. The small building is an A-frame house with a small chimney coming out of the middle. Power lines cross in front of the tree on the right. Off in the distance is a small, sloped hill. Behind the hill the sky is mottled grey as if cloudy. 

Image Description (bottom left)

Black and white historical photo of a dog and a woman sitting on a bench with a high back. The dog is medium-sized with light-coloring and floppy ears and is looking just off into the distance past the camera. The woman is wearing a cap and dress with a cardigan over it. Behind the highbacked bench is a leafy bush and the corner of a building to the right. There is a small sliver of sky above the back of the bench.  

Image Description (bottom middle)

Black and white historical photograph of a man leaning against a wooden frame smoking a cigarette. He wears a brimmed hat, a leather jacket zipped up over a buttoned shirt, creased pants, and nice shoes. A spaniel with dark floppy ears, black and whiteface, and a white body is on its hind legs with both of its front paws on the man’s left leg. The dog has a long stick in its mouth. Another dog is on its hind legs and perched on the man’s right leg. This dog is taller than the other and has a dark face and tall pointed ears. A woman in a long coat and heels can be seen standing behind and to the right of the man. Behind the man and the dogs is a scrubby landscape and a grey sky.  

Image Description (bottom right)

Black and white photo of a young woman with short hair standing in front of a tree. She is wearing a light-colored sweater and dark pants. Behind her is a scrubby landscape over a small rolling hill. Barren tree branches extend towards the sky. Under her arm she holds an unidentifiable object. 

Image Credit (all)

All photos courtesy of Billie Wyatt Hargreaves 

Image Description (background)

Black and white photo with a colorized blue background. On the left of the image is a small two-story house with an A-frame and two dormer windows poking out on the right side. Two chimneys jut from the roof. A small porch is tucked in around the left corner of the house. Just in front of that porch is a small wooden structure. To the right and back of the house is a small shed with a window and a door. The ground in front of the house and that extends across the frame is dirt and has pieces of wood littered across it. 

Image Caption (background)

Range light keeper’s house, 1897 

Image Credit (background)

Photo courtesy of National Archives 

Main Text

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, a thriving, close-knit community resided here. Families associated with the range lights and Ward’s rendering factory lived in this area. While families associated with the landfill operation lived across the low spit of land on the south drumlin. 

Buildings included several houses, a boarding house, and a small red schoolhouse for children of island families. Once students reached fifth grade, they commuted daily by boat to school in South Boston. 

“The island itself was used for the purpose of disposing of the city’s rubbish. Not a very pretty picture, I admit, but nevertheless, it was home sweet home to us, and we were very happy there and lacked nothing.” 

-Billie Hargreaves, Island Resident 1922 to 1941