Last updated: March 14, 2024
Place
"Sea Glass" Sign
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 the perimeter accessible trail on the South 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, “Sea Glass” in red text aligned to the left just underneath the black banner. The background image is of an adult with a toddler on her lap sitting on the beach. They both look down at pebbly sand. The woman is wearing a yellow shirt and black pants and has sunglasses on her head. Her hair is tied up. The young child is wearing a rainbow headband, blue pants, and a blue shirt with a bear on it. The text is in a column on the left of the panel in three paragraphs. Underneath the text is an image of multicolored sea glass with a caption to the right of it. At the bottom of the panel the title reads “Sea Glass” in red text.
Image Description (lower left)
An overhead photo of a pile of multicolored sea glass on top of grey beach rocks. The sea glass comes in a variety of shapes: some are oblong, some have sharp edges, some are thin, some are round, and some are triangular. They come in a diversity of colors: yellowish, light blue, dark red, maroon, orange, dark yellow, orange, green, blue, royal blue, light blue, white, and pink.
Image Caption
You can find sea glass of almost any color here. Enjoy them while on the island, but please remember to leave them for others to discover.
Image Description (background)
Photo of two people, a woman and child, sitting on a rock on the beach looking down at the ground. The woman has light brown skin, dark hair that is pulled back in a clip, and sunglasses on her head. She is wearing a gold necklace, a yellow shirt, and black jeans. Her right hand is mid motion of picking up a rock. With her left arm, she is holding onto a toddler sitting in her lap. She wears a white watch on her left wrist and her left ring finger has a wedding band. On her lap is a toddler looking at a rock she is holding in her right hand. She has short curly hair tied up in a blue ponytail hair tie and has a rainbow headband on. At the front of her hair is a bright blue clip. The toddler is wearing a blue shirt with a white bear on it, blue pants, and white shoes with pink laces and a pink “N” on it. Behind her is a blurred view of the north drumlin with its beach. To the left of the two is sparkling water that is blurred out. Only the people are in focus in this photo.
Image Credit
Photo courtesy of Tom Kates
Main Text
As you walk along Spectacle Island’s beaches, you may notice a variety of sea glass, pottery sherds, animal bones, and shells. Some fragments, including pottery sherds and horse bones, may be remnants of Spectacle’s past industries and inhabitants. These artifacts are all significant objects that contribute to our understanding of the history and use of Spectacle Island and the harbor.
Unique among these is “sea glass.” You may think sea glass comes from the sea, but it actually ends up there through human activity. Broken shards of glass discarded in the sea become cloudy and worn smooth as they are tumbled by waves and exposed to the abrasive ocean floor. Eventually, the glass washes up on Spectacle’s beaches through storms, currents, and tidal action.
We encourage you to examine the sea glass on the beaches, but please leave these important artifacts where you find them for future generations to learn from and appreciate.