List of islands of Massachusetts explained

The islands of Massachusetts range from barren, almost completely submerged rocks in Massachusetts Bay (e.g. Abbott Rock, first on the list below) to the large, famous and heavily visited Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The recent history of Massachusetts' islands includes creation by flooding, connection to the mainland and subsumption into new land. Several islands existed as hills in western Worcester County and eastern Hampshire County until the 1930s, when the Swift River was dammed amid controversy to create the Quabbin Reservoir to meet demand for water in the Boston metropolitan area. Castle Island, Deer Island and Nut Island, all in Boston Harbor, have been attached to the mainland and remain islands in name only. Castle and Nut Islands now form the ends of peninsulas due to land reclamation, while Deer Island was attached to Winthrop Peninsula by the New England Hurricane of 1938. Governors Island and Apple Island now constitute the land underneath the runways and tarmacs of Logan International Airport and are included in this list despite their disappearance. Many of the Boston Harbor islands that are located under Logan's flight paths are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

Although most of the islands are in or near the Atlantic Ocean, several islands in western Massachusetts are found in the Connecticut River and a few others are surrounded by natural or man made lakes, ponds and wetlands.

Name	Municipality	Populated?	Terrain	Notes
Abbot Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Abiels Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
Alden Island		inhabited?	residence	minor island / wetland
Aldridge Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Alleghany Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Allen Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Allen Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock / wetland
	Bourne	inhabited	residential area
		uninhabited	barren	minor island, privately owned
Anuxanon Island		uninhabited	heavily forested
		uninhabited	commercial use	part of the Logan Int'l Airport complex
Archer Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	forested	wetland
Babson Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Badgers Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bagwell Island		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
Bailey Flat		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		inhabited	residential area	isolated community
Bar Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bar Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
Barrel Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Barstow Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bartlett Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bartlett Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited	residential area	wetland
	Gill	uninhabited	forested	minor island
Bass Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bass Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bass Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Bass Rock^[1]		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited	residential area	isolated community
		uninhabited	forested	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited?	residence?	isolated (residence?)
		uninhabited	heavily forested	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	heavily forested
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	forested?
Big Quamino Rock		uninhabited	barren	mid-size rock
		uninhabited	barren	wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	abandoned settlement
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / has tower structure
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / has beacon structure
Black Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Black Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Black Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
	Winchendon	inhabited	residential area
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
	(Boston Harbor)	inhabited		U.S. Coast Guard station / compilation of islands
		uninhabited	state forest	J Harry Rich State Forest
		inhabited?	residence?	wetland
		uninhabited	barren	large rock
Brant Island		inhabited	residential area
Brant Rock	Marshfield	uninhabited	barren	large rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rocks
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		abandoned	private conservation land (Trustees of Reservations)
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited?	residence?
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
		inhabited?	state park	ruins / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
	Gloucester?	uninhabited	barren	minor rocks
		uninhabited	forested	minor island / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	state park	ruins / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	state park	ruins / compilation of islands / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	heavily forested
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited	thickly settled towns and villages, heavily forested, wetlands	forested, minor and major rock
		uninhabited	wetland	State Wildlife Management Area
		uninhabited	forested
		uninhabited	barren	mid-size rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	heavily forested	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	heavily forested
		uninhabited	barren
Channel Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Channel Rock	(Nantucket Sound)	uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren
		inhabited	residential area	large island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited	Summer Camp, property of YMCA
		uninhabited	heavily forested	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	mid-size rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	state forest	Tolland State Forest
		inhabited	residential area
			barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	heavily forested	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited	residence	isolated residence
	Falmouth	uninhabited	barren	minor rock
Commissioners Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		abandoned	light growth, small salt marsh	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	light growth	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	mid-size rock
Cormorant Rock		uninhabited	barren	has beacon / minor island
		uninhabited	forested	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren
Cove Ledge		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	heavily forested	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
Cross Island		inhabited	residential area	wetland / privately owned
		inhabited	residence	minor island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		abandoned	small pine forest	Trustees of Reservations property
		uninhabited		minor island
		inhabited	residential area	large island
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren
		uninhabited	forested	minor island / wetland
Decatur Rock		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		inhabited?	commercial use?	minor island
	Boston Harbor	uninhabited		Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
	Falmouth	uninhabited	barren	minor island
		uninhabited	forested	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	state park	minor rock / Dighton Rock State Park / Massachusetts' (official) state explorer rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	nat. wildlife refuge	minor island / wetland / Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	minor rock
		uninhabited	barren	compilation of islands
		uninhabited	barren	minor island / wetland
	Auburndale	uninhabited	forested	minor island / wetland
	Salem	uninhabited	light growth	minor island
		uninhabited	very light growth	major rock
Elizabeth Island	Arlington	uninhabited	forested	minor island
	Waltham	uninhabited	forested	minor island
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	light growth	minor island
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited		Great Island Trail ^[2]
		uninhabited/abandoned	nature preserve (Trustees of Reservations)	minor island
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited?	research natural area (The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts)	minor island
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Hog Island		uninhabited?	spruce forest, wetlands
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	large rock
		inhabited year round	residential/commercial	Well-developed summer attraction
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	training facilities	Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	forested	in Quabbin Reservoir; access not permitted^[3]
		uninhabited	dunes, marsh	2 buildings; inaccessible by most boats
		inhabited year round	residential, commercial	Well-developed tourist attraction
		inhabited year round		Privately owned
		inhabited year round		Privately owned
	Boston Harbor	uninhabited	granite rock	navigation aid / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
	Boston Harbor	inhabited	ruins	Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		inhabited	residential, commercial and wildlife sanctuary	Plum Island State Park at southern tip
	Boston Harbor	uninhabited	gravel/rock
	Hingham	uninhabited	plants/trees	Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	wetlands and trees	State Wildlife Management Area
		uninhabited	scrub pine, oak, sand, marsh	Mass. Audubon wildlife sanctuary^[4]
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
	Plymouth (in Billington Sea)	uninhabited?	forested	minor island
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Sheep Island^[5]				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		inhabited		Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod, private
Slate Island^[6]				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
				Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		inhabited	barren	major rock / privately owned / aid to navigation / Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		uninhabited	barren	Rock outcrop in the Dorchester Bay is the middle shaft of the old sewer tunnel under Dorchester Bay between Moon Island and Columbia Point^[7]
		uninhabited, used by Outward Bound	forested, marshland	Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
		inhabited	sparse growth
		yes, summer	scrub oak/heath	~35 houses, no roads or electricity

See also

• Islands of the Northeast United States

Notes and References

1. Bass Rock is federally recognized and is designated as an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, referenced in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which is developed by the USGS in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), according to the USGS website. Bass Rocks designated number on the GNIS is either
   1. 617550
   ,
   1. 613293
   , or
   1. 614043
   .
2. https://www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/greatislandtrail.htm Great Island Trail
3. Web site: Quabbin Reservoir Watershed System. https://web.archive.org/web/20121005234654/http://www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/watershed/maps/quabsystem.pdf. 2012-10-05. 2020-05-20.
4. Web site: Sampsons Island Wildlife Sanctuary.
5. http://www.nps.gov/boha/historyculture/facts-shee.htm Island Facts: Sheep Island - Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
6. http://www.nps.gov/boha/historyculture/facts-slat.htm Island Facts: Slate Island - Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
7. Web site: Moon Island and the Old Boston Drainage System. Boston Harbor Beacon. 3 March 2018.