Hingham Bay

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Hingham Bay
Hingham Bay April 2010.jpg
Aerial view looking southwest with the town of Hull in the foreground
Hingham Bay Massachusetts.svg
Southern part of Boston Harbor showing Dorchester, Quincy and Hingham Bays
Relief map of USA Massachusetts.png
Red pog.svg
Hingham Bay
Location Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates 42°17′N70°55′W / 42.28°N 70.92°W / 42.28; -70.92
Type Bay

Hingham Bay is the easternmost of the three small bays of outer Boston Harbor, [1] part of Massachusetts Bay and forming the western shoreline of the town of Hull and the northern shoreline of Hingham in the United States state of Massachusetts. [2] It lies east of Quincy Bay and is met at the southwest by the mouth of Weymouth Fore River, also forming part of the waterfront of Weymouth. [2] The bay is home to several of the Boston Harbor Islands. [1]

Contents

Description

The bay is roughly 3 miles (4.8 km) wide east to west and 4 miles (6.4 km) long south to north. [3] It is nearly enclosed on all sides, surrounded by peninsulas, former islands joined to the mainland, and Peddocks Island. There are two passages to Nantasket Roads and the Atlantic Ocean, one a 1,300-foot (400 m) opening at Hull Gut between Peddocks Island and Windmill Point in the northwest and a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) passage at West Gut between the island and Hough's Neck at Nut Island, part of the city of Quincy. Along the western portion of Hingham Bay a 300-foot (91 m) wide, 35-foot (11 m) deep channel allows oceangoing ships access from Hull Gut to Weymouth Fore River. [4] To the north and east the bay is bordered by the town of Hull, where the contiguous water reaching the Hull shore is also known as Hull Bay. [5] On the south, moving west, Hingham Bay is fed by three estuaries: Weir River between Hull and Hingham, Weymouth Back River between Hingham and Weymouth, and Weymouth Fore River between Weymouth and Quincy. [3]

Bumpkin Island (30 acres (120,000 m2)) in Hingham and Grape Island (54 acres (220,000 m2)) in Weymouth, along with the smaller Slate Island and Sheep Island, are part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Spinnaker Island in the north is attached to Hull by a low bridge. Other islands under 5 acres (20,000 m2) in size that are associated with the bay include Button, Langlee, Ragged and Sarah Islands, all in Hingham Harbor. [6] The southeast part of the bay is separated from Weir River estuary by World's End, a peninsular park owned by The Trustees of Reservations. [7]

History

Boston Harbor and its smaller sections such as Hingham Bay are characterized by geography created through Quaternary glaciations. During the last 100,000 years two glacial periods shaped the typical topography of the area through creation of drumlins and moraines followed by marine incursion flooding the low levels as the glaciers receded. [8] This geological activity accounts for the variety of necks, peninsulas and islands in the harbor. The native Massachusett and antecedent tribes populated the islands of Hingham Bay as early as 8,000 years before the present, taking advantage of a rich marine ecology which featured shellfish, fishing and wild flora. [9] [10] The natives were first encountered in 1621 during the colonization of the Atlantic seaboard by settlers from England in the 17th century. [10] Native Americans were removed from the islands and Hingham Bay area as a result of King Philip's War in 1675, while fishing continued to be a main activity of the colonists. [9] [10]

Military posts were established on Peddocks Island and Fort Revere at the strategically important Hull Gut entrance to Hingham Bay beginning in the American Revolution. [11] [12] Ships and submarines were produced at Fore River Shipyard located on Weymouth Fore River near where the river enters Hingham Bay beginning in the early 20th century. [13] [14] During World War II, hundreds of ships produced for the United States Navy at Fore River Shipyard and the associated Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard in Hingham first entered the Atlantic at Hingham Bay. [15] [16] [17]

Following the war, the list of possible locations for United Nations Headquarters included the unused land at World's End on Hingham Bay. The land was also later considered as a location for a nuclear power plant that was eventually built in Plymouth. [7] [18] The protection of Hingham Bay has been assisted by the establishment of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in 1996 [19] and the establishment of the Weir River Estuary Park Committee by the towns of Cohasset, Hingham and Hull in 2002. [20]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hingham, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Hingham is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on Boston Harbor. The town was named after Hingham, Norfolk, England, and was first settled by English colonists in 1633.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Harbor</span> Estuary and harbor of Massachusetts Bay

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">World's End (Hingham)</span> Peninsula in Hingham, Massachusetts, just south of Boston

World's End is a 251-acre (1 km²) park and conservation area located on a peninsula in Hingham, Massachusetts. The peninsula is bordered by the Weir River to the North and East and Hingham Harbor to the West. The land is composed of four drumlins harboring tree groves interspersed with fields attractive to butterflies and grassland-nesting birds, and offers 4.5 miles of walking paths with views of the Boston skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA boat</span> Ferry service in Massachusetts, US

The MBTA boat or MBTA ferry system is a public boat service providing water transportation in Boston Harbor. It is operated by Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC) under contract to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). In 2022, the system had a ridership of 797,700, or about 4,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2023. The system consists of three routes that terminate in downtown Boston. F1 service runs from Rowes Wharf to Hewitt's Cove in Hingham. F2H service runs from Long Wharf to Hewitt's Cove, with some trips stopping at Logan Airport, Pemberton Point in Hull, and/or some of the Boston Harbor Islands. F4 service runs in the inner harbor between Long Wharf and the Charlestown Navy Yard. A seasonal pilot service also operates between Long Wharf and East Boston. Two additional seasonal routes, not funded by the MBTA but included on some MBTA documents, run from Boston to Salem and Winthrop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peddocks Island</span>

Peddocks Island is one of the largest islands in Boston Harbor. Since 1996 it has formed part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the island is home to the now-defunct Fort Andrews, active in harbor defense from 1904 to the end of World War II, on its eastern end, and a group of privately owned cottages on its western end. Campsites are also on the eastern end. Ferry service between Peddocks Island and Georges Island is provided on a seasonal basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bumpkin Island</span> Tidal island in Massachusetts, United States of America

Bumpkin Island, also known as Round Island, Bomkin Island, Bumkin Island, or Ward's Island, is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor. In 1902, Albert Burrage, a Boston philanthropist, had a summer hospital opened on the island for children with physical disabilities. During World War I the island was used by the U.S. Navy. Starting around 1940, the island was used as a facility for polio patients. However, the hospital closed during World War II and burned down in 1945. Since 1996, it is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island has an area of 30 acres (120,000 m2), plus an intertidal zone of a further 31 acres (130,000 m2). It is composed of a central drumlin with an elevation of 70 feet (21 m) above sea level, surrounded by a rock-strewn shoreline. A sand spit, exposed at low tide, connects the eastern end of the island to Sunset Point in Hull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grape Island (Massachusetts)</span>

Grape Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is part of the territory of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. The island has a permanent size of 54 acres (220,000 m2), plus an intertidal zone of a further 46 acres (190,000 m2), and is composed of two drumlins, reaching an elevation of 70 feet (21 m) above sea level, and connected by a marshy lowland. Tidal sand spits extend from the west end towards Weymouth Neck in Webb Memorial State Park and from the east end towards Slate Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raccoon Island (Massachusetts)</span>

Raccoon Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, situated just offshore of Hough's Neck in the city of Quincy. The island has a permanent size of just under 4 acres (16,000 m2), and is composed of bedrock outcroppings which reach an elevation of 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level. The island is characterized by gravel beaches and rocky slopes. While it is possible to walk to the island at low tide, public access is discouraged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinnaker Island (Massachusetts)</span>

Spinnaker Island is an island in the Hingham Bay area of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts, USA. The island is part of the town of Hull, to which it is connected by a bridge, and is one of the few harbor islands that neither forms part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area nor is considered within the municipal limits of the city of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webb Memorial State Park</span>

Webb Memorial State Park is a public recreation area located on a peninsula that extends nearly half a mile into the Hingham Bay area of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. It is composed of three connected drumlins and a low marsh area. The state park forms the only mainland portion of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy Point</span> Neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts

Quincy Point is a neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts. "The Point" is generally defined as the land east of Quincy Center, the downtown district. Quincy Point is bordered on the west by Elm Street, on the east by Weymouth Fore River and the Braintree city line, on the north by Town River and on the south by Quincy Avenue. The area altitude averages about 30 feet (9.1 m) above sea level. The population of this neighborhood in 2000 was 11,414.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fore River (Massachusetts)</span>

Weymouth Fore River is a small bay or estuary in eastern Massachusetts and is part of the Massachusetts Bay watershed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hull Gut</span>

Hull Gut is a gut about half a mile wide and thirty-five feet deep, in Boston Harbor running between Pemberton Point in Hull and the East Head of Peddocks Island. Along with its sister channel, West Gut, which runs between the West Head of Peddocks Island and Hough's Neck in Quincy, Hull Gut forms the southern entrance to the Inner Harbor connecting it to Hingham Bay. To the north the gut intersects with the deep-water shipping lane Nantasket Roads. Strong cross-currents and often heavy traffic make the gut a dangerous waterway. The channel is used by oil tankers and other freighters bound for industries around the Weymouth Fore River in Braintree, Weymouth, and Quincy and, historically, was used by the shipbuilding industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weir River (Massachusetts)</span> River in the United States

Weir River is a short stream and estuary that empties into Hingham Bay, part of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts, United States. The name is attributed to the location of a fishing weir in the stream. The river gives its name to a larger watershed and Weir River Farm, a park and nature reserve owned by The Trustees of Reservations.

References

  1. 1 2 "Oceans: Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor". National Park Service. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 "GNIS Detail – Hingham Bay". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Chart 13270: Boston Harbor". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Weymouth Fore River and Town River (after 1965)". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Archived from the original on 28 April 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  5. ↑ Bacon, Edwin M. (1886). Bacon's Dictionary of Boston. Cambridge, Massachusetts. p. 443.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ↑ "Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area – Island Facts". National Park Service. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  7. 1 2 "World's End". The Trustees of Reservations. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  8. ↑ Machek, James Edward. "Common ground: a Coast Guard station in Boston Harbor" (PDF). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Native Americans and the Boston Harbor Islands". National Park Service. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 Weir River Area of Critical Environmental Concern (PDF). UMass Boston – Urban Harbors Institute. 2002.
  11. ↑ "Peddocks Island". National Park Service. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  12. ↑ Donald Cann; John Galluzzo (2006). Boston Harbor. Arcadia Publishing. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-7385-4481-6 . Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  13. ↑ Rines, Lawrence S.; Sarcone, Anthony F. "A History of Shipbuilding at Fore River". Thomas Crane Public Library. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
  14. ↑ Annual Report of the Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1901.
  15. ↑ "Remembering the Hingham Shipyard". thehinghamshipyard.net. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  16. ↑ "Hingham Shipyard". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  17. ↑ Slate, Ron. "On Bethlehem Steel: Builder and Arsenal of America, a history by Kenneth Warren". ronslate.com. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  18. ↑ Van Hamm, Judith. "Weir River Estuary: Protecting land along the estuary". The Hingham Journal. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  19. ↑ "United States Code: Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area". National Park Service. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  20. ↑ "Weir River Estuary Park Committee". Town of Hingham. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
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