Monomoy Island is an 8-mile-long (13-kilometre) spit of sand extending southwest from Chatham, Cape Cod off the Massachusetts mainland. Because of shifting sands and water levels, it is often connected to the mainland, and at other times is separated from it. It is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. It is referred to in the 1691 Massachusetts Charter as Cape Mallabar, also spelled Cape Malabar.
Despite its remoteness, Monomoy was home to its own community as early as 1710. A tavern for sailors was opened up in the location of today's Hospital Pond, known then as Wreck Cove.
During the early 19th century, a deep natural harbor at Monomoy's inner shore known as the Powder Hole attracted a sizeable fishing settlement. In its prime, Whitewash Village housed about 200 residents, a tavern inn called Monomoit House, and Public School #13, which boasted 16 students at one time. Cod and mackerel brought in to the Monomoy port were dried and packed for markets in Boston and New York City. Lobsters were also plentiful, providing both food and income for the villagers, who peddled them to mainlanders at about two cents apiece.
The village was abandoned after its harbor was washed away by a hurricane around 1860. It remained uninhabited until 1863 when it was reconstructed and reinhabited until 1876.
A storm in the spring of 1958 carved a wide, shallow channel between Morris Island and Monomoy, separating it from the mainland. The Blizzard of 1978 further divided the island into North Monomoy and South Monomoy. A storm during the winter of 2006-2007 once again reconnected South Monomoy to the mainland, although North Monomoy remains an island. The island was designated a Federal Wildlife Refuge in 1970, serving as an important stop on the migratory routes of 285 species of birds. Since gaining federal protection in 1972, gray seals have become a common sight on Monomoy and nearby Chatham's South Beach island. Part of the refuge is the Monomoy Wilderness. [1]
Monomoy has no human residents, no electricity, and no paved roads. The only extant reminder of Monomoy's habitation is the Monomoy Point Light, which guided ships from 1828 to 1923. The wooden lightkeeper's quarters, the cast iron light tower, and the brick generator house are on the point of South Monomoy.
The island was taken over by the US government just before World War II. In 1944, the island was home to the Monomoy Island Gunnery Range, mainly used by the US Army Air Forces and other services for bombing and aerial gunnery practice, with the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge established the same year. The gunnery range was abandoned by 1951, while the wildlife refuge still exists. The former gunnery and bombing range was surveyed under the United States Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) program for possible unexploded ordnance in 1995. None was found, though the survey noted that similar searches took place in 1950 and 1951, and circa 1965 the wildlife refuge manager at the time found some 5 lb (2.3 kg) practice bombs. By 1995 the former bombing target was under water due to shifting of the island. [2]
Since 2013, there has been a surge of Atlantic great white shark sightings off the coast of the islands. [3] Some of the sharks have been tagged by the crew of the F/V Ezyduzit. [4]
Harwich is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 13,440. Harwich experiences a seasonal increase to roughly 37,000. The town is a popular vacation spot, located near the Cape Cod National Seashore. Harwich's beaches are on the Nantucket Sound side of Cape Cod. Harwich has three active harbors. Saquatucket, Wychmere and Allen Harbors are all in Harwich Port. The town of Harwich includes the villages of Pleasant Lake, West Harwich, East Harwich, Harwich Port, Harwich Center, North Harwich and South Harwich.
Cape Cod is an arm-shaped peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The name Cape Cod, coined in 1602 by Bartholomew Gosnold, is the ninth oldest English place-name in the U.S.
Barnstable County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 228,996. Its county seat is Barnstable. The county consists of Cape Cod and associated islands.
Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Chatham is located at the southeast tip of Cape Cod and has historically been a fishing community. First settled by the English in 1664, the township was originally called Monomoit based on the indigenous population's term for the region. Chatham was incorporated as a town on June 11, 1712, and has become a summer resort area. The population was 6,594 at the 2020 census, and can swell to 25,000 during the summer months. There are four villages that comprise the town, those being Chatham (CDP), South Chatham, North Chatham, and West Chatham. Chatham is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, and the decommissioned Monomoy Point Light both located on Monomoy Island. A popular attraction is the Chatham Light, which is an operational lighthouse that is operated by the United States Coast Guard.
Pamlico Sound is a large estuarine lagoon in North Carolina. The largest lagoon along the North American East Coast, it extends 80 mi (130 km) long and 15 to 20 miles wide. It is part of a large, interconnected network of similar lagoons that includes Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Croatan Sound, Roanoke Sound, Pamlico Sound, Bogue Sound, Back Sound, and Core Sound known collectively as the Albemarle-Pamlico sound system. With over 3,000 sq. mi. (7,800 km2) of open water the combined estuary is second only in size to 4,479 sq mi (11,600 km2) Chesapeake Bay in the United States.
Nomans Land, is an uninhabited island 612 acres (248 ha) in size, located in the town of Chilmark, Dukes County, Massachusetts. It is situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) off the southwest corner of the island of Martha's Vineyard.
Monomoy usually refers to Monomoy Island off of the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It may also refer to:
Pleasant Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean just north of the "elbow" of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It is bounded on the east by a long peninsula and a barrier island, and harbors 7,825 acres (31.67 km2) of saltwater when the tide is in.
SS James Longstreet was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. Named after the Confederate general James Longstreet, she entered service in 1942, but was wrecked in a storm on 26 October 1943 and was subsequently used as a target hulk by the United States Navy.
The Monomoy Wilderness is a 3,244-acre (13 km2) wilderness area south of Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is located within the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and is administered by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Severe winter storms isolated Monomoy Point from the mainland in 1958 and, 20 years later, separated North Monomoy Island from South Monomoy Island. Sand dunes on the eastern shore of the islands give way to salt marsh and then to mudflats on the western shore. The ecosystem is a perfect habitat for migratory birds.
Harwich High School was a public high school located in Harwich, Massachusetts, United States. Harwich High School was the third smallest public high school on Cape Cod. Harwich High School closed in 2013-2014 due to the towns of Harwich and Chatham deciding to regionalize their school districts and build a regional high school. The new high school is Monomoy Regional High School, which opened in 2014.
Monomoy Point Light is a historic light in Chatham, Massachusetts.
Monomoy Island National Wildlife Refuge is a federal wildlife refuge located on Monomoy Island in Massachusetts.
The February 1952 nor'easter was a significant winter storm that impacted the New England region of the United States. The storm ranked as Category 1, or "notable", on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale. Its rapid intensification resulted in heavy snowfall between February 17 and 18, accumulating to 12 to 30 inches. High winds also affected central and northern New England. The nor'easter is estimated to have caused 42 fatalities. In Maine, over 1,000 travelers became stranded on roadways. Two ships cracked in two offshore New England during the storm.
Whitewash Village was a village settlement on Monomoy Island in Massachusetts, established sometime around 1710. The village may have received its name from the whitewashed painted buildings, although whether this is true is unclear. There was a belief that the settlement contained vestiges of a strong economic framework. This had lasted for many years, and had been "bestowed upon it” by God. A tavern for rowdy sailors was opened up in the location of today's Hospital Pond, known then as Wreck Cove and also reputed to have housed prostitutes for passing sailors. There are legends of hauntings by prostitutes plying their wares with varying degrees of success.
Monomoy Regional High School is a regional secondary school located in Harwich, Massachusetts, United States, and within Monomoy Regional School District. Monomoy Regional High School serves approximately 625 students in grades 8-12 from the towns of Chatham and Harwich.
SS Pendleton was a Type T2-SE-A1 tanker built in 1942 in Portland, Oregon, United States, for the War Shipping Administration. She was sold in 1948 to National Bulk Carriers, serving until February 1952 when she broke in two in a storm. The T2 tanker ships were prone to splitting in two in cold weather. The ship's sinking and crew rescue is the topic of the 2009 book The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue, by Michael J. Tougias. Tougias' book inspired the 2016 Disney-produced film The Finest Hours with Chris Pine, which focuses on the Pendleton rescue.
The channel at Pollock Rip Shoals is centered about three miles (4.8 km) east of the southerly end of Monomoy Island in Chatham, Massachusetts. The channel, which runs east–west, is about eight miles (13 km) south of the Chatham Lighthouse. Vessels passing around the Cape Cod coastline use the channel as a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to Nantucket Sound. The Pollock Rip Lightship marked the eastern approach to the channel from 1849 to 1969; it has since been replaced by a lighted buoy. The Stonehorse Lightship had previously identified the southeasterly end of the channel until October 1963, when it was removed by the U.S. Coast Guard and replaced with a small buoy. The channel extends six miles (9.7 km) through the shoals and is 30 feet (9.1 m) deep and 2,000 feet (610 m) wide. It was completed in 1925.
Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of six National Wildlife Refuges in Washington, managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It includes: