Sheep Island (Massachusetts)

Island in Hingham Bay, Boston Harbor, Massachusetts

Sheep Island is a small uninhabited island of about 3.2 acres (1.3 ha) (or less) in Hingham Bay, an outer arm of Boston Harbor. It is within the bounds of the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts, is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, and is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.

Sheep Island is an eroded glacial drumlin, long and narrow, the highest elevation being 10 feet (3.0 m). A patch of vegetation grows on the west end, sumac and grasses, and the shoreline is gravel beach. The island was formerly a good deal larger, about 25 acres (10 ha) in early colonial times, and since then has been steadily eroding to its present size.

The island (then called Round Island) was deeded to the town of Weymouth in 1636. In colonial times it was used by the town for grazing sheep. William Chamberlain is the first known owner. In the 19th century people would sometimes camp there, and in the 20th century there was a house and a hunting lodge, belonging to a Mr. Bicknell. No structures remain now.

Sheep Island serves as a nesting ground for local birds. People birdwatch there, but the authorities discourage visits during nesting season (all visits are by private boat, as the island is not served by the park's ferry service). There are unimproved trails but no other amenities.

Sheep Island has also appeared in maps and publications as Shean Island (1759), Sun Island (1775), Sheaf Island (1865), and Ship Island.

References

^ "Sheep Island". National Park Service. Retrieved June 6, 2024. and "Place: Sheep Island". National Park Service. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
^ "Sheep Island". Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
"Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area -- SHEEP ISLAND". National Park Planner. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
Snow, Edward Rowe (1941). Sailing Down Boston Bay. Yankee Publishing Company. p. 46.
"CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT BOSTON HARBOR ISLANDS NATIONAL & STATE PARK" (PDF). Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, National Park Service. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
"BHI – Sheep Island: Bird List". eBird. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
Snow, Edward Rowe (1936). The Islands of Boston Harbor. New York: Dodd, Meade & Company. p. 192. ISBN 0-396-06436-1. Retrieved June 6, 2024.

42°16′48.3″N 70°55′33.1″W / 42.280083°N 70.925861°W / 42.280083; -70.925861

v t e Islands and peninsulas of Massachusetts
Islands	Abnecotants Island Adams Island Amrita Island Angelica Rock Apple Island Averills Island Bachelor Island Bakers Island Bar Rock (Scituate) Baret Island Barton Island Bassetts Island Bates Island Beaver Island Big Pine Island Big Quamino Rock Billingsgate Island Bird Island Black Rock Blueberry Island Boston Ledge Brant Island Brant Rock Bumpkin Island Busta Rhymes Island Button Island Calf Island Carrick Island Castle Rock Cemetery Island Chappaquiddick Island Children's Island Childs Island Choate Island Chubb Island Clark Island Clark's Island Cleveland Island Cobble Island Coney Island Conspiracy Island Cormorant Rock (Marblehead) Corn Island Cove Ledge Crow Island Crowninshield Island Cuttyhunk Island Decatur Rock Deer Island (Amesbury) Dole Island Egg Rock (Concord) Egg Rock (Nahant) Elizabeth Islands Fish Island Gallops Island Georges Island Gooseberry Island Governors Island Grand Island Grape Island (Weymouth) Grape Island (Ipswich) Great Brewster Island Green Island Gull Island Hales Island Hangman Island Holy Island House Island Langlee Island Little Brewster Island Long Island Lovells Island Marblehead Rock Martha's Vineyard Middle Brewster Island Misery Islands Monomoy Island Moon Island Muskeget Island Nahant Nantucket Nashawena Island Naushon Island Nixes Mate Noddle's Island Nomans Land Nonamesset Island Nut Island Onset Island Outer Brewster Island Pasque Island Peddocks Island Penikese Island Plum Island Popponesset Island Popponesset Spit Raccoon Island Ragged Island Rainsford Island Sampsons Island Sarah Island Shag Rocks Slate Island Snake Island Spectacle Island Spinnaker Island Stall Hill Island Tewksbury Rock Thacher Island The Graves Thompson Island Three and One-half Fathom Ledge Tinker's Island Tuckernuck Island Uncatena Island Veckatimest Island Washburn Island Weepecket Islands West Island Wickets Island Winter Island
Peninsulas	Cape Ann Cape Cod Castle Island Charles River Peninsula Charlestown Neck Columbia Point Deer Island Houghs Neck Humarock Pemberton Point Popponesset Peninsula Ram Head Rocky Point Rose Point Salem Neck Shawmut Peninsula Wings Neck World's End

Islands and peninsulas of Massachusetts

Islands

Peninsulas

v t e Islands in Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Boston	Apple Calf Castle Deer Gallops Georges Governors The Graves Great Brewster Green Little Brewster Little Calf Long Lovells Middle Brewster Nixes Mate Noddle's Outer Brewster Rainsford Shag Rocks Spectacle Thompson
Hingham	Bumpkin Button Langlee Ragged Sarah
Hull	Peddocks Spinnaker
Quincy	Hangman Moon Nut Raccoon
Weymouth	Grape Sheep Slate
Winthrop	Snake
Italics indicate former islands

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