History of Martha's Vineyard Island

It's said that Bartholomew Gosnold found wild grapes, and it's thought he had a daughter named Martha.

Voilá!

Today the island actually has a commercial vineyard and a winery producing fine vintages which you can sample and buy.

Vineyard residents are proud that their island is the County of Dukes County, not part of some mainland county, and they guard the anachronistic redundancy of that title.

For a long time Martha's Vineyard had its own representative in the Massachusetts General Court (state legislature), and when redistricting made the island a part of the Cape Cod legislative district, the islanders threatened to secede from Massachusetts and become part of another state, one that would allow them their own representative.

Islanders get their exceptional sense of independence from a history of struggle with and mastery of the sea, from the days when whale-hunting brought great wealth to an otherwise poor island.

Just about the time the whaling industry declined, the tourist industry began, and Martha's Vineyard found its place in the modern world.

Today the big ferries that ply the waters of Vineyard Sound are packed with visitors every day in summer, and are also crowded on weekends in spring and fall.

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