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| This island serves as a firefighter training facility and police firing range. | |||
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Managing Agency
City of Boston |
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Agency Designation
Boston Fire Department training facility; Boston Police Department firing range. |
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Current Use
Public safety purposes. |
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Alternate
Names
Half Moon |
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Harbor Location
Quincy Bay |
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| Longitude |
42° 18' 20.9" North (Approximate center of island.) 70° 59' 06.4" West |
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From Long Wharf
5.5 miles |
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On-island
Circulation
ACCESS IS RESTRICTED. A 4,175-foot causeway extends from Squantum;
2,500-foot road connects causeways from Squantum and to Long Island viaduct. Moon Island has a 2,850-foot secondary road for administrative use. |
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| VISITOR SERVICES & FACILITIES |
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| Hours |
Not open for recreational use. | Piers/Docks |
No |
| Visitor
Season |
0 | Boat slips |
0 |
| Visitor
Staff |
No | Moorings |
0 |
| Guided Tours
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No | Park Boats
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None |
| Lifeguards |
No | Car Access
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No |
| Toilets
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flush -
No composting - No |
Campsites |
0 (capacity ea.: 0) |
| Picnic Areas Cooking Grills |
No No |
Group Campsites |
0 (capacity ea: 0) |
| Refreshments |
No | Camping
Capacity |
0 |
| Drinking
Water |
No | Trails |
No |
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Visitor
Cautions
PUBLIC ACCESS IS PROHIBITED. The island is used for fire training and a police firing range. |
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| GENERAL
INFORMATION |
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| Total Acreage
45.70 upland acres |
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| Highest Elevation
98 ft.
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Short History
Like many of the islands, Moon was farmed by colonists then abandoned. Beginning in the late 1800s, Moon served as the terminus for Boston's then state-of-the-art sewer system and as the site of Boston’s garbage reclamation plant. The garbage reclamation plant was relocated to Spectacle Island in 1912 and the sewerage treatment plant closed in the 1970s. In 1959 and 1960 the island was selected for training centers for fire and police protection, which are still operational today. |
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Vegetation
Meadow grasses; hardwood; sumac groves. |
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Wildlife
Overview survey in progress. |
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Geology
The drumlin at the center of the island rises to an elevation of 98 feet. At low tide extensive mudflats surround the island. |
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Water Features
1.) 19th century sewage treatment facility - four tanks, each 900 feet long, 150 feet wide, 17 feet deep, separated by walls that are about seven feet thick at the base (no longer in use).
2.) water system for fire training facility
3.) water pipes to Long Island. |
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Views and
Vistas
Views from the island include Downtown Boston, Quincy, Hangman, Long, and Peddocks Islands. |
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Buildings
Firefighter's training building; police firing range headquarters; building foundations. |
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Fortifications
None |
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Other Structures
Pier remnants - north and south shores; 19th-century sewage disposal tanks; granite seawall/ rip rap along northern and western shore. |
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*
How large is an island? Learn
how island acreage was measured, considering daily tides. |
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