| ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
| Pirate lore surrounds this black and white marker which has guided boat traffic for a century. | |||
|
Managing Agency
U.S. Coast Guard |
|||
|
Agency Designation
Nix's Mate day marker |
|||
|
Current Use
Navigational aid; park purposes. |
|||
|
Alternate
Names
Nixes Island, Nix's Mate, Nixes Mate, Nick's Mate, Nicks Mate |
|||
|
Harbor Location
Outer Harbor |
|||
| Longitude |
42° 19' 47.9" North (Approximate center of island.) 70° 56' 43.9" West |
||
|
From Long Wharf
6.33 miles |
|||
|
On-island
Circulation
None |
|||
| VISITOR SERVICES & FACILITIES |
|||
| Hours |
Not open to the public. | Piers/Docks |
No |
| Visitor
Season |
0 | Boat slips |
0 |
| Visitor
Staff |
No | Moorings |
0 |
| Guided Tours
|
No | Park Boats
|
None |
| Lifeguards |
No | Car Access
|
No |
| Toilets
|
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 |
| GENERAL
INFORMATION |
|||
| Total Acreage
0.00 upland acres |
|||
| Highest Elevation
10 ft.
|
|||
|
Short History
Material was quarried from the island to be used as ballast for ships during the 1600s and slate was quarried in the 1700s. In 1636, it was granted to John Gallop, a harbor pilot who resided on Gallops Island and grazed his sheep on the then 12-acre "Nixes Island." Corpse of an executed criminal, pirate William Fly, was chained and two other pirates buried on the island, then (1726) called "Nick’s Mate."
Pyramid beacon perched on granite base which was erected by Boston Marine Society, 1805. Date of current wooden pyramid is unknown. (Further research being conducted.) |
|||
|
Wildlife
Overview survey in progress. |
|||
|
Geology
The beacon stands approximately 20 feet high. At low tide the beacon is surrounded by rocky flats and a sandspit to the south. |
|||
|
Water Features
No constructed water features. |
|||
|
Views and
Vistas
The striped black and white beacon is visible from most points in the harbor. |
|||
|
Buildings
None |
|||
|
Fortifications
None |
|||
|
Other Structures
Cement pyramid. |
|||
|
Comments
200 square ft in size |
|||
*
How large is an island? Learn
how island acreage was measured, considering daily tides. |
|||