Chappaquiddick_Island

Ads

Chappaquiddick Island

Chappaquiddick Island is a small island off the eastern end of the larger island of Martha's Vineyard and is part of the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts. The island's name became nationally recognized following the Chappaquiddick incident involving Edward Kennedy in 1969.

Until the winter of 2007 the two islands were connected by a narrow two-mile (3 km) strip of beach (Katama Beach), which from time to time would become breached due to weather. As of April 2007, the two entities are not connected, separated by a breach caused by a strong storm. The southeastern point of this beach is called Wasque Point—a popular fishing point to catch bluefish, striped bass, etc.

A privately owned barge-like ferry called the On Time shuttles walk-on passengers, bicycles and up to three cars at a time between Chappaquiddick and downtown Edgartown, on Martha's Vineyard. Two ferries run during the summer, and one during the off-season.

Origin

Chappaquiddick Island comes from an Indian word "cheppiaquidne" meaning "separated island"; so named because this island is separated from Martha's Vineyard by a narrow strait

Historically spelled as "Chaubaqueduck" or alternately spelled "Chappaquidgick"

Once mainly the home territory of the Chappaquiddick Band of Wampanoag Indians remaining theirs even into the early 1800s it still has a reservation of about a hundred acres of brush land on the interior.

Geography

On a map, Chappaquiddick can be located at . The United States Census Bureau defines it as Block Group 1, Census Tract 2003 of Dukes County, Massachusetts. It has 15.915 km² (6.145 sq mi) of land.

Politically, it is part of the town of Edgartown in Dukes County. Socially, its residents form a tight-knit community and see themselves as distinctly separate from the rest of Edgartown. Longtime residents speak of "going to the mainland" when they travel to Edgartown and of "going to America" when (for example) they travel to Boston or Cape Cod. As of the 2000 census the island had only 172 year-round residents and 475 houses, as well as numerous wildlife preserves and beaches. It has just one combination general store/automobile mechanic's garage, which is only open in the summer.

Incident involving Ted Kennedy

Chappaquiddick received international notoriety in 1969, when the dead body of Mary Jo Kopechne was discovered inside an overturned car belonging to Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy in a channel on the island. Kennedy did not report the incident until the following morning, and Kopechne's body was later recovered from the submerged vehicle. Kennedy entered a plea of guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident after causing injury and received a sentence of two months in jail, which was suspended.