Last summer, as I was looking for a beach that allowed dogs I came across an online article describing Gooseberry Island. We finally visited today and it was well worth the wait. What I thought was just going to be a tiny little spit of land turned out to be a good-sized island that feels pretty wild and a little desolate. You can see Horseneck beach and other areas of Westport, MA, but the rest of the view is all Buzzards Bay and the North Atlantic Ocean beyond. Not to mention those creepy World War II lookout towers . . .
As I was trying to learn more about the island, I found a Gooseberry Island Facebook page and blog. The site describes Gooseberry Island’s interesting history as a WWII coastal defense site, and also a small summer colony. It’s also a great spot for birdwatching.
Glad you got a chance to appreciate Gooseberry first hand – it is one of those rather rare coastal places that is public, quite accessible, and yet still quite wild. I’ve been visiting it for half a century and am still learning about it. Even the history is new and changing – in the past month I’ve learned about a murder that took place more than a century ago there and contrary to my own memory and what many people have told me, there was another tower as part of the WWII installation and there was at least one large coastal gun there. As I gather more information on these – and, I hope, pictures – I’ll be updating the history on my site. Meanwhile, congratulations on a wonderful blog and hope you get back to Gooseberry frequently.
This looks like a great spot! I can’t wait to check it out!!
wasn’t there a bunker there also on the island
Yes, there is a bunker there!
Where is the bunker located!?