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. Until the winter of 2007 the two islands were connected by a narrow two-mile 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 300 yard breach caused by a strong storm. [1] This gap has grown larger than expected and is actually redirecting the current out of Edgartown Harbor. One Islander says that there hasn't been a gap this big since 1956 and that it took 15 years for it to fill back in. He later went on to say that this gap is actually bigger than the one in 1956. Some other Islanders believe that this gap will be permanent. 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.
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Geography
Geographically, Chappaquiddick is considered an island, despite the fact that it becomes entirely separate only when storms breach the barrier beach. 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.[2] 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.
Ted Kennedy
Chappaquiddick received international notoriety in 1969, when Mary Jo Kopechne was killed in a car driven by U.S. Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy which drove off the island's Dike Bridge (also spelled Dyke Bridge). 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.
See also
External links
- Yahoo Travel Guide for Martha's Vineyard
- Interactive satellite view of Chappaquiddick Island
- Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick
References
- ^ Sigelman, Nelson. "Storm breaches Norton Point Beach", Martha's Vineyard Times, 2007-04-19. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Block Group 1, Census Tract 2003, Dukes County United States Census Bureau
