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The island of Cuttyhunk is the southernmost in the Elizabeth Islands chain. It lies south of Cape Cod, fourteen miles out to sea from New Bedford. It has remained a place of quietude and unspoiled beauty.
The name "Cuttyhunk" is thought to be a corruption of an Algonquian description of the island which roughly translates into "Land's End." It is known that before European colonization, the Algonquian-speaking Wampanoag tribe occasionally fished and hunted here. When Bartholomew Gosnold "discovered" the island in 1602, he frightened away one such hunting party, dined with another, and had a skirmish with a third.
Much later in the age of sail, Cuttyhunk became the home to pilots who guided ships through the treacherous waters of Buzzards Bay and safely into New Bedford. Today, Cuttyhunk is still connected to that most famous of all whaling ports by a ferry.
The island of Cuttyhunk has retained its natural charm throughout the years. And, today, it is the mecca of week-end cruising yachts and sport fishermen. The Island offers breathtaking scenery, a bird and wildlife preserve for the naturalist, and a tranquil anchorage.
Most of the 500-plus acre island is unspoiled, covered by scrub grass and woodlands. The winter population is less than 100, and the summer population swells slightly. There's a tiny town at the east end of the 2.5 by .75 mile island, but the island is non-commercial.
Town of Gosnold Tax Rates: FY2008: $1.97 per thousand.
Dukes County Manager: E. Winn Davis P.O. Box 190, 9 Airport Road, Edgartown, MA 02539 (508)696-3840
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