Over the last 20,000 years, the patch of land known as 'Inner Heron Island' has at various times existed as a little bump under the grind of a 2 mile-thick glacier, a non-descript underwater ledge, a small hill about a mile from the ocean, and finally, as the island we know and love today.  The humans that arrived in the area around 5,000 years ago probably only had a passing interest in the island, but in 1885, it caught the eye of a group of wealthy investors from Greenfield, Massachusetts who saw the island as an investment opportunity.  They drew up plans to purchase and develop the uninhabited island and transform it into a bustling summer resort with over 250 lots upon which they planned to construct cottages.  While the investment part of their plan did not exactly pan out as they'd hoped, the summer community they created has a colorful history and thrives to this day.  These pages tell the story of the island and the close-knit community it has supported. 

Currently this site mostly serves as a repository of written, visual and audio resources collected by various islanders.  Our hope is to eventually generate content that will tell the island history in a more narrative format.   

FEATURED MEDIA

Newspaper / Photo Slideshow

Old newspaper clippings paired with photos from the time.