Bakers Island is a small, private residential island in

Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its ...

, in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. It is located southeast of Great Misery Island & Little Misery Island, northeast of

North Gooseberry Island North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

and

South Gooseberry Island South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

, and far northeast of

Children's Island Children's Island, formerly known as "Cat Island" is an island off Marblehead, Massachusetts, and is part of the City of Salem, Massachusetts. The YMCA of the North Shore has owned and operated a children's day camp on it since 1955. The first w ...

. It is the outermost island on the main shipping channel into

Salem Harbor Salem Harbor is a harbor in northeastern Massachusetts spanning an area north and south of Salem, Massachusetts, Salem. Historically the Salem Harbor was the site of one of the major international ports in the colonies. During the American R ...

Bakers Island Light Bakers Island Light is a historic lighthouse on Bakers Island in Salem, Massachusetts. The station was originally established in 1791, with a daymark. This was replaced in 1798 by two lights atop a keeper's house, one at each end. After storm dama ...

, located on the island's northern side, is used for navigation. The island is pear-shaped. Most of its coast is rocky ledges, except for its western coast. There are three small landlocked ponds located near one another at the center. Vegetation on the island is trees and scrub. There is a private pier on the west side. Most of the buildings are concentrated in the western and southern portions of the island. The approximately island was known as Bakers Island as early as the 1630s. Originally owned by the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

, it was granted to the town of Salem in 1660. John Turner was the first private owner of the island. The island once housed a hotel, but is now almost entirely cottages, most of them individually named. The island also has a store, fire house, and the Sherman C. Burnham meeting hall. The

Essex National Heritage Commission The Essex National Heritage Area is a National Heritage Area composed of all of Essex County, Massachusetts. It is overseen by the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC), a non-profit organization based in Salem, Massachusetts. The commission ...

owns approximately of land at the north end of the island where

and its accompanying buildings sit. The island initially had twin lights on a single house, first lit on January 3, 1798. Two towers were built in 1816 and 1820. The shorter tower was demolished in 1926.

Sources

Wise, DeWitt E., "Now, Then: Baker's Island," Baker's Island Association (1964). Unauthored, "The Baker's Island Chronicle 1964-1988," Baker's Island Association (1989).

External links

Islands of Massachusetts Salem, Massachusetts Islands of Essex County, Massachusetts Coastal islands of Massachusetts {{EssexCountyMA-geo-stub