Gallops Island facts for kids
Gallops Island, also known as Gallups Island, is a small island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. It is located between Georges Island and Long Island, about 6 miles (10 km) from downtown Boston. The island is about 23 acres (9.3 hectares) in size, with an extra 28 acres (11 hectares) of land that appears and disappears with the tides. Gallops Island is mostly one large hill, called a drumlin (a hill shaped by glaciers), which reaches about 79 feet (24 meters) above sea level. The island has a rocky beach and offers great views from the top of its grassy hills. Currently, Gallops Island is closed to visitors because of a cleanup project.
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Discovering Gallops Island's Past
Gallops Island is named after John Gallop, who was one of the first pilots (people who guide ships) in Boston Harbor. He used to live on the island. Over the years, the island has been used for many different things.
Island History Through the Years
In the past, Gallops Island was home to a restaurant and an inn. It also had a quarantine station, which was a place where people arriving by ship were kept separate to make sure they weren't sick before they entered the city.
Gallops Island During Wartime
During the Civil War, Gallops Island became a military camp. About 3,000 Union soldiers stayed there. Later, during World War I, the island was used as a hospital for thousands of American soldiers. Many of them had "Spanish influenza" and pneumonia. Sadly, many soldiers died there each day, but new patients kept arriving.
In World War II, the island was used again by the military. It had a radio school and a school where soldiers learned to be bakers and cooks.
Plants and Nature on Gallops Island
Gallops Island has many interesting plants, including trees, shrubs, and other plants that have been there for a long time. Some of these plants were put there when the island was used for different purposes.
Trees and Shrubs Planted by the CCC
In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a group that helped with conservation projects, planted even more trees on the island. Old photos from the 1940s show that a street lined with trees ran across the island.
Even though the old buildings are gone, you can still see the pathways and foundations. These paths are lined with privet hedges and surrounded by different kinds of trees, like fruit trees, shade trees, and evergreen trees. You can find lilacs, mock-orange, snowberry, and forsythia. Other plants that grew on their own include sumac, poplar, poison ivy, and bayberry.
Island Wildlife and Vegetation
Recently, the plants on the island have been damaged by the large number of rabbits living there. The rabbits eat a lot of the vegetation.
Why Gallops Island is Closed
Gallops Island was closed to the public in 2000. This was because old building materials from its military past were found to contain asbestos. Asbestos is a material that can be harmful if its tiny fibers are breathed in.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has decided that the island will stay closed until it is completely safe for visitors. As of 2010, they hoped to reopen the island by 2015, but this depended on getting enough money for the cleanup. The cleanup is still ongoing to make sure the island is safe for everyone in the future.
