Whitewash Village, Massachusetts facts for kids
Whitewash Village was a village settlement on Monomoy Island in Massachusetts, established sometime around 1710. The village received its name from the belief that the settlement contained vestiges of a strong economic framework which had lasted for many years, and had been "bestowed upon it." A tavern for sailors was opened up in the location of today's Hospital Pond, known then as Wreck Cove.
During the early 19th century, a deep natural harbor at Monomoy's inner shore known as the Powder Hole attracted a sizable fishing settlement. In its prime, Whitewash Village housed about 200 residents, a tavern inn called Monomoit House, and Public School #13, which boasted 16 students at one time. Cod and mackerel brought in to the Monomoy port were dried and packed for markets in Boston and New York. Lobsters were also plentiful, providing both food and income for the villagers, who peddled them to mainlanders at about two cents apiece. There were residents of the village known as "wreckers," because they would oftentimes pray for, and sometimes even cause shipwrecks, which they would subsequently strip of any valuable items.
The village was abandoned after its harbor was washed away by a hurricane around 1860. Monomoy Island on which the village was located has an ever-changing geography, with many storms in the past disconnecting and reconnecting the island to the mainland. As of today, the only reminder that Monomoy Island was once inhabited is the Monomoy Point Light.
