A harbor Spectacle

Families frolic, beachcombers hunt treasures, and fishermen abound on this reclaimed island

June 22, 2008|Christopher Klein, Globe Correspondent

As the crowd boards the ferry at Boston's Long Wharf, a sense of anticipation mingles with the smells of saltwater and suntan lotion. Young children tote beach towels and sand pails. Their parents carry coolers filled with picnic supplies. A group of hikers haul their backpacks, while an elderly man clutches a pair of binoculars and a birding guide. It's a diverse crowd, to be sure, but in common they are all embarking on an island adventure.

Within moments, the ferry is underway, passing anglers casting their lines off the pier at Castle Island and gliding underneath the bellies of jumbo jets landing at Logan Airport. The spire of the Old North Church, the Custom House tower, and the rest of the city skyline dissolve in the mist, and a cool sea breeze tempers the sultry summer heat.

In just 15 minutes, the passengers arrive at Spectacle Island. The canyon walls of Boston's skyscrapers have been replaced by open skies. The tumult of the city streets has been supplanted by the tranquillity of island life.

It's hard to believe that this oasis was once home to a variety of less natural functions, including a city landfill, horse-rendering factory, and quarantine station. Now, after nearly 15 years of environmental cleanup, Spectacle Island has been reborn as a 105-acre summertime playground. Opened in 2006, this jewel in the Boston Harbor Islands national park area includes five miles of walking trails, a marina, a swimming beach, and a fishing pier.

Formed when glaciers left behind deposits of sand, gravel, rubble, and debris, Spectacle Island had been a dumping ground since its creation. In the 1850s, Boston businessman Nahum Ward moved his industrial operations, including a horse-rendering facility, to the island. (As unpalatable as it may seem by today's standards, before Ward's company, dead horses were dumped into the harbor.) During the 20th century, the island became home to a grease reclamation facility and a city landfill. It is said that the smell of the dump was so foul that in foggy weather ships could get their bearings simply by the stench emanating from the island.