Deer Island (Massachusetts)

[5] It was once leased to Sir Thomas Temple (1614–1674),[6] a British proprietor and governor of Nova Scotia[7][8] although this descent was debunked by E. A. Freeman in the 19th century.

In the middle of the 19th century, the island was the landing point for thousands of refugees from the Great Famine of Ireland, many sick and poverty-stricken.

[16][17] The Deer Island prison is mentioned in Sylvia Plath's poem "Point Shirley" and her novel The Bell Jar.

[citation needed] In his book A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson mentions an experiment done at the naval prison on Deer Island.

The prisoners possibly became immunized due to exposure to the virus during the weeks preceding the trial, experiencing few symptoms or none at all.

His report mentions the volunteers coming from a naval facility on Deer Island, but nothing regarding prisoners or pardoning of sentences.

This vantage point offers views of the city, ocean, and Logan International Airport and is a popular spot for planespotting.

It was leased at one time to Sir Thomas Temple, who was a descendant of Lady Godiva of Coventry fame, a rather curious relation to history for one of our islands to bear.

During King Philip's War, Massachusetts confined many Christian Indians in this bleak spot, and John Eliot often visited and comforted them.

""It is related that not long after the starting of the mint Charles II in great wrath questioned Sir Thomas Temple, the first agent officially despatched by the General Court to London, as to why this Colony presumed to invade His Majesty's rights by coining money."