Noddle's Island

Mr. Noddle, a resident of Salem, died in 1632 when his canoe overturned on the South River, according to the journal of John Winthrop.

Samuel Maverick, an Anglican clergyman, became the owner of the island through his wife's inheritance.

Maverick was reputed to be New-England's first slaveowner, following a 1638 purchase from a Captain Pierce of the Tortugas.

[3] The First Baptist Church of Boston met secretly on the island in the 17th century to avoid persecution by the Puritan state.

Following this the island was heavily fortified by the Bostonians with an earthwork known as "Noddle's Island Fort", a rebuilding of a 19-gun British work, later rebuilt and renamed Fort Strong in the War of 1812 after Governor Caleb Strong.