A Day on Martha’s Vineyard

Who slept in the Bishop’s cottage?

We boarded the Hy-Speed Ferry at Hyannis Port and headed southeast for the hour ride to Martha’s Vinyard. The ferry was pretty full.

Dozens of young sailors were racing their Optimist Dinghies outside the Hyannis Harbor.

The ferry landed in Oak Bluffs, where the movie Jaws was filmed. After grabbing some lunch we headed out, some of the group renting bicycles while others chose to walk.

We explored some of the many shops on the main shopping street, then continued to the “Gingerbread Cottages.”

The area of the gingerbread cottages began as a place for Camp Meetings back in the 1830’s. Everyone stayed in a tent originally, and came together for revival-style annual gatherings of singing, preaching and “saving” as souls were brought to the Lord. You can read the reports of these early revival meetings.

The cottages began to be built about 1864, and were designed to replace the tents. They are built in concentric circles around the big “Tabernacle,” which is a large open sided roofed space providing protection for the congregation and ministers.

Oak Bluffs Gingerbread Cottages

There are 318 of these special cottages, each unique.

One cottage stood out in particular, because of its history.

Welcome to the Bishop Gilbert Haven Cottage! Gilbert Haven (1821-1880) was a minister and bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was an active abolitionist and radical throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras.

He hosted President Ulysses S. Grant here at this cottage in 1874, towards the end of Grant’s presidency. A photo taken from the side porch commemorates the 5 day presidential visit here:

We had to laugh at the look on Mrs. Grant’s face:

She was from a slave-holding family in Missouri. (The definitive book on Grant in my opinion is Grant by Ron Chernow, Penguin Press, 2017. Highly recommended.)

In 1865 my great great grandfather Matt Hunker marched with Sherman’s Army in the Grand Review in Washington D.C. before General Grant.

I cover that event in my chapter on Matt Hunker:

The Grand Review was a two day parade in which more than 200,000 men in blue would march through the capital of the newly reunited States, to receive a final salute from thousands of its citizens.  Painfully missing was Abraham Lincoln, assassinated only 6 weeks earlier, on April 15, 1865.

The first day of the Review, May 23rd, was cloudless, the sky a brilliant blue.  General Meade lead the Army of the Potomac out onto Pennsylvania Avenue. This was the army that had fought Lee in the East.  General Grant stood with President Andrew Johnson on the reviewing stand, which was crowded with cabinet members and dignitaries and adorned with flowers.  Above the reviewing stand were huge American flags inscribed with the names of the Union victories, including Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Gettysburg.  Over the White House the American flag flew at full mast, the first time it had done so since the assassination of Lincoln six weeks before.

As the units passed the grandstands the crowds would yell out, “Where are you from?”  “Pennsylvania!”  “New York” came the replies. On the reviewing stand, the Ohioan General William Tecumseh Sherman was worried that his western farm boys would not measure up the next day.  He turned to General Meade and stated “I am afraid my poor tatterdemalion corps will make a poor appearance tomorrow when contrasted with yours.”  He warned his officers that the westerners had better “keep their eyes fifteen feet to the front!”  He need not have worried.

Day two of the Grand Review, May 24, 1865, dawned cool and clear as the western armies crossed the Potomac.  The New York Times reported “The weather was even more propitious than yesterday, the temperature being several degrees cooler…”  When the head of the column reached the Capitol, they were greeted by schoolchildren dressed in their holiday best, with ribbons and sashes, covering the hillside, and singing “The Battle Cry of Freedom.”  Over the entrance to the West Portico of the Capitol was a banner stating “The Public Schools of Washington Welcome the Heroes of the Republic.”  Many other similar banners could be seen, arrayed around the Capitol.

Lancaster, Ohio native Major General Sherman led his troops under a banner which proclaimed “Hail to the Heroes of the West!  Shiloh, Vicksburg, Atlanta, Stone River, Raleigh.” 400 Years in America, unpublished.

I need to get back to the book!

Martha’s Vineyard became a haven for wealthy Black citizens from the east coast, and today continues to provide a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of the cities for people of color, providing an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all.

We wandered through the cottage area back to the main business section, and checked out the oldest carousel in the country.

It’s a classic dating from 1884. We enjoyed watching the riders grab for the brass ring.

I couldn’t resist getting a picture of Zoltar:

We didn’t ask him to tell our fortune, though. (Zoltar turns the Tom Hanks’ character into a grown-up in the movie “Big.”)

There are five lighthouses around the island. Ben, Jen and Fonzie checked out one of them.

We caught the 6:40 ferry back to Hyannis Port.

There’s a lot to do on Martha’s Vineyard! Thanks for joining us!