The Landscape Architect’s Guide to

Peddocks Island

Your Guide

Close to the mainland, Peddocks Island is one of the largest and most diverse islands in the harbor -- it features historic structures, hiking trails, unique geologic features, a salt marsh, and even solar energy installations.

Visitors can explore the island that was home to Fort Andrews from the early 1900s through World War II. One area is also home to cottages that still actively serve as private residences. Visitors can travel directly from Hingham or Hull, or take a connecting ferry from the "hub" island, Georges. Purchase Boston’s Best Cruises ferry ticket and go to Long Wharf-North in downtown Boston to catch hourly departures.

View Sites Nearby

Vibrant Lawn Chairs

The vividly colored lawn chairs were donated to Peddocks Island and offer a prime vantage point for enjoying the view and ocean breeze.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 2

The Chapel

The 1941 chapel, one of more than 1,500 exact duplicates nationwide, is the fort’s sole surviving wooden WWII building.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 3

Historical Ruins

Walk up the main path through the historic parade ground and you will find the ruins of the former Administrative Building.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 4

Immersed in History

Peddocks Island is rich in military history with many original structures still dotting the landscape. Nowhere else in Boston Harbor does an “Endicott” period military reservation retain such a large percentage of the original structures that housed and supported its peacetime garrison.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 5

Adaptive Re-Use

Granite blocks from the foundations of demolished buildings are salvaged for future design ideas.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 6

Stay in a Yurt

Adjacent to the former gun batteries is a campground with yurts and tent sites where you can sleep underneath the stars and in the shadows of a city skyline. The yurts are wood-framed structures with a wooden foundation and vented windows, and are furnished with two bunkbed cots and a double cot. All campsites have tables and grills nearby.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 7

Camp Along Officers Row

Large groups wishing to camp can set up their tents along Officers' Row. The original foundations of the officers' quarters act as tent sites, allowing campers to share the same sleeping ground as military soldiers.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 8

Follow the Trail

After exploring Fort Andrews, follow the trail to Middle and West Head to explore the natural resources of the island. Middle Head has a cottage colony and salt marshes, and West Head is a wildlife sanctuary.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 9

Summer Cottages

At Middle Head you will find cottages, each with a unique construction. The cottages' history is as colorful as their bright paint jobs. Some date to the 1890s when Portuguese fishermen floated (yes, floated) their houses to the island after being forced off Long Island. These cottages are private residences and visitors should be respectful of the community’s privacy.

Image: Grace Ng Peddocks 10

Rocky Shoreline

As you walk along the coastal trail, enjoy the ocean breeze and the views back to the Boston skyline

Image: Grace Ng