Whitewash Village, Massachusetts

Monomoy Point Light in 2010

Whitewash Village was a village settlement on Monomoy Island in Massachusetts. Whitewash Village was established sometime around 1710. A tavern for sailors was opened up in the location of today's Hospital Pond, known then as Wreck Cove.

During the early 19th century a deep natural harbor at Monomoy's inner shore, known as the Powder Hole, attracted a sizable fishing settlement. In its prime, Whitewash Village housed about 200 residents, a tavern inn called Monomoit House, and Public School #13, which at one time boasted 16 students. Cod and mackerel brought in to the Monomoy port were dried and packed for markets in Boston and New York. Lobsters were also plentiful, providing both food and income for the villagers, who peddled them to mainlanders at about two cents apiece.

The village was abandoned after its harbor was washed away by a hurricane around 1860. Monomoy Island on which the village was located has an ever changing geography, with many storms in the past disconnecting and reconnecting the island to the mainland. As of today, the only reminder that Monomoy Island was once inhabited is the Monomoy Point Light.

Coordinates: 41°33′33.5″N 69°59′37.1″W / 41.559306°N 69.993639°W / 41.559306; -69.993639


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