views from Nut Island

View from Nut Island, looking towards Quincy.

cannons

Cyrus Alger (1781-1856) was an inventor and famous metallurgist who lived and worked in the Boston area. The first gun ever rifled in America was made at his works in 1834. He invented the first malleable iron cannon in 1836 and improved time fuses for spherical shells.

In the mid-1800s Cyrus Alger needed to find a new place to test his experimental cannons because South Boston (location of his iron foundry) was a bit too residential to do more test firings. So, he decided to move the tests to Nut Island.

He and others from the South Boston Iron Foundry (also known as the Cyrus Alger Iron Company) fired their cannons across the bay towards the cliffs on Peddock's island. Not all cannon's fared well. The center object is all that is left of an 11-inch Rodman rifled cannon that burst during a test. The two objects to the side are projectiles that were used in that type of cannon.

Headworks

Isn't this a pretty building? It is one of the only buildings on Nut Island in Quincy. This is the Nut Island Headworks. At the headworks, sewage passes through screens and grit chambers that remove large objects, sand and gravel. After screening, the sewage is conveyed through the five mile Inter-Island Tunnel to Deer Island, where it undergoes primary and secondary treatment. This facility serves 21 southern sewer system communities.

Kind of looks too pretty to be a building that deals with sewage... (FYI, there is NO sewage smell around here.)

Nut Island - trails

The picture above shows part of the public park at Nut Island. It has a nice path with great ocean views and occasional signs explaining various bits of historical information. The paths are well paved, so they are excellent for stroller walks.

Nut Island sign

The next few days I will be posting pictures from one of my favorite "hidden gems" in Quincy, Nut Island.

Years ago, colonist built a path from the mainland to the island to allow their cattle to graze there. The path got built up more and more until it became walkable (and later drivable) from the mainland.

In 1952, the Nut Island Primary Wastewater Treatment Plant was built. Sewage from the southern collection system received treatment for the first time. In 1998, the treatment plant was demolished and a headworks was built in its place. Around that time the land around the headworks was landscaped for use as a public park. Finally, in September 1999, it was opened to the public.

I just love this sign that is at the end of the Nut Island dock. Quite often on early mornings and late afternoons you can find people fishing here.