Return to My Old Haunts

Hey everyone,

David Coffin Probably Scared Them 

I'm back on ALL ACCESS! I'm super excited to be back where it all began. This week we are on Georges Island. Fort Warren was bustling as usual. It was nice to catch up on all the happenings at All Access. A trip through the Dark Tunnel was also in order though I might have some nightmares for a while. There was a stuffed animal sitting in a shaft of light with its head torn off and orange paint all over it. I was convinced that David Coffin had left it there as a practical joke but apparently he did not. I could not take a picture of it because the tunnel has to stay dark and I didn't want the Lady in Black to find me. After my terrifying journey through the Dark Tunnel, I played kickball with the usual and got to practice my soccer for the upcoming season. I pretty sure that it needs work, but that is what practice is for. The kids had fun playing with us but I think they enjoyed exploring the fort more. I need to do more exploring I've only ever been in a few spots of the fort. It's much more interesting than it looks.

He Must Have Been Terrified

Anyone who comes out to the islands should invest in some good sunblock, I've gotten ridiculous tan from all the sun and water reflection of the sun. I've reached the term known as "crispy." Unless you'd enjoy being crispy, then please wear your sunblock and bring lots of water and a good hat. The sun creates pre mature aging, skin peeling and possible cancer. Not that you should be afraid of it but please recognize it as a formidable opponent  to your skin.
Stay safe,
Ruth S.

Its Been A Good Summer

This summer has been a good summer. I knew it was going to be something new with all the new changes but as a returning third year staffer I had no excuses and my last week was one of my most memorable. On my last trip to Georges I met a kid named Tiago, this kid was filled with life. He told me about his love and passion for fishing and how he lives with his uncle and fish off a 45 foot boat.

Tiago Playing PaddleBall

The funniest part of my day was going home, sad to say that but it was because Tiago and I created a new game and we called it "Paddle Ball." Basically the aspect of the game was to get one bounce with a tennis ball to your opponent by slapping the tennis. This will probably be one of the most memorable things to happen to me the entire summer because it was unexpected and became huge.

Monitoring a game of PaddleBall

Everyone got involved from the kids to their counselors- even David got involved, that's when you know something is serious!

The summer had many memories and was a lot fun but with the closing of the summer I am starting college. I am going to be a freshman at Stonehill College.

A legacy that is going to be continued because a previous Lead Explorer attended the school, Conor Newman. I am very excited for my first semester of college, nervous but ready because I have a lot of support.

It has been a wonderful summer with many memories, I am very grateful I was apart of this years staff. Best Wishes

-Ahmed Hassan

Fort Warren Kickball

Kickball in the Fort

Hi everyone,

This week on All Access Boston Harbor we took a trip to Georges Island. This scenic island was once used as a prison for Confederate soldiers. Not such a nice beginning, but today the scariest part of the island is the Dark Tunnel. A notorious ghost that is said to haunt the walls of the fort, she is forever bitter about the untimely death of her husband. But if you’re not afraid of ghosts and “stories” take a trip into the tunnel. Try not to scream too much, and mind the walls. I challenge you to walk through the tunnel without screaming or using any light. Not only is Georges Island a historic, beautiful place but the perfect place to play kickball. This game might have become one of the most popular, hilarious and serious game on All Access to date. Kickball has become a staple game and the sports bag is not complete without the big red rubber ball.

Wiffle Ball

Wiffle Ball Part 2

Fort Warren is a great place to hold any sports game. A nice big, grassy field in the middle of the fort can hold anything from the favorite: kickball to wiffle ball. The fort itself is a maze of interesting hallways, dead ends and exciting turns. The long boat ride is most definitely worth it. Come on out to Georges, we have games, tours and if you like to fish this is the place for you. 

Don't forget your sunscreen,
Ruth Scott

P.S: Always bring water if you come out to any of the Islands, it's hot and no one should get dehydrated. It's not fun

All Access Heads to Georges Island

Yesterday on All Access Boston Harbor we hit our highest number of guests on the boat so far this summer—464 children and chaperones!  I’m so glad we decided to trust the weather to hold up, because it turned out to be a beautiful day on Georges Island.  We had groups from Dorchester, Waltham, Roslindale, Hyde Park, Somerville, and Chinatown. 

Many groups spent the afternoon exploring historic Fort Warren, searching for signs of the Lady in Black, and getting spooked in the “dark tunnel”.  The Save the Harbor team split up to facilitate fishing, kickball, and exploring the fort. 

On the boat ride home, we all got a neat surprise—we cruised past the Charles W. Morgan, a historic whaling ship.  The ship sailed to Boston from Provincetown, making her 38^th voyage.  The Charles W. Morgan will be docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard until the 22^nd!

The Charles W. Morgan sailing in Boston Harbor

Today we had to cancel All Access due to thunderstorms and showers that have seemed to last all day.  All of us here at Save the Harbor are looking forward to tomorrow’s Fan Pier Fishing Tournament, and hoping for some sun!

See you on the harbor,

Amy Gaylord

Meeting the Lady in Black

           This week All Access Boston Harbor went to Georges Island.  On Tuesday we had almost 500 excited children join us for our day out on the harbor. Many of the kids fished and played sports, but some of the most fun the groups had was exploring the dark tunnels and rooms of Fort Warren.

A group from the Waltham YMCA entering the tunnel. 

Georges Island is home to Fort Warren, which was dedicated in 1847 and served as a training ground, patrol point, and civil war prison. The fort was decommissioned in 1947 and was transformed for the purposes of  historic preservation and recreation.

        The fort still exists as the major attraction of the island along with the legend of the lady in black. The story goes that Andrew Lanier was a confederate soldier who was imprisoned on Georges Island in 1861. Once on the island, Andrew wrote to his wife about his imprisonment on the fort, and in hopes of freeing him from the fort, his wife made the journey from their home in Georgia to Hull, Massachusetts. After watching the island with a spy glass, Mrs. Lanier journeyed to the island in a row boat in January of 1962. She had dressed as a man in order to conceal herself. As she was exploring the fort trying to find her husband, she began whistling a Southern tune that both her and her husband knew. Her husband heard the tune and began whistling the same tune back in response. She followed the sound of his whistle and made it into his cell, where she hid with him and other confederate soldiers. With an ax they spent weeks digging a tunnel that went to the center of the fort. They had hoped to collect weapons and overtake the guards, but when the tunnel was almost completed, one of the guards heard the pound of the ax.  The alarm was sounded, and the guards quickly discovered the tunnel and took a tally of the confederate prisoners. Mrs. Lanier tried to spring from the tunnel, surprise a Union officer, and shoot him with a pistol. The officer slapped the gun out of her hand right as she was about to shoot, and Mrs. Lanier ended up shooting her husband instead. Her husband was killed by the accident, and Mrs. Lanier was hung by a tree on the island for punishment. She was hung in a black robe to fulfill her request of being dressed as a woman when she died.

A group from the Idiil Learning Center celebrating as the run out of the dark tunnel.

    After the incident soldiers claimed seeing the ghost of the lady. They saw foot prints in the snow that had no trail leading out to them and other strange occurrences that they attributed to Mrs. Lanier, who became known as the lady in black. Today people explore the tunnels of the island, and some say they can see the lady in black when inside the "dark tunnel".

     So this week at AABH, the kids had fun exploring the pitch black tunnel and getting spooked by Thi and David Coffin. They were laughing and screaming as the ran in and out of the tunnel. They loved exploring the fort and all of the different passageways.

It was a great week on Georges Island, and I can't wait to return later in the summer!

-Hallie

A boy, (from the Somerville YMCA) who proudly made it through the dark tunnel.