Introduction
While the Elizabeth Islands that separate the Buzzards Bay from the Vineyard Sound are located off the coast of the Woods Hole area and contain the Town of Gosnold, the vast majority of the approximately seventy (70) permanent residents are exclusively within the area of the village of Cuttyhunk on Cuttyhunk Island specifically, as the remaining islands are largely identified as privately owned by the Boston Brahmin Forbes family.
The vast majority of Dukes County, Massachusetts, is largely identified by the location on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, opposite the Vineyard Sound from the Elizabeth Islands, which are in turn opposite the Buzzards Bay from the larger area of the South Coast of Massachusetts, containing Bristol County and such communities as New Bedford and Fall River.
Towns
The seven towns associated with Dukes County are the Towns of Gosnold (on the Elizabeth Islands), Aquinnah, Chilmark, West Tisbury, Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown, from west to east. The Towns of Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown provide ferry services to elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including both the Nantucket area and the mainland of the Commonwealth.
Ferries
From the Tisbury village area of Vineyard Haven, ferry services are accessible to Woods Hole (Falmouth) and to New Bedford. The Martha’s Vineyard Fast Ferry provides access from the Oak Bluffs Harbormaster to North Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, while the primary ferry dock associated with the town provides services to New Bedford, Woods Hole, Falmouth, Hyannis, and Nantucket. Edgartown provides access to the Falmouth community also, albeit on a separate axis due to beginning further east on the island.
Aquinnah and Chilmark
Located on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard, the Town of Aquinnah is home to the Gay Head Light, the Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook, the Red Gate Farm, and Toad Rock. To the east is the Town of Chilmark, home to the Mememsha Public Beach, the Great Sand Bank Overlook, the Brick Yard, the Former Home of James Cagney, and the Magical Sculpture Trail and Pottery Shop at Island Folk Pottery.
(West) Tisbury
Most of the larger village areas within Martha’s Vineyard are located along the northern shore of the island and relatively east within. Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown are the primary towns containing relatively larger villages within the county. Within the Town of West Tisbury, the primary attractions are the Heath Hen Monument and the Granary, Davis House, and Field Galleries.
Outlying Areas in the East
While the Town of Edgartown serves as the county seat of Dukes County, Massachusetts, the southern portion of the town is actually relatively empty in comparison. At the southern end of the island is the area of the Katama South Beach, with the area just to the north home to the four-star Winnetu Oceanside Resort. While located closer to a central village area, the southern part of the Town of Oak Bluffs is home to the Joseph Sylvia State Beach and the Featherstone Center for the Arts.
Town of Edgartown
Edgartown is the easternmost town and county seat of Dukes County, Massachusetts. Home to the Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, the community is also highly notable for the Carnegie Heritage Center of the Vineyard Preservation Trust, as well as the Giant Pagoda Tree, the Edgartown Visitor Center, and the Vincent House Museum within the Edgartown Historic District. The following galleries are located within the Town of Edgartown:
- Old Sculpin Gallery
- Eisenhauer Gallery
- The Christina Gallery Incorporated
- North Water Gallery
- The Edgartown Art Gallery Incorporated (located within the Charlotte Inn)
Town of Tisbury
The Town of Tisbury is the location of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Dukes County, Massachusetts. The Vineyard Arts and Louisa Gould Galleries are located at the center of the central village area, with the historic Nathan Mayhew Schoolhouse located further to the north.
Town of Oak Bluffs
Though the Town of Edgartown is the county seat of Dukes County, the Town of Oak Bluffs may be identified as a larger community within the county, home to the Moore Family Gallery, the Harthaven Gallery, and the Eastville Point Beach in the outlying area of the village as well as the East Chop Lighthouse at the northernmost point of the inner village.
More centrally located within the village of Oak Bluffs, the Oak Bluffs Harbormaster is the aforementioned marina providing access to the Fast Ferry to North Kingstown in southern Rhode Island. In the southwestern area of the village are the MVCVA ART, Knowhere Art, Alison Shaw, and Crossroads Galleries, the latter of which contains Michael Blanchard Inspirational Photography. Craftworks may also be located within the Vineyard Haven area, though the facility may be seasonal or no longer effective.
Within the Oak Bluffs portion of the Oak Bluffs area are the Corbin Norton Gallery, the Healy Square, Craftworks, the Cousen Rose Gallery, the Center of Knowhere, the site of the Mariposa Museum with And Still We Rise (Oak Bluffs), the Gingerbread Houses, the Flower of the Winds, and the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association with the Cottage Museum.
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