This Massachusetts Island’s Name Means ‘A Loaf Of Bread’

Have You Ever Been To Tuckernuck, Massachusetts? I haven't been there either.

Do you know where Tuckernuck is? Have you heard of it before now?

Tuckernuck only came to my attention recently while researching an article on the population of Martha's Vineyard.

That said, Tuckernuck is not a town on Martha's Vineyard.

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Tuckernuck is a mostly privately owned island located between Nantucket and the island of Muskeget. Island of Nantucket says Tuckernuck "has a perimeter distance of about 5 miles and a land area of about 900 acres." The elevation of Tuckernuck is 50 feet.

The site says, "There are 35 or 40 summer homes on the island with no year-round residents." There is no electricity on Tuckernuck, nor is there running water. Those who desire electric power and water must rely on a generator and a well.

There is reportedly a grass airstrip on the south end of the island. There is no police force.

According to The History of Nantucket, written by Obed Macy and published in 1835, Tuckernuck reportedly means "a loaf of bread" in a Native American dialect, most likely that of one of the Wampanoag Tribes that occupied this area.

Tuckernuck is considered a part of the town of Nantucket in Nantucket County, Massachusetts. The island was, at one time, a whaling port of Nantucket.

Tuckernuck Island is west of Nantucket Island and southeast of Muskeget Island. The Wampanoag, involved in fishing and whaling before European settlers began to arrive in the area, are believed to be among the first to occupy Tuckernuck Island.

The Tuckernuck Land Trust Inc. says, "Tuckernuck provides shelter and sustenance to a variety of local and migrating bird species, even as winter settles across the island."

As for public access to Tuckernuck, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has a report titled "Public Rights Along the Shoreline" that you might want to look into before venturing onto any privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts.