Martha’s Vineyard Heritage Sites
Bradley Memorial Church
DESCRIPTION: This church provided spiritual guidance, religious education, community development, social life and involvement in humanitarian causes from 1907-1966.
ADDRESS: 11 Masonic Ave; Oak Bluffs
Eastville Cemetery
DESCRIPTION: This abandoned cemetery was commonly used as a burial place for both Blacks and Whites. Although many of the graves are unmarked and many have eroded into the marshland, the cemetery is a worthwhile stop; a bench with a plaque memorializing Rebecca Amos is here.
ADDRESS: on the shore of Lagoon Pond, Oak Bluffs
Gospel Tabernacle
DESCRIPTION: The tabernacle once served as a church for a congregation of African Americans during the mid-20th century.
ADDRESS: Dukes County Ave, Oak Bluffs
Home of Dorothy West
DESCRIPTION: An African-American writer, West was the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, and a member of Vineyard community for many years.
ADDRESS: Myrtle Ave; Oak Bluffs
Pulpit Rock
DESCRIPTION: A site used by preacher John Saunders to spread the word of God to Africans and Native Americans during the early 18th century; there is also a plaque dedicated to the work of John Saunders.
ADDRESS: off Pulpit Rock Way in Waterview Farms Development; Oak Bluffs
Grace Episcopal Church
DESCRIPTION: The church has a stained glass window honoring the life of Bishop Burgess, an African-American man who is a member of the island community.
ADDRESS: Woodlawn Ave in Vineyard Haven
PHONE: 508-693-0332
Homestead of Whaling Captain William Martin
DESCRIPTION: The island’s only African American whaling captain and great grandson of Rebecca Amos, a West African slave who survived the Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean.
ADDRESS: Chappaquiddick
Grave of Whaling Captain William Martin
DESCRIPTION: It is an ornate grave that faces in the opposite the sea and from most of the other graves.
ADDRESS: Chappaquiddick