Children's Island

Children's Island, known as "Cat Island" is an island off Marblehead, Massachusetts, and is part of the City of Salem, Massachusetts. The YMCA of the North Shore has owned and operated a children's day camp on it since 1955. The first written record of the island was in 1655 when it was granted to Governor John Endecott. It was then bought and sold several times until around the Revolutionary War when the Essex hospital was built as a smallpox inoculation site. The hospital was burned down by townspeople of Marblehead. By the end of the 19th century, the Lowell island house was established as a summer resort. This was run for about 30 years before being converted into a sanitarium for sick and crippled children until 1946. The island then lay unused until bought by the YMCA and converted into a day camp.

The island has had numerous names including Catta, Cotta, Catt, Cat, Lowell, Pollard, and Children's; for most of history it was Cat Island. Speculation about the origin of its name is that in the 18th century Catta was a corruption of Cotta and referred to an early Marblehead native named Robert Cotta. However, no evidence links Mr. Cotta to the island in any way, as discussed extensively in "Field Meeting at Lowell Island." The island's name was officially changed from Cat Island to Children's Island by petition of the Marblehead/Swampscott YMCA in 1996.

Written reference to Children's Island first appeared in 1655 when "...the iland called Catta Iland...lying neere to Marble Head [sic]..." was granted to Governor John Endecott at his own request by the General Court of Massachusetts. Prior to 1655, it is likely that this and other local islands served as a source of smooth rocks for ship ballast, as a site for grazing animals, and as a source of timber for ship building. In June 1629, Reverend Francis Higginson notes "we passed the curious and difficult entrance into the large and spacious harbour of Naimkecke, [Salem] and as we passed along it was wonderful to behould so many islands replenished with thicke woods and high trees and many fayre green pastures [sic]." Although not specifically named by Higginson, Children's Island is presumably one of these wooded islands.

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