Thompson Island

In Boston’s early days, a series of islands off the coast were more or less up for grabs. They became privately owned and impossible to access unless you were connected to the landowner. But as time went on, people in the region felt a pressing need to change that narrative and allow public access to these special outdoor havens—sparking a 20-year journey to restore the harbor islands to the public for recreational use. The result is known as Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.

Of the 34 islands on the citizens’ wish list, the last one remaining was Thompson Island—a 170-acre gem full of salt marshes, flowering meadows, fruit trees, herons, and egrets that has been home to a series of schools for area youngsters ever since 1833.

In 2002, Trust for Public Land—alongside the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection—was able to purchase the island for about $4 million. Today, the island is owned and operated by the Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, a nonprofit education organization offering programs in leadership, environmental education, and youth empowerment.