A letter from Edgartown, MA...

Edgartown is Martha's Vineyard's first colonial settlement and it has been the county seat since 1642. But Edgartown might be better known for being the main shooting location for the town of Amity in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Jaws. Its hard to imagine this island being anything but relaxing, as it was the perfect way to spend the last few days of summer.

Edgartown was an old whaling port and is now a summer and tourist destination with a multitude of houses built by whaling captains and other prominent people of prior centuries. This Lighthouse, which makes the perfect "I", was originally built in 1828. For the first year, the only way to get to the light was by boat, but another $2,500 was allocated to build a foot bridge. The original structure was replaced in 1938 by one that was rafted to the Vineyard from Ipswich, MA. Although the new light was placed on the original site, sand had filled in the area between the island and the mainland, and the current Edgartown Lighthouse now stands on shore.