Nixes Mate

Nixes Mate, also known as Nixes Island, Nix's Mate and Nick's Mate, is one of the smaller islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island lies about 5 nm from downtown Boston and about 0.6 nm east of Long Island Head Light. The island covers and uncovers with the tide. A prominent black and white stucco covered wood pyramidal beacon, resting atop a granite base, reaches a height of approximately 20 feet (6.1 m). The base was erected by the Boston Marine Society in 1805. By 2001, the daymark was in poor condition. The Coast Guard, which is responsible for it, announced that it would be replaced, but following public outcry they rebuilt it instead, in 2003. The island is not open to the public. It is described in...