A Tour of the Boston Harbor Islands at the Public Library

This story is the joint effort of HCAM News Producer Stephanie Kane and HCAM News Reporter Kathleen Culler. Watch the HCAM News video to learn more.

Boston based author Christopher Klein, who specializes in history, travel, and sports writing, made an appearance at the library on January 25th to talk about his new book "Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands". Before presenting his book to the audience, Adult Services Librarian Susan Marshall asked Klein to sign a book spine that will ultimately be part of a quilt that will be used to help raise money for the new library.

Klein, who is also a freelance writer for the Boston Globe and National Geographic, considers himself a history buff, which is what initially drew him to the project.

The book, which took Klein about a year to write, focuses on the history of each of the Boston Harbor Islands, a group of 34 islands currently comprising of a national park, archeological sites, historical landmarks, as well as other sightseeing attractions . Peddocks Island, which happens to be Klein's favorite of the islands, was even featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio film Shutter Island. However, Klein believes that each island has its own interesting and unique story to be told.

One of those stories comes from the Revolutionary War. At the time, the Islands were considered an important strategic target. A loyalist by the name of Elisha Leavitt, who owned Grape Island, offered the British the use of his farm for supplies. Unhappy, the Patriots wanted to attack the Island. However, when they arrived, they soon discovered that Leavitt had exacted his own form of revenge...

After the presentation, many of those in attendance stayed to get their book signed and to talk with Klein. He hopes that his book encourages those to not only take advantage of the proximity and the beauty of the islands, but to help protect them as well.

If you are interested in visiting the Islands, there is a ferry service from Boston that starts up in May. And there are also a limited number of ferry trips during the winter months as well.

And if you are interested in purchasing Klein's book, visit his website.