The Native Americans called the island "Nanaquonset" (also "Nonequasset" or "Sonanoxet.") The island was purchased from Native Americans by Randall Holden and Samuel Gorton in 1659. In the 1860s a Christian preacher named Captain Jimmie Hammond became the first full-time resident of the island where he lived with his chickens and cat.
The Native Americans referred to the island as "Nanaquonset" (also "Nonequasset" or "Sonanoxet.") The island was bought from Native Americans by Randall Holden and Samuel Gorton in 1659. In the 1860s, a Christian preacher named Captain Jimmie Hammond became the first permanent inhabitant of the island where he lived with his chickens and cat.