Martha's Vineyard and Lee Fierro as Mrs. Kintner. Scores of other island natives appeared in the film as extras. Later, scenes from "Jaws 2" and "" were filmed on the island, as well. In June 2005 the island celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Jaws" with a weekend-long Jawsfest. In 1977, distressed over losing their guaranteed seat in the Massachusetts General Court, inhabitants of Martha's Vineyard considered the possibility of secession from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, either to become part of another state (having received offers from both Vermont and Hawaii), reincorporating as a separate U.S. territory, or as the nation's 51st state.
Nomans Land (Massachusetts) wildlife habitat, the island is closed to all public use. In 1602, during the British ship "Concord"'s exploration of Cape Cod, Captain Bartholomew Gosnold named Nomans Land "Martha's Vineyard" after his eldest daughter, Martha. However, the name was later transferred to the larger island currently known as Martha's Vineyard, which is located northeast of Nomans Land. The island was probably named "Nomans Land" after a Martha's Vineyard Wampanoag sachem, Tequenoman, who had jurisdiction over the island when the English came in the early 17th century: named from ""Teque"Noman's Land" (figurative phrase). An entail of 1695 mentions that William Nicoll of