Steamboat Wharf Marina - North and South Rivers Watershed Association

48 George Washington Blvd, Hull, MA 02045, USA

http://www.steamboatwharfmarina.com

Owned By: Steamboat Wharf Marina

Directions

A private, full service marina, boatyard and Suzuki outboard dealer. Located in a well protected area on the Weir River, on the Hull/Hingham line, with views of World’s End. Excellent access to Boston Harbor, The Harbor Islands, and Massachusetts Bay. Amenities include seasonal slip rental, winter storage, boat maintenance, boat hauling, mechanical service, guest dockage and a seasonal restaurant. Also the home of Nantasket Kayaks. The Nantasket Pier Marine Ramp is right next door.

Features

Interpretive signage created by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation provides some history for the area, as follows. Steamboat service between Rowe’s Wharf in Boston and Nantasket Beach began in 1818. Travelers arriving in Hull were transported to area destinations via horse-drawn trolleys. These steamboats were luxurious and large — able to carry up to 2,600 passengers. There were several round trips per day. Regular service continued until Thanksgiving 1929, when a fore destroyed all but one of the vessels. The one remaining steamboat, The Mayflower, remained in service until 1947.

Nantasket was also home to a railroad station. In 1880, the Nantasket Beach Railroad Company began providing service between Nantasket and Pemberton Point with several stations in between. In 1888, the line was leased to the Old Colony Railroad, and then sold to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Electric trains arrived in 1895, the first in the United States. Eventually the line was extended to Braintree, then Boston, before closing in 1932 (replaced by buses).

This land is within the region of the Massachuseuk (or Massachusett) Native American tribe.

Follow the Weir River Watershed Association for more information about the Weir River.

Trail Description

There is a short, paved Harbor Walk around the perimeter of the property.

Habitats and Wildlife

Located on the Weir River. The Weir River finds its source at the confluence of Crooked Meadow River and Fulling Mill Brook, and then flows north through Hingham, with Tower Brook and Accord Brook joining it in its first mile. It gradually turns northeast and flows for another 1.4 miles, through Weir River Farm and eventually into Foundry Pond. The Weir River Estuary, designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Area of Critical Concern, begins just below the manmade dam at the pond. The mile-wide estuary forms the border between Hingham and Hull, and empties into Hingham Bay.