• Alerts
  • Jobs
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • About
  • Shop Gear
Block Island Ferry
  • Buy Tickets
  • Schedules & Fares
    • Pt. Judith Traditional
    • Pt. Judith Hi-Speed
    • Newport Hi-Speed
    • Fall River Hi-Speed
    • Promotions & Sales
    • Private Charter
    • Trip Planner
  • Extras
    • Passengers
    • Vehicle Reservations
    • Group Sales
    • Wind Farm Tours
    • Accommodation Packages
    • Gift Cards
  • Information
    • Things to Do
    • FAQs
    • Job Opportunities
    • Our Fleet
    • Directions
    • Freight
    • Event Calendar
    • Traveling with a Vehicle
    • Accessibility
    • Contests
    • Around the Ports
    • Announcements

Our Blog

Tales Told Around the Block

{ 2.23.2019 }   { Other }

Tales Told Around the Block

Stories have been around for as long as people have existed to tell them. Evolving from images on walls, to the spoken word, to the written word, and all the combinations in between.

Some stories were told to try and explain the greatest mysteries of the day. Others helped alleviate fears that lingered in people’s minds. Everywhere these different cultures went, their stories went with them. Block Island is no different.

The Palatine Light

The Palatine LightThe waters around Block Island are no stranger to shipwrecks. They’ve always led to a bevy of stories by locals and visitors alike, whether there’s mystery surrounding them or not. In the case of the Palatine light – a cargo ship that had been refitted for this trip to carry people over – supposed sightings of a ghost ship on fire have inspired their own tales for years. It wasn’t long before those stories became legend.

Some versions detail how local Block Islanders of the time rescued an unknown number of survivors and nurtured them back to health in spite of all the horrors suffered while on deck. Others talk about how the origins of the pyre may have been started accidentally by islanders lighting false signal fires. The first sighting of the Palatine came one year after it sank, the mass of the hull and fluttering sails emerging from the flames that originally brought it down.

The Lost Treasure of Captain Kidd

Captain William KiddPirates and Block Island have an interesting history together. You can read one of our past blogs here to learn about the richest pirate in history. The Robin Hood of the Seas was not the only pirate to leave his mark on Block Island, though.

Captain William Kidd started off in 1696 as a successful New York businessman with all the trimmings. Being friends with some powerful politicians led to being commissioned to the Indian Ocean where he sailed the line between privateer and pirate. While Kidd’s tale ends with him being shipped to a dungeon in London, what happened to his treasure is a different story all its own. He was on Block Island around the time he was known to be distributing his treasures. Does that mean it’s still here? Maybe you’ll be the one to find out.

The Block Ness Monster

The Block Ness MonsterFew things are as good at keeping secrets as Mother Nature. It seems like under every new leaf you turn over you find a footprint belonging to something not previously recorded, hear a sound no one’s heard before, or even see a creature that simply shouldn’t exist. This is true whether on land or sea, and Block Island is no different. One legend in particular is the Block Ness Monster.

Pulled up by fishermen on the Mad Monk in 1996, the fourteen-foot unknown, serpent-like creature embedded itself in the minds of the locals almost immediately. What do these bones belong to? Is it a basking shark? How long has it been here? Are there more of them living under the sea, or is this the last? Before any more research or experimentation could be done – and not long after the discovery was made – the remains were stolen, leaving these questions and more unanswered.

Today, stories are so intimately tied into our everyday life that entirely new communities were formed around them. People from all walks of life can come together and talk over a shared love of an upcoming movie or book series.

The stories we tell do more than provide entertainment. They continually add layers to a community until it’s practically bursting with a personality all its own. A personality created almost entirely by the people and families that have called it home for generations and will continue to do so for generations more.

Write Down Your Favorite Tale, and Sail Away…

Share This Post

Comments

LEAVE A COMMENT

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED

Plain text

PREVIOUS POSTNEXT POST

Categories

  • Other
  • 5 Things
  • Block Island Experience
  • Fun Facts
  • Island Life

Blog Archives

select month
  • November 2019 (3)
  • October 2019 (2)
  • September 2019 (2)
  • August 2019 (2)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • June 2019 (3)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (2)
  • January 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (3)
  • November 2018 (2)
  • October 2018 (2)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (3)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (3)
  • February 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • November 2017 (2)
  • October 2017 (2)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • August 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (3)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • September 2016 (3)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (2)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (2)

Follow Us

Newsletter

Popular Posts

  • A Quarter to Call Our Own
    A Quarter to Call Our Own
    Jul 14, 2018
  • 5 Things to Bring to Block Island
    5 Things to Bring to Block Island
    Jun 11, 2016
  • Winter on the Island
    Winter on the Island
    Feb 04, 2017
  • History of the Block Island Ferry Series: The Fleet
    History of the Block Island Ferry Series: The Fleet
    Mar 11, 2017
  • Block Island Sights You Simply Have to See
    Block Island Sights You Simply Have to See
    Apr 20, 2019
  • Tickets
  • calendar Schedule
  • hat Shop Gear
  • compass The Ports
  • cards Gift Cards
  • car Vehicles
  • megaphone Events

401-783-7996   •   866-783-7996 TOLL FREE info@blockislandferry.com

304 Great Island Road.   •   Narragansett RI, 02882

Sitemap     Site by GLAD WORKS

translate site with google  

Copyright © 2019 Block Island Ferry. All rights reserved.

Stay Up to Date!

Join our email list for sales & specials, safety alerts, and other updates.

Translate