Whether or not the con troversy over tearing down Henry Beetle Hough’s historic house is resolved, there is still a need for the Island to honor the memory of this conservation activist in a way commensurate with his role in preserving our lands, beaches and monuments. Adding his name to the official designation of the Edgartown Lighthouse, perhaps calling it the Henry Beetle Hough Memorial, would accomplish this. Without Henry Hough, there would be no Edgartown light, and generations would be unaware of the beauty and history we now all enjoy.

The problems of the New Bedford fast ferry that Dan Greenbaum wrote about in the Sept. 11 Gazette may also be viewed in a wider context. His historical background needs expansion both in length and depth.

Tony Meyer’s Surprise

The MCAS Scoreboard

Vineyard students take statewide standardized tests in the fall and spring. This week the annual test results were published, making now a testing time for parents, educators and the community. What do we make of the good news and the bad?

Atomic Bottles

From Gazette editions of September, 1959:

A belief that the bottles set adrift in large numbers by the Coast and Geodetic Survey and found by many persons on Vineyard beaches are involved in the plans of the Atomic Energy Commission to arrange for dumping of atomic waste at sea, is borne out by a statement of the AEC.

The House the Houghs Built

Has the importance of history and the preservation of old architecture in the Island community fallen down a rabbit hole?

It would certainly seem so, and the scant public outrage over the proposed demolition of the Hough house on Pierce Lane in Edgartown is just the latest example.