The Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands is a grassroots membership organization whose mission is to inspire stewardship and respect for the islands through educational and interpretive programs. The organization encourages public use of the islands, balanced with the need to protect their fragile ecosystem and historic environment. Our group of spirited volunteers has worked on behalf of islands for more than 45 years!
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​The Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands is an independent organization founded in 1979 that is now affiliated with Boston Harbor Now. ​

JOIN - RENEW - DONATE  TO THE FRIENDS OF THE BOSTON HARBOR ISLANDS

Upcoming Events with national parks of boston ​​

The 2025 ferry schedule is available

 Ferry service will run May 16 – October 13. 

 stoughton Library celebrates the boston harbor Islands

During March and April the library will hold various activities concerning the Boston Harbor Islands. For adults the Stoughton Reads Together program features the book A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891 with:
  • an authors' talk and book signing with Stephanie Schorow & the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, March 26th, 6:30 PM​
  • A virtual book discussion of the book on April 8th, 7:00 PM on Zoom
  • And two in person book discussions on April 16th, 11:00 AM and April 17th, 6:30 PM
​Use this link to learn more about these and other related events.

​A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891

FBHI volunteer authors at book launch, June 2023.
A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891. This book is the result of intense work by FBHI volunteers, led by Stephanie Schorow, author of East of Boston: Notes from the Harbor Islands.

From the back cover: In 1891, four intrepid women from Lowell, Massachusetts, sailed to a remote island in Boston Harbor for a 17-day escape from New England and prim and proper society. Calling themselves the Scribe, the Aristocrat, the Acrobat and the Autocrat, the women stayed in a cottage on Great Brewster Island, reveling in the chance to shed their identities of wife, mother and daughter. Relive their sojourn through their remarkable journal – which is in the collection of Harvard University – filled with observations, illustrations, photography and poetry.

Order from History Press here
OR GO TO YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE.

​To book an illustrated lecture on this amazing book, email sschorow@comcast.net
You’ll find the article "Chasing History" about the FBHI book project in the 2024 summer issue of Ranger, the magazine of the Association of National Park Rangers. The article is on pages 14-15.

our history – digitized!

We've been able to have some of our history preserved - our Tidings Newsletters from 1985-1987 have been digitized, and we've just uploaded our eTidings from 2014-2023 as well!  Click here to see them!

you can vISIT THE islands online year-round with many photos of cathleen stone, calf, graves light station, rainsford and outer brewster islands

Can't make it out - or interested in seeing what you might see on one of our trips?  Visit the islands online via photos by some of our Friends - Click on the island names below to start your journey!

​A Personal account of visiting three Harbor islands in three days

"Offshore Escape" by Dorian Fox is about his visit to Georges, Peddocks and Spectacle Islands. By clicking here you'll open the article on National Parks Conservation Association's website in a new window.