Nixes Mate
4.3 (24)attraction
4.3 (24)Not open to the public
A black-and-white beacon in Boston Harbor, perched on a sunken island that once displayed executed pirates.
Description
Before erosion reduced it to an exposed rocky flat, Nixes Mate was a 12-acre island used for quarrying and grazing. It gained notoriety in the early 18th century when executed pirates, including William Fly, were gibbeted as a warning to mariners in outer Boston Harbor. Today, the cement hexagonal pyramid rests on a granite base, managed by the U.S. Coast Guard and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.