David Welch place of MVSL (Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language). Head to the The “Up-Island” pastoral town of Chilmark Chilmark Flea market on Saturday mornings for an eclectic mix of the old and the new, or make a special trip to Menemsha (below left) for the freshest seafood, some fishing, or spread your blanket on the beach to catch DID YOU KNOW... Chilmark was named after the Vineyard’s founding father Thomas Mayhew’s neighboring English town and was settled in the mid-1600s. The first crop the farmers had to harvest was rocks. They put them in piles first, then stacked them in long low walls along their property to mark the boundaries. The walls also served to keep out wild animals and protect their domesticated animals. From “Tommy’s Tour of the Vineyard” by Thomas Dresser, a written tour of the Vineyard available in bookstores locally. mother nature’s glorious sunsets - the perfect end to an Island day. ■ Marnely Murray DID YOU KNOW... In the mid-19th century one in four babies born in Chilmark was deaf. Rather than becoming isolated, the entire community, both deaf and hearing, learned and communicated by hand. When the first school for the deaf opened in 1817, Island children were among its first students. Their unique colloquialisms blended into the sign language being taught, which evolved into American Sign Language. Visit mvy.com/mvsigntour for more information. Vineyarders demonstrating Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language. Photo courtesy - New England Historical Society 2022 -23 Travel Guide 31 ★ TOWNS
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