In 1954, “New” West Islanders Were the First to
Experience a Major Hurricane Here
Car membership badge identified motorists as residents of Fairhaven Estates and were allowed to passage by a guard shack posted on the causeway.
The Summer of '52 West Island Estates.
Antone Teixeira and future wife to be, Evelyn catch the summer breeze on the front lawn at his mother's cottage he just built at 47 Alder St. This was one of the first cottages on West Island. Two years later Hurricane Carol struck on Aug 31, 1954. Many houses (photo below)were devastated or destroyed on this street, but the little cottage went unscathed. A West Island Hurricane Carol Photo Album is under construction for this site.
By M.L.Baron westislandweather.com 6/14/2011
WEST ISLAND: With the hurricanes of 1938 and 1944 still fresh in local minds, new West Island residents who began to build summer cottages on the mostly uninhabited island in the late 40's had nobody to tell them what previous hurricanes were like out here. In fact, most of those who bought cottages through developers of Fairhaven Estates in 1952, were from out-of-town inland areas. So many were already oblivious as to what hurricanes could do to coastal property in the first place. On Tuesday, August 31, 1954, they found out.
The island never had this number of structures before that had endured prior hurricanes. In the first 2 years much of the planned 150 summer cottages were already cluttered side by side along the much sought after waterfront lots of Alder and Balsam Streets. (on the west facing side of the island.) Most of this area is about 3 feet above sea level. Some 200 families now occupied the 535 acre island.
Carol, the first named hurricane to impact the northeast arrived Tuesday, August 31, 1954. The Category 2 hurricane brought in tidal surges over 10 feet accompanied by 110 mph winds. Just 10 days later Hurricane Edna struck on September 11th. Edna caused some more chaos to an already dazed SouthCoast. However, the worst damage was more localized to Cape Cod.
Some island residents decided to sell their property after the hurricanes and there were few takers. The asking price ranged from $300 to $500.00 for a vacant lot where their little summer paradise once stood. Some cottages that were dragged off their foundations that remained mostly intact were salvaged and remain standing on their original lots today. To view rare photos of the island damage visit :
West Island Hurricane Carol Photo Album
Note:Today, for sale signs along this waterfront pop up occasionally. Real estate advertisements hype the lure of the sea and beauty of the ocean, but most shy away from putting in the fine print about the serious vulnerability and dangers that could await prospective buyers.
With all this in mind people will still buy these expensive properties and take a chance. After all they can afford to. The common practice is to bulldoze the little quaint cottage and put a huge “McMansion” on stilts in its place, ruining the aesthetics of the island. Typically, these kind of owners are from out-of-town or state and have no roots or vested interest in the community. They take advantage of the island for what it’s worth during the summer and spend the winter elsewhere.
One corner lot that was sold recently was cleared and every tree chopped down. An enormous box like structure that appears to be a house, (because it has window shutters) was erected.
In the driveway, a little “Prius” hybrid electric car is parked in the shade of this 3 story monstrosity. Now, that’s what I call looking out for the environment.
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