Katama

Katama is a residential area in the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the south shore of the island of Martha's Vineyard. It is bordered on the west by Edgartown Great Pond, on the east by Katama Bay (separating Katama from the island of Chappaquiddick) and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean.

The word "Katama" comes from a Wampanoag word meaning "crab-fishing place."^[1]

The terrain is a flat outwash plain, characterized by sandy soil and few trees. It is sometimes referred to as the "Great Plains."

Katama has been a popular summer resort since the late 1800s. From 1874-1896, Katama was the terminus of the Martha's Vineyard Railroad. The train Active ran between the Oak Bluffs Wharf and Mattakeeset Lodge in Katama.^[1]

Attractions

South Beach at Katama, Edgartown, MA. This is an open ocean beach with waves that range from docile to large and dangerous.

Aerial view of South Beach at Katama in 1998.

• South Beach runs the entire length of the southern end of Martha's Vineyard, however the name "South Beach" commonly refers to a stretch of public beach that is demarcated by Herring Creek Road on the west and Chappaquiddick Island on the east.

• Katama General Store on Katama Road on the way to and from South Beach has morphed from a small, traditional general store into a modern store focusing on food, gifts, and housewares. Immediately adjacent to the Katama General Store is the American Legion where bingo can be played every Thursday evening at 7:30 PM.

• Mattakesett refers to the southernmost portion of Katama immediately adjacent to the beach. Although the name dates back in written records to 1646, in recent times it has been most commonly associated with a resort named "Mattakesett", first developed in the mid-1970s, but named after the original 19th-century Mattakeset Lodge which was the terminus of the Martha's Vineyard Railroad.^[2] A second resort hotel named "Winnetu" was opened in the same area in 2001. The term is also used in the street "Mattakesett Way" (runs along the east side of Katama Airpark and The Right Fork Diner to Navy Way (see aerial photo in Katama Airpark) and "Mattakesett Herring Creek" (a small tidal creek running parallel to South Beach that functioned as a herring run earlier in the 20th century).

Aerial view of Katama (Edgartown) airfield in Edgartown, MA. Photo shows the airfield on the left and Katama Farm on the right. South Beach is at the bottom of the photo. The road running vertically in the center of the photo is Mattakesett Way, separating the airfield on the left and Katama Farm on the right. The large structure bisected by a strut between the upper and lower wing of the airplane is the Winnetu Resort[1].

• Katama Airpark is a public airport owned by the Town of Edgartown, Massachusetts. It has three runways, averages 22 flights per day, and has approximately four aircraft based on its field. During World War II, Martha's Vineyard functioned as an outer defense and a training facility for gunnery and pilots. In addition to the main Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY), there was a small airport at Katama near a gunnery practice area at the beach. Following World War II this airport was purchased by Steven Gentle who ran the Katama Airpark until the 1980s when it was purchased with state conservation funds. It is currently managed by the municipal government of Edgartown. It is the quintessential grass airfield — no navigation equipment is based on the field. It is possible to land and park a plane no more than 100 feet from South Beach. During the summer season (roughly May 31 to Labor Day), there are biplane and glider rides available.

• The "Right Fork Diner" is the most recent name for the diner at the Edgartown Air Field. The restaurant is located immediately adjacent to the airfield and the parade of planes taxiing by the restaurant has provided endless entertainment for generations of children. The addition of a biplane ride from Classic Aviators and the soaring glider rides concession in the 1980s (or so) added another level of entertainment.

• The Farm Institute operates from two large farms in Katama. The first, Katama Farm (pictured in aerial view of Katama Airpark), was purchased by the town of Edgartown with state conservation funds. The second, Herring Creek Farm, was purchased by a conservation group from its original owners after a long and protracted legal battle between the owners and the town of Edgartown over development. Both are within a half mile of South Beach. The Farm Institutes's mission is to reconnect children and the community with farming. Through a variety of programs centered around farming, they have provided a rural farming experience for many children since its creation in 2000.[2]

• The Boat Landing on Edgartown Bay Road in the southeast corner of Katama is maintained by the town of Edgartown. Boats are launched into Katama Bay and exit to the ocean through Edgartown Harbor to the north. The boat landing accommodates 20-foot boats from an inclined ramp.

• Katama Bay, a popular kayaking spot, is defined by the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard Island, the western end of Chappaquiddick Island, and on the south by a barrier beach. The tide replenishes Katama Bay through Edgartown Harbor to the north and during the winter of 2006-07, a storm led to a breach in the barrier beach connecting Katama to Chappaquiddick. This breach subsequently enlarged leading to an ocean tide in Katama Bay and a brisk current running north from the breach into Edgartown Harbor. Also a great place to bring the family during the summer.

Photo of the "Katama Breach". During the winter of 2006-2007 a violent storm (a "Noreaster" washed away the barrier beach separating the Katama section of Edgartown, MA from Chappaquidick Island. This photo was taken from the southwestern portion of Katama Bay at a point half-way between the Katama boat ramp and the breach. It clearly shows open water between the two ends of the barrier beach. As in previous breaches, over the succeeding two years (2007-2009), the breach has migrated in an easterly direction and by the summer of 2009 the opening was significantly smaller than shown in this photo. It is anticipated that the breach will close over the next year or two as it migrates toward Chappaquidick Island. The breach opened Katama Bay, normally open only to the sea at its north end, to an ocean current. The cleansing of the bay has been beneficial and eliminated much of the silt and grasses that had accumulated. It is anticipated the cleansing will improve the scallop and clam production.

• Katama Farm. This is a great show farm that still works. Young children may enter the horse barn to pet the chicks or maybe the angora goats.(This strongly depends on what animals are housing there,but angora goats are always there.)You may also visit the corn maze in the summer.

• The Farm Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children on farming and the agricultural origins of food they eat. More recently this group has educated children about energy sources and how their use impacts the environment. At the summer camp kids of all ages engage in a broad spectrum of farm-related chores - feeding animals, cleaning their pens, working in the farm stand and enjoying the daily rhythm of life on a farm.

• Katama During World War II The Katama plains were a part of the outer defense during World War II. The site currently occupied by the Winnetu Resort (see photo) was the site of barracks for a gunnery training center, remnants of which exist even today. Running west from Mattakesett Way is a sunken concrete strip that runs west for approximately 3/4 of a mile. This is visible on the photo of the Katama Airfield as a line of trees running west from Mattakesett Way on a line running west from the Winnetu Resort. Artillery shells were shot out over the ocean from this point. Following the war this activity was quickly forgotten and then rediscovered in the late 1980s when live artillery shells were uncovered by wave action on the receding beach. The beach was closed for more than a year while military demolition squads identified and removed/detonated unexploded shells. Even today property owners find brass machine gun casings and barbed wire on their property from the World War II era.

See also

• M/V Katama, Steamship Authority freight ship named after the region.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard, Summer Resort 1835-1935. (Tuttle Publishing Co., 1936)
2. ^ Banks, Charles E. The History of Martha's Vineyard, Vol. II. (Dukes County Historical Society.)

References

• Hough, Henry Beetle. Martha's Vineyard, Summer Resort 1835-1935. (Tuttle Publishing Co., 1936)