The Sinister Reason Nobody Is Allowed To Set Foot On This Massachusetts Island

When summer arrives in Massachusetts, thousands of wealthy Americans flock to the luxury resorts of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Cape Cod. But a very different island can be found just three miles further out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rather than hosting crowds of tourists, this place is eerily deserted – and the reason why is terrifying. Because of a lethal secret, visitors are actually barred from setting foot on these lonely shores.

Appropriately named

The island is appropriately known as Nomans Land, and you’d struggle to find any high-end restaurants or upscale hotels there. In fact, there are no signs of human life at all – save for the odd naturalist or two. So how exactly has such prime real estate remained empty over the years?

Mysteriously vacant

Houses on nearby Martha’s Vineyard average more than $1 million apiece, after all. Surely, then, that makes Nomans Land a prime spot for developers? Apparently not. And the answer to this riddle lies beneath the surface – where a terrifying truth about this seemingly innocuous island is lurking.

Not fit for human settlement

So what happened on Nomans Land? And why doesn’t anyone visit? Today, you’re more likely to encounter wild rabbits or basking seals on the beaches of this desolate island than any wandering tourists. In fact, for generations, humans have been unable to settle here – and there’s a horrifying reason why.

Previously habited

Nomans Land hasn’t always been empty and deserted, mind you. Before British colonization began in the region, this part of the Massachusetts coast was the domain of the Wampanoag people. When the English privateer Bartholomew Gosnold arrived in 1602, a chief named Tequenoman was in charge of the island.