This island was named for one of earliest recorded settlers, Edward Rainsford, nephew of Richard Raynsford and a descendant of King Henry III of England[2]; he owned the island by 1632.
However only foundations and a dilapidated seawall still survive from these uses.[1]
Rainsford Island hospital facilities were expanded and improved in the early 1800s. A huge Greek Revival-style building, the Stone Hospital or Greek Temple [3], was built in 1832 by Josiah Rogers. The Stone Hospital may have been designed by his brother, the American architect Isaiah Rogers, who was celebrated for his designs of the Boston and New York Merchants' Exchange, the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., and the Tremont Hotel in Boston. [4]
"Rainsford Island: Resort to Reformatory", lecture by Ellen Berkland, Boston City Archeologist, Boston Landmarks Commission, and Elizabeth Carella, curator, Archives for Historical Documentation, Wednesday, May 14, 2003, held at the Old South Meeting House, Boston, Massachusetts.
"From a farm, summer resort, quarantine hospital, almshouse and a boy's reformatory to eventually an abandoned eleven acres, Rainsford Island in Boston Harbor has served many since its 1636 occupation by Edward Rainsford. Ellen P. Berkland, Boston City Archeologist, and Elizabeth Carella, Curator of Photography, present how one archeological field season and extensive documentary research shed light on the fascinating history of Rainsford Island. This slide lecture reviews the archeological and historic evidence and examines the ways in which the island has served the marginalized populations of Boston for decades."
