Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Vineyard Haven. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Marthas Vineyard sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Vineyard Haven.
Every building
Vineyard Haven, building by building, 1887–1914
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1887Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The story so far
Vineyard Haven, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vineyard Haven yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Vineyard Haven is a community within the town of Tisbury, Massachusetts on Martha's Vineyard. It is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) by the U.S. Census Bureau. As of the 2020 census, Vineyard Haven had a population of 2,747. The area was called "Nobnocket" by the Wampanoag people and was first referred to by the colonial settlers as "Homes Hole", "Homes" from a Wampanoag term for "old man" and "Hole" meaning a sheltered inlet. By the 19th century, it was more commonly spelled "Holmes Hole", after the descendants of John Holmes (1730–1812), who had settled in the village during the second half of the 18th century. The village officially changed its name to Vineyard Haven in 1871. Th…
Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,114 to 2,747 (+30%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Vineyard Haven in 1911
Passages that mention Vineyard Haven, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts1911Read the page →
Read the text
This was the ancient name bestowed by the natives on all the territory covered by the village of Vineyard Haven, in the present town of Tisbury. The Sachem Ponit, in 1682,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts1911 · page 115Read the page →
Read the text
to agitate for this separation decreed by history and topography. Each year the subject was discussed with much spirit and considerable acrimony at times, as the people of the village of Vineyard Haven objected to a division. In 1890, after much political agitation, a petition was sent to the General Court by the people of West Tisbury asking for a division of the town, but it was referred to the next session.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Vineyard Haven, 1847 to 1900
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1900
1900
1902