In 1892, Robert Inslee, a businessman from Boston, was looking for a place to engage in his favorite sport: duck hunting. Somehow he found a remote piece of land on Martha’s Vineyard. The property was located on the Great Tisbury Pond in Chilmark and came with a modest farmhouse and carriage house. The farmhouse had a wraparound porch, highlighting the views of the lustrous pond. Robert, and his wife Mary, could sit on the porch

and watch the majestic osprey build their nests. Their three city children roved through the tall grasses of the land, searching for new-to-them wildlife.

As the last surviving child, Mildred Inslee inherited the property and married Archibald Purdom. They had four daughters and they brought them up every summer to love and cherish the island.

Now, six generations of Robert Inslee’s family come every summer to enjoy the property and views on the Great Tisbury Pond. We love and cherish the history and land and are excited to share it with you too! 

​