In the 1620s, shipbuilder Captain Robert Moulton became stranded here during a winter storm; he described the ordeal as “three miserable days,” giving the islands their name. Now, however, experiencing the islands, 83-acre Great Misery and 4-acre Little Misery, is decidedly more pleasurable.

The island itself has a history that goes back to the Mosconomet Indians, while the ruins of an early 20th-century resort reveal that this offshore retreat was a haven for leisure and recreation a century ago. In 1900, a business group set its sights on Great Misery Island, developing the Misery Island Club. It boasted a pier, a clubhouse, a saltwater swimming pool, guest cottages, a tennis court, and a nine-hole golf course. Tournaments and regattas attracted Boston and North Shore socialites, but the club fell on hard times only a year after opening. Eventually, individual lots sold, and a summer colony of more than 25 cottages took hold. In 1926, however, a devastating brush fire destroyed many homes, and summer families eventually lost interest in the islands. Through the years, the islands have continued to draw visitors enchanted with views of the North Shore and Salem Sound and a variety of intriguing habitats.

Misery Island is a public island owned by The Trustees of Reservation. The island is only accessible by wading, dinghy, canoe, or kayak.

Two and a half miles of trails traverse groves of aspen, open meadows, spectacular overlooks, and rugged, rocky shorelines that add to the wild beauty of the islands. You can also reach Little Misery Island from Great Misery Island by wading across a narrow, shallow channel at very low tide. And on the beach of Little Misery you can see the remains of the steamship, The City of Rockland, wrecked off the coast of Maine and scuttled here many years ago.