Gay Head–Aquinnah Town Center Historic District

Dukes County was a county of the Province of New York from 1683 to 1691. It was established on November 1, 1683, at the same time as Kings County, Queens County, and Dutchess County. It consisted of the Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Island, all east of Long Island. In 1691, the county was transferred to the newly formed Province of Massachusetts Bay, where it was divided into Dukes County and Nantucket in Massachusetts.

Aquinnah ( uh-KWIN-uh; Wampanoag: Âhqunah) is a town on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. From 1870 to 1997, the town was incorporated as Gay Head. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 439. Aquinnah is known for its beautiful clay cliffs and natural serenity, as well as its historical importance to the native Wampanoag people. In 1965, Gay Head Cliffs were designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. Aquinnah is celebrated as a center of Wampanoag culture and a center of pride and tradition among members of the federally recognized Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. They comprise approximately one-third of the town's voters and are one of two federally recognized tribes of Wampanoag people in Massachusetts. This area is one of the earliest sites of whaling, with the Wampanoag harpooning their catch long before commercial whaling became the major maritime industry of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and New Bedford, Massachusetts, in the 19th century.

Gay Head Light is a historic lighthouse located on Martha's Vineyard westernmost point off of Lighthouse Road in Aquinnah, Massachusetts.

The Edwin DeVries Vanderhoop Homestead, is an historic house at 35 South Road, Aquinnah, Massachusetts, United States. The c. 1890s house is the first built by a member of the Vanderhoop family, which is prominent in the town politics of Aquinnah and in the tribal organization of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It is now operated as a museum called the Aquinnah Cultural Center and features exhibits on tribal history and culture.

City of Columbus was an American passenger steamer built in 1878 by Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, at Chester, Pennsylvania. Owned by Boston & Savannah Steamship Company, the steamer made regular runs from Boston, Massachusetts, to Savannah, Georgia. City of Columbus ran aground on Devil's Bridge off the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, in the early hours of January 18, 1884, resulting in 103 deaths.

Squibnocket Pond is a salt pond split between the towns of Chilmark, Massachusetts and Aquinnah, Massachusetts. Squibnocket Pond connects to Menemsha Pond via Herring Creek.

Menemsha Pond is a salt pond split between the towns of Aquinnah & Chilmark, Massachusetts. At the mouth of the pond, the Menemsha Creek leads into the Menemsha Bight and the Vineyard Sound. Along Menemsha Creek sits the historic sea-side fishing village of Menemsha. Menemsha Pond connects to both Stonewall Pond via Nashaquitsa Pond and to Squibnocket Pond via the Squibnocket Herring Run. Since 1902, Menemsha Pond is a federally recognized Harbor of Refuge. This designation altered the development of both the harbor at Menemsha and the channel into Menemsha Pond. Before the federal designation and redesign of the inlet, the channel was dredged locally to maintain access.

Nashaquitsa Pond is a salt pond in the town of Chilmark, Massachusetts. Nashaquitsa Pond connects to both Stonewall Pond and Menemsha Pond.

Menemsha ( muh-NEM-shuh) is a small fishing village located in the town of Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. It is located on the eastern coast of Menemsha Pond, adjacent to the opening into the Vineyard Sound on the pond's northern end. The village's historic harbor serves as the point of departure for local fishermen, some from multi-generational fishing families, as well as charter boats to the Elizabeth Islands and elsewhere. Besides charter fishing and cruises, other amenities are the public beach adjacent to the harbor and the bicycle ferry across Menemsha Pond to Aquinnah. Menemsha is the location of a United States Coast Guard station, Coast Guard Station Menemsha, and was once known as Menemsha Creek. It was the shooting background for the fictional "Amity Island" of Steven Spielberg's 1975 film Jaws.

Stonewall Pond is a salt pond in the town of Chilmark, Massachusetts. Stonewall Pond connects to Menemsha Pond via Nashaquitsa Pond. The beach that separates Stonewall Pond from the Atlantic Ocean is called Stonewall Beach.

Chilmark is a town on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The population was 1,212 at the 2020 census. The fishing village of Menemsha is located on the western side of the town along its border with the town of Aquinnah. Chilmark had the highest median home sale price of any town or city in Massachusetts in 2013.

Menemsha Hills is a protected nature reserve located on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts in the town of Chilmark. The property is owned by The Trustees of Reservations through three grants of land, the first in 1966. The reserve is adjacent to another Trustees property, The Brickyard.