George Carr, son of Sir William Carr of Northumberland County, England, was born in 1599 and, according to family records and tradition, which are borne out in published histories of the Carr families, was one of the shipwrights on board the "Mayflower" in 1620. He brought with him his bride, Lucinda Davenport, and a copy of the coat-of-arms of his family. The young wife of George Carr was among the unfortunate 41 to die in the first sickness at Plymouth. William Carr, brother of George, came to New England in the ship "Fortune" in 1621, bringing the old family Bible, in which are the baptismal records of the brothers and also a diary kept by Susan Rothchild Carr, relating to the history of the family. George Carr remained with the Pilgrims at Plymouth the first winter, and soon after removed to Ipswich, locating later with the first settlers at "Clochester" (Salisbury), Massachusetts. He operated a ferry across the Merrimack River connecting the mainland to Carr's Island. For at least four years after the establishment of the Newbury settlement in 1635, there was no public transportation across the Merrimack River. By 1639, a reference is made to "the highway leading to the ferry." George Carr was appointed to keep a ferry at Salisbury connecting to the island on which he made his home, later known as Carr’s Island, at the foot of Jefferson Street. A few years later, the town gave Tristam Coffin permission to keep a tavern, sell wine, and run a ferry on the Newbury side to Carr’s Island. George Carr continued to keep a ferry on the Salisbury side. Passengers, horses, cattle, hogs, and goats took the ferries for a small fee. By 1657, Mr. Coffin’s ferry privileges were rescinded, and the Carr family managed the ferry from the shores of Newbury to Salisbury. Tristam Coffin and his family emigrated from England and after settling in Newbury for a few years moved to Nantucket, Massachusetts. A sketch of ferry routes accessed by the Old Country Road, now High Street, Way to the Ferry, now Jefferson Street, and Poor’s Lane, now Woodland Street. John J. Currier’s History of Newbury, Massachusetts, 1635-1902. During King Philip’s War (1675-1676) the Native American leader in New England, Metacomet, named King Philip by the English settlers, and his followers battled against the colonists, and the importance of keeping up the only ferry along the Merrimack River was well understood, as it was essential for the transportation of troops and ammunition. Carr’s Ferry was then the only route north to New Hampshire and Maine. Records show that there were small vessels built on the island in the late 1600s, which seems reasonable as Mr. Carr was an Ipswich, Massachusetts, shipwright. George Carr’s sons, Richard and James Carr, continued running the ferry until the late 1700s. By 1790, Carr’s ferry was no longer used for transportation between Newburyport and Salisbury. Travelers used March’s ferry at the foot of State Street, traveled by Hook’s ferry at the foot of Moulton’s Hill in the Belleville neighborhood opposite the mouth of Amesbury’s Powow River, or journeyed by Webster and Swasey’s ferry in the vicinity of Bartlett’s Cove upriver of Deer Island, in the area of Moseley Woods. Descendants of George Carr lived on the island until the 1880s. Harvey N. Shepard of Boston bought the property in the fall of 1882 and transported materials to build two houses as well as barns for horses, sheep, and cattle. In the late 1920s, the island was sold to the New England Federation of Bird Clubs by Isaac Sprague, Jr. of Wellesley, Massachusetts. It was fittingly named the Isaac Sprague Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary. Since then the island has been allowed to revert back to natural vegetation to provide prime habitat for wildlife.
The island, situated in Salisbury, is about 100 acres in scope, and is now a Massachusetts wildlife sanctuary along with the smaller Eagle Island and Ram Island. The cache is at the head of an old boat landing for the ferry from Newbury Port - diagonally across from the end of Jefferson St on the Newburyport riverfront. The landing is still distinguishable by cut rocks, making finely built stone walls - many now in disrepair. The landing is mucky, and overgrown. Traces of the 300 year old road are still visible, and there was once an inn on the island. Within 50 yards of the landing, just below the peak of a small knoll that is immediately visible from the landing, is the cache. More instructions in the hint, since the coordinates are rough and approximate. ,/p>
DO NOT TRY TO SWIM ACROSS THE RIVER CHANNEL - THERE IS HEAVY BOAT TRAFFIC AND A STRONG CURRENT.
Newburyport history hide #3 of the series.
Information from http://www.clipperheritagetrail.com/