June 18, 2025 Geri Duff
June 29, 1946 was the day the Old Burrage Hospital burned on Bumpkin Island. Firefighters and equipment were transported across the harbor by boat. On the right side of the porch, you can see a firefighter on the roof. In the past the Island was used by Native Americans, Colonial farmers, and later a fish-drying operation. In 1904, Albert Burrage, a noted Harvard Attorney had the hospital built for crippled children and in one season over 160 children were treated with only five deaths. During WWI, the island was taken over for use as a US Naval Training camp, and after the war was briefly used for polio patients. Closed during WWII the building had been abandoned at the time of the fire. Remnants of the building may be found on the island today. This photo is from the archives of the Bare Cove Fire Museum.