Sitting off the northwest coast of Martha's Vineyard in Buzzard's Bay is a small island that was probably visited by Vikings around 1,000 A.D.
In 1873, the Anderson School of Natural History was built on Penikese Island by John Anderson, a tobacco merchant. He had originally constructed his summer home on the south end of the island, on a hill overlooking the sea. He donated Anderson Mansion to be part of the campus, which included a laboratory, a dorm and a dining hall. In addition, Anderson had given an endowment of $50,000 for the school, which was to hold classes for teachers. Anderson hired Alexander Agassiz who at that time was publicly recognized as America's leading scientist, to run the school.
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