Menemsha is a small

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

located in the town of Chilmark on the island of

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes th ...

in Dukes County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It is located on the east coast of Menemsha Pond, adjacent to the opening into the Vineyard Sound on the pond's northern end. The village's historic

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

serves as the point of departure for local fishermen, some from multi-generational fishing families, as well as charter boats to the

Elizabeth Islands The Elizabeth Islands are a chain of small islands extending southwest from the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the United States. They are located at the outer edge of Buzzards Bay, north of Martha's Vineyard, from which they are ...

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 Aquinnah ( wam, Âhqunah) is a town located on the western end of Martha's Vineyard island, 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 beaut ...

. Menemsha is the location of a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

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''. Sunset at Menemsha Harbor

Notes

Beaches of Massachusetts Massachusetts Landforms of Massachusetts Swimming venues in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Massachusetts ...

Fishing communities in the United States Geography of Martha's Vineyard Landforms of Dukes County, Massachusetts Populated coastal places in Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Chilmark, Massachusetts Villages in Dukes County, Massachusetts Villages in Massachusetts {{USCG-stub