Why the Name?

“Wrinkle Point” is to the West’ard at the mouth of Bass River, so named because at the beginning of things in this town, “wrinkles” or “winkles” were so plentiful around the thatch they were used for food. Tradition has it that on “wash out” days during the salt industry of a century or more ago, winkle dinners were served right on the shore. A crackling fire was built of driftwood, iron pots were hung on a rod supported by tripods, and the winkles, deadly enemy of oysters and quahogs, were tossed into the pot for boiling. What a treat for our summer folks!

So this community near where Bass River feeds into Nantucket Sound is named after an antiquated community event from a long time ago. We don’t boil winkles on the beaches anymore, but this former activity has been replaced by many more current community events at Wrinkle Point!