Dike Bridge, Chappaquiddick Island, MA
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 41° 22.408 W 070° 27.233
19T E 378417 N 4581235
Site of the infamous car accident which cost U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy his chance of becoming President of the United States, and Mary Jo Kopechne her life.
Waymark Code: WM16HQY
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/06/2022
Views: 4
On the evening of July 18, 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and his cousin Joseph Gargan hosted a party on the somewhat secluded Chappaquiddick Island, a part of Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. They were participating in that year’s Edgartown Yacht Club Regatta and had invited their entire crew as well as the “Boiler Room Girls:” women who had worked on Robert Kennedy’s 1968 Presidential campaign staff.
Around midnight, Senator Kennedy left the party with Mary Jo Kopechne driving off in the Senator’s car. The accident occurred at a small bridge which led to a secluded beach on the eastern edge of the island. The car plunged off the south side of the bridge into Poucha Pond. Ted Kennedy managed to escape from the submerged vehicle, but Mary Jo Kopechne became trapped and drowned.
Senator Kennedy’s actions after the accident cannot be described as anything but bizarre: he walked back to the party, returned to the accident scene, was driven to the ferry landing where he swam across the channel to Edgartown and spent the rest of the night in his hotel room. It wasn’t until the next morning, after he had returned to Chappaquiddick Island and found out that the accident had been discovered, that he reported it to the authorities.
A number of potential crimes come to mind, but Ted Kennedy was only charged with leaving the scene of an accident and was given a two-month suspended sentence. Kennedy was expected to run for President in 1972 but after the accident, he dropped out of the race. And although the people of Massachusetts continued to elect Ted Kennedy as their Senator, it is generally accepted that the “Chappaquiddick Incident” prevented him from ever becoming President.
Date of crime: 07/18/1969
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: no
Web site: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.
We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark.