Rock Island is the eye of the the flying duck (check out the FPC logo at the top of this web page). In the picture above, taken from the Foster's Pond Dam, it's that small, green dome in the center.

About an acre in size, Rock Island is Andover's only Town-owned island. For many years, an enterprising family had a two-story summer retreat on the island, complete with a well, an outhouse, and electricity.

But the house - unreachable whenever the ice becomes too thick to row through but too thin to walk on - fell into disuse, and the property was taken by the Town for non-payment of taxes. After nighttime visitors nearly set the abandoned house ablaze with a carelessly tossed cigarette, the Town had the structure bulldozed, a project which required the contractor to risk deep-sixing his backhoe crossing back and forth over the Pond's sometimes treacherous winter ice.

The destruction of the house also left behind a hazardous and unsightly pile of rubble. Area residents organized a massive clean-up effort in 2003, removing tons of rubbish by hand and rowboat, a piece at a time. In July, 2007, a small crew returned to saw up foundation beams that had been left by the first crew. Then, in October, 2007, volunteers made a final push to get the remaining junk off the island.

The island has become increasingly popular as a picnic spot. And, in a novel use, a group of Andover High School students chose the island as the site of their do-it-yourself version of the TV hit show, Survivor.

The island features striking granite outcroppings which give Rock Island its name. The island is now conservation land, under the jurisdiction of the Town's Conservation Commission. Open to the public, the island is most easily reached by canoe or rowboat, launched from the Corporation's "pocket park" adjacent to the Foster's Pond Dam.