Martha’s Vineyard is the setting for a May 1981 excursion that combined travel, photography, celebrity recognition, and an investigation of the Chappaquiddick accident. The diary’s account gives the island a double character: a picturesque destination and a place where visitors retraced the steps of a consequential event.

Setting and Arrival

From Falmouth Harbor, Andy Warhol and Jon Gould chartered a 70-foot boat that Warhol liked. The crossing to Martha’s Vineyard took an hour. Gould wore the long pearls Warhol had given him; the diary describes how they looked on him as beautiful, and compares his appearance to that of a deep-sea fisherman.

They arrived at Oak Bluff, noted for its gingerbread houses, and photographed a wedding there. The bride was Irish and the groom was from South America, making the island stop both a scenic visit and an occasion to record a celebration.

Edgartown and Public Recognition

The pair then drove to Edgartown, hungry enough to go across the street to the Colonial Inn. There, people brought out copies of Popism and Interview for Warhol to autograph. One child also produced a Tate Gallery poster of Warhol’s Marilyn. Their lunch cost $120, and the encounter placed the island outing within the familiar pattern of Warhol being recognized through his publications and images.

Chappaquiddick and the Accident

After Edgartown, Warhol and Gould took the ferry to Chappaquiddick with their car; the crossing cost $5. They photographed a man who recounted where and how the accident had happened and explained why he did not believe the account of it. Warhol and Gould then retraced the steps to assess whether Ted Kennedy had been guilty in the accident, and concluded that he had.

The diary thus records Martha’s Vineyard not only as a leisure destination but as the starting point for a deliberate examination of the Chappaquiddick site. Its sequence—from harbor crossing to island villages, then by ferry to the location of the accident—makes the visit’s movement itself part of the account.