June 30, 2026 · The BlackEvents Team

The Cottagers of Oak Bluffs: Inside the Historic Black Sisterhood Anchoring Vineyard Summer

The Cottagers, Inc. — founded 1955, still going strong. In 2026, the reopening of Cottagers Corner marks a new chapter. Here is the history, the programming, and how to plug in.

If you spend any time on Martha's Vineyard in the summer, you will hear the word Cottagers. It comes up at brunches, at porch cocktail hours, at book festivals, at Union Chapel. The Cottagers isn't a place — it's a Who. And in 2026, after a full renovation of Cottagers Corner, the sisterhood is entering a new chapter in its 71st year.

Here's the guide.

Who the Cottagers are

The Cottagers, Inc. is a civic and cultural organization of Black women homeowners on Martha's Vineyard, founded in 1955. The membership has always been small — historically 100 members, all Black women who own homes on the island — but the reach is out of proportion to the size. The Cottagers have been running scholarships, civic events, and cultural programming for seven decades.

Their headquarters, Cottagers Corner, sits in the heart of Oak Bluffs. In summer, it functions as a community center — lectures, storytelling, cultural gatherings — and it doubles as the institutional memory of Black Martha's Vineyard.

The founding intent was straightforward: create a formal space for Black women summering on the Vineyard to organize, gather, and give back. That intent has held. The programming has widened. But the mission — sisterhood, service, cultural preservation — is the same.

The 2026 moment: Cottagers Corner reopening

June 24, 2026 — Cottagers Corner formally reopened after a comprehensive renovation.

The building had been in service for decades but was overdue for upgrades. The renovation preserved the historic character while updating everything from accessibility to programming infrastructure. The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together members, alumni, community, and public officials.

The reopening also marks a shift: Cottagers Corner is now positioned to host a wider public-facing programming calendar than ever. Where the previous era of the building had leaned more members-only, the renovated version leans community-facing — with a summer of lectures, storytelling, family events, and benefit concerts announced.

The 2026 summer calendar

The reopening year comes with a heavy events lineup. Key public dates:

Thursday, July 16 — 39th Annual House Tour. 10 AM – 3 PM. The signature Cottagers fundraiser — a tour of Vineyard homes, historically anchored by Cottager-owned properties. Tickets required.
Thursday, July 30 — Jeffrey Osborne benefit concert at the Strand Theatre. Cottagers-sponsored. The Strand seats around 200; small-venue Jeffrey Osborne is a specific magic.
Thursday, August 6 — Family dance party at the Tabernacle. 5 – 7 PM. Multi-generational, family-coded, one of the season's warmest hours.
Throughout the summer at Cottagers Corner — lectures, panels, children's storytelling, community programming. Check the calendar during your visit.

The Cottagers Corner building

Historic structure, now renovated, in the heart of Oak Bluffs. The building sits within walking distance of Ocean Park, Circuit Ave, and the Inkwell. Programming spills onto the porch and the surrounding lawn in warm weather.

Cottagers Corner is small. That's part of the charm. Programming feels intimate in a way that bigger venues can't reproduce. Lectures fit 40-50 people. Children's storytelling wraps kids around chairs and on the floor. The porch is the after-party.

How to plug in (non-members welcome)

Cottagers programming is largely public. You do not need to be a member to attend most events — many programs are ticketed and open, and the annual House Tour and benefit concerts are actively looking for wider community support.

How to know what's on:

Cottagers Corner during your visit. Programming schedules are posted at the building and in the surrounding Oak Bluffs businesses.
The Vineyard Gazette — the island paper covers Cottagers events routinely.
The Cottagers, Inc. website — the official calendar lives at thecottagersincofmv.org
Word of mouth on the Vineyard. Truly. Ask at brunch. Ask on the porch. Ask at the Inkwell. The community shares.

How to support:

Buy tickets to the House Tour and benefit concerts — these directly fund the organization's scholarships and programs.
Donate directly (the org accepts donations year-round).
Show up. Community organizations run on attendance, and Cottagers programming reads healthiest when the room is full.

The bigger context

The Cottagers exist within a network of Black institutional life on the Vineyard. Union Chapel (nondenominational, historic, still active). The African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard (self-guided, worth doing). The various family foundations that quietly fund Vineyard community work. And the multi-generational homeowning families that anchor Oak Bluffs, East Chop, and the Highlands.

The Cottagers are the most-visible member-based organization of that network. Their programming — like the House Tour, like the benefit concerts, like the reopened Corner — is one of the most legible ways for a visitor to plug into the Vineyard's Black civic life.

Membership (a note)

Cottagers membership has historically been limited to Black women homeowners on Martha's Vineyard. That's still the current model. Non-owners cannot join. If you're a Vineyard homeowner considering membership, the org's website has details on the application process — and expect a real vetting process (this is a serious 71-year-old institution, not an open club).

For first-time visitors: how the Cottagers show up

Even if you don't attend a Cottagers event, you'll feel their presence. The building on the corner. The mention in every guidebook. The tables set up at community events. The scholarships that fund island young people. The lectures posted on flyers around Oak Bluffs.

The Cottagers are one of the reasons Black Martha's Vineyard has held its coherence across seven decades — a formal organization doing steady, unglamorous, generational work.

What to wear (a note)

Cottagers events are dressed. Not formal in a black-tie sense — but the "considered casual" that MV baseline reads as. A linen midi. A silk blouse and wide-leg pant. A well-tailored blazer with a knit polo. No shorts, no flip-flops, no beach cover-ups.

See the MV / Oak Bluffs style guide → for the fuller take.

Sisterhood, service, and the deep memory of a place.