Clam Tucker ~ On the ‘Squam, circa 1900 Alice M. Curtis/©Bodin Historic Photo
Clam Tucker is one of my favorite photos, and I always try to keep a print hanging in the gallery. My best guess on the location is the Mill River in Gloucester. Clam (Osmond “Clam” Tucker) kept his boat and had his clam shack on Clam Alley, which was paved with his shucked clams, and is across Washington Street from Gee Avenue.
I have talked to people in the gallery who knew Clam Tucker when they were children. Their parents sent them with buckets to buy his clams, and they timidly entered his shack where he told them stories. One person even claimed to have his clay pipe.
One piece of the puzzle that I haven’t solved yet is the type of boat this is. It can be rowed and also sailed. Any ideas?
Printed from the original 5×7 inch glass negative in my darkroom.
Fred Bodin
Bodin Historic Photo
82 Main Street
Gloucester, MA 01930
Good Morning Gloucester 
We need more of these from Fred’s collection. Perhaps he’d be willing to share more?
LikeLike
Watch for more from Fred. He asked if GMG would be interested in the photos and history, and of course I said yes!
LikeLike
What a great photo! Loved seeing this.
LikeLike
Hello Uncle Fred,
Izzy has been hanging around my rooms for nearly twenty years. There is a wiley (no pun intended) poise in his face and pose – yes? He has seen much up there and has said not a word. I am most appreciative.
Remember well when you scored those priceless glass negatives – Fred you are the king of the parlay and the best upstairs neighbor a man could have.
Hope to see you in the summer sir.
Mark
LikeLike
Great picture of Clam Tucker and his boat, Fred. I remember being in Herb Montgomery’s boatshop in the early 50’s when they had a similar boat hauled up for repairs. It was a lapstrake double-ender about 14-15′ long
I’ve been doing a series of paintings of coastal trading ship. Just finished one of the Sch “Alice Wentworth” rounding Thatcher’s with a load of salt from Gloucester to Boothbay. I’d like to do one of the old stone sloops that hauled grantie from Lanesville and Rockport up and down the coast during the 1800s and early 1900s. If anyone has a picture of one of them(and name), I hope you will post it.
Joe, I’d post a picture of my painting if I can figure out how to do it here
LikeLike
Just email it to goodmorninggloucester@yahoo.com
LikeLike
It’s on it’s way to you
LikeLike
Fred! Mark! Hello neighbors and friends!
best.
deb
LikeLike
We have this same photo hanging in our house, we did buy it a Bodin Galleries, we also have two other photos, but Clam Tucker was our first purchase, we live on the Mill River.
LikeLike
Just info, Oarsy Tucker lived in the same shack in clam alley for years. we would sit with him often as we summered on Mill river in the 50’s . My family knew him well as my aunt and uncle ( Monroe) lived at 1 Gee Ave. I would clam with him often and he used a similar skiff as Clam Tucker –
Jay Tucker
LikeLike