Babson Cooperage, Dogtown, 1935

Posted on by Fredrik Bodin
Built in 1658, the Babson Cooperage is considered to be the first factory on Cape Ann. James Babson made barrels that were filled with fish and shipped to England, and other places around the world. I think the plaque tells it all: JAMES BABSON FARM “GRANTED BY SPECIAL TOWN ACT DECEMBER 23, 1658 JAMES AND HIS MOTHER, ISABEL, WERE THE FIRST BABSONS TO REACH AMERICA, ARRIVING IN 1632. JAMES’ FATHER DIED ON SHIPBOARD WHILE CROSSING. TOWN RECORDS SHOW THAT ISABEL WAS A VERY ACTIVE KINDLY AND BELOVED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. SHE DIED IN 1661. JAMES WAS A COOPER WHO MADE BARRELS, ETC. FROM LUMBER OBTAINED FROM THE ADJOINING MILL ON CAPE POND BROOK. HE MARRIED ELINOR HILL AND THEY HAD TEN CHILDREN. HE DIED IN 1683.” You can still go to this place for free: Open July – August Tuesday – Sunday 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (978) 546-2958 http://babsonhistorical.org/babson-museum/
Built in 1658, the Babson Cooperage is considered to be the first factory on Cape Ann. James Babson made barrels that were filled with fish and shipped to England, and other places around the world. I think the plaque tells it all:
JAMES BABSON FARM
“GRANTED BY SPECIAL TOWN ACT DECEMBER 23, 1658
JAMES AND HIS MOTHER, ISABEL, WERE THE FIRST BABSONS TO REACH AMERICA, ARRIVING IN 1632. JAMES’ FATHER DIED ON SHIPBOARD WHILE CROSSING.
TOWN RECORDS SHOW THAT ISABEL WAS A VERY ACTIVE KINDLY AND BELOVED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. SHE DIED IN 1661. JAMES WAS A COOPER WHO MADE BARRELS, ETC. FROM LUMBER OBTAINED FROM THE ADJOINING MILL ON CAPE POND BROOK. HE MARRIED ELINOR HILL AND THEY HAD TEN CHILDREN. HE DIED IN 1683.”
You can still go to this place for free: Open July – August
Tuesday – Sunday 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (978) 546-2958 http://babsonhistorical.org/babson-museum/
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Published by Fredrik Bodin

Fred Bodin is a photographer who owns a gallery on Main Street in downtown Gloucester, MA. The gallery features Fred's land and seascapes, as well as historic images printed from the old negatives.

6 thoughts on “Babson Cooperage, Dogtown, 1935”

  1. Is this the Babson Museum on the road to Rockport? If so, we stopped to go in but were a few days too late as it was closed for the season. We did visit Halibut Point, a wonderful old quarry.

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  2. Fred,
    Lot’s of history here abouot dog-town for sure thanks- Dog town common: Woman lived there with dogs during the revolutionary War with England and I was also told by Mom (80’s) now those women who were persecuted during the Salem Trails also moved there to escape the trials. Gloucester called Beautiful cove by the French Champlain…?

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  4. You know you may be going senile if:

    Saw Fred’s post on this in Facebook and stopped in Saturday afternoon and walked around the building. There were a couple of plastic grocery bags blown into the woods so I pulled them out stuffing them all into one then came upon some plastic wrapping for paint rollers and gathered them up. Went down the path across the tracks and got one soda top but overall pretty clean. On the way back I found some more trash bags and two more roller wrappers and started thinking of an inconsiderate painter then went back around the house and found more trash bags and two more roller wrappers. When I found the soda top again the (very dim) lightbulb went on.

    Yeah, the bag I was using had no bottom.

    Fun Fact: the wall below the building has etched in a large rock, “BEAVER DAM”. Anyone know why? (Besides the fact that maybe there were Beavers there with mad rock cutting skills.)

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