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Reader Cynthia Hill wrote the following in response to a recent GMG post, Thanksgiving Day Brace Cove Gloucester:
Hi Kim,
Can someone prove to me that this is Brace Cove, when for 65 years it’s been Brace’s Cove?
Old maps show it both ways, but I spent a third of my life there ~ always at Brace’s Cove.
When I was small, all our parents “managed Brace’s”, kept it clean and raked, had many a great
clam bakes in front of the Kaknes’ house, all to keep us kids safe during the polio scare.
Every time I see your beautiful photos, I think Brace’s Cove….I’ve explored maps at Fred’s.
Would love it if an “old timer” such as myself, could help sort this out.
Happy Holidays,
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia, Here’s what I found in Joe Garland’s book Eastern Point, page 11, 2nd paragraph:
“Incidentally, this is one of the earliest references to what should properly be called Brace Cove, variously identified as Bracy’s and Brase’s in contemporary documents. Viewed as a proper name, the etymology leads to a dead end; but rid yourself of that mental set, and the derivation is surpassingly direct: a brace, from the Middle English and Old French, was an arm. Brace is an obsolete word for an arm of the sea, an inlet–a perfect figure of speech in the case of the stunning cove whose waters are so nearly embraced by the lethal, pincer-like arms of Brace Rock and Bemo Ledge.”
Cynthia, I too have seen it spelled several different ways on antique and newer maps. Perhaps if they have a spare moment, some of our “old timer” readers will weigh in–it would be very much appreciated. Thank you!
Vertical Panorama with Moon Courtesy Liv Hauck
Good Morning Gloucester 
I grew up calling it Brace’s. It’s a bit jarring to me when stopping to think and call it “Brace” Cove as I’ve never heard it referred to as that.
Taking it further as kids and teens we’d never add the Cove part. We’d say let’s go down to “Brace’s” and everyone in our group would know exactly what we meant.
I believe that’s where Saint Barry proposed to Sista Felicia
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Hey Joey,
It was just Brace’s for us too!
Hope all is well.
xxx
Cynthia
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From Facebook, Peter Higgins writes, “No proof, but I have always said Brace Cove.”
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As another Old-timer who grew up in Gloucester, we always sair Brace’s cove. Likewise no proof, just the way we locals referred to this beautiful spot.
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I published a book of poems a while ago, titled Brace’s Cove (New Issues Press) intending it partly as an homage to Fitz Henry Lane, who did a gorgeous half-empty, half full, serene or sad, American Zen series of paintings of the rock and cove toward the end of his life. I knew Joe Garland well, and knew that he had a very strong opinion that it should be called Brace Cove. I went and warned Joe I wanted to use the apostrophe version, because that’s what Lane called it. Joe harumphed a bit, but then I showed him Lane’s handwritten pencil version, complete with the apostrophe. It’s not right, he said, but go ahead– just remember that Lane has had some trouble with his name, too. (It had recently been discovered that Lane had mistakenly been called Fitzhugh, instead of Fitz Henry.) I went ahead and was very grateful that Joe liked the book.
Obviously the cove and rock have long been called both ways.
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Mr. Pringle refers to it as Brace’s Cove back in 1892 in “The History of Gloucester”. But, I tend to think he got it wrong, much like most of us.. https://archive.org/stream/historyoftowncit00priniala#page/26/mode/2up/search/brace+
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Sandy Logrande adds from Facebook: “NOT SURE which is the correct way, but THAT’S where my parents got engaged! LOVE Brace’s!!”
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Thank you everyone for writing!
My kids always refer to it as Brace’s and it wasn’t until I began blogging that I noticed the two different spellings. My theory, and this is just a theory, is that perhaps as Joe Garland wrote, its earliest name was Brace Cove from the old English for brace. Over time, similarly to nearly all the coves in this area of Gloucester, an apostrophe ‘s was included: for example Wonson’s Cove and Smith’s Cove, because they are possessive, or belonging to the family for which the cove was named. It didn’t matter that the word Brace was being used as noun, rather than a proper name, possibly people just assumed there was a Brace family at some point. For example, we don’t say Lobster’s Cove.
Another theory as to why the apostrophe s was added: possibly when referring to Brace Rock, people began to call it Brace’s Rock, the rock that belongs to Brace Cove, which with the passage of time led to Brace Cove becoming Brace’s Cove
As I said, only theories. At home we’ll continue to call it Brace’s and I am still undecided about how to write the name!
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To screw you up further Kim, as kid’s we called the “Rock”, Elephant Rock…..at a certain
tide she looked like one. There is no history on that, but Brace’s she remains for me.
Thanks everyone for all the great comments.
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