Gloucester’s Stage Fort Park is spectacular | historic photos and summer concert series

Here are some scenes from July 23rd  during the 4 Ever Fab Beatles nicely played tribute band evening sponsored by Cape Ann Savings Bank, part of the 2017 line up for the annual Stage Fort Park summer concert series at the Antonio Gentile Bandstand. See the full 2017 schedule here  The crowd brought chairs and blankets. What a venue!

 

 

We walked to Stage Fort Park from City Hall and could hear 4 Ever Band on the approach from the Boulevard, and later Tablet Rock where we settled in with a picnic dinner. The band sounded great!

Here’s Stage Fort Park in 1901 with it’s grassy meadow expanse.

 

When you zoom in you can see the big ‘Battery K’-  for the Civil War 1861 to 1865 Fort Conant.

 

And this weekend.

 

Here’s a gorgeous aerial photo from the 1907 Tablet Rock dedication. There are several modes of transportation by land and sea. The well worn road was ground in from years of steady use, carriage trade and automobiles in this picture. The road is still prominent today.

Note the tents in this one.

 

Here’s another angle and a closer picture from the ground

John Hays Hammond, Sr. with his daughter Natalie (not looking happily back at the photographer). She pulled back the cord for the reveal. Hammond orchestrated and compelled the press coverage.

I’ll go into more details about the commission with Part II.

Here’s a detail of the plaque in 1907