“What’s in a Name?” is a new original series from 1623 Studios in partnership with the Gloucester Historical Commission. On this episode, Mary Ellen Lepionka explains the history behind place names on Cape Ann and their Algonquian roots. Mary Ellen is an independent scholar researching the history of Cape Ann from the last Ice Age to around 1750 for a book on the subject and is a trustee of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society and co-chair of the Gloucester Historical Commission. Visit her website at www.capeannhistory.org.

http://gloucester-ma.gov/index.aspx?NID=109

submitted by Becky Tober Cape Ann TV

Any day on the beach is a good day, but boy was it cold on Pebble Beach.

Some scenes taken on a sunny day at Dunfudgin Ramp. Of course, I needed to do a little research on this and imagine my surprise to learn that Dunfudgin means pretty much exactly what it sounds like! From A Guide to the Maximus Poems of Charles Olson by George F. Butterick available on Google Books: “When a boat was brought through the Cut three hundred years ago, the crew had to fudge it along with poles. As soon as they reached deeper water, however, with broader steerageway, they could ship their poles and hoist their sail; they were done fudging. Hence that became the name of the spot, a name which suggests welcome relief from tiresome struggles against tide and wind.”