My View of Life on the Dock
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PHOTO BLOCK: program; Emcee Vionette “Vee” Chipperini, Dir. Cape Ann Veterans Services; Cata trolley; lining up for the parade to the Joan of Arc monument and Captain Lester S. Wass Post 3 American Legion following the beautiful Veterans Day Ceremony 2023 at Gloucester High School
As a result of the pandemic and lobby enhancements at GHS, Gloucester Civil War era coat was covered and stashed in the hallway. The temporary sign with an introduction to the display will soon be replaced by four permanent labels designed for this case. The BEFORE photographs were taken in 2015 by Kim Mimnaugh who after noticing disrepair and mold, sought care of the coat & case, and its forgotten history. A community restoration fundraising effort expanded in order to display the coat in full view. Valerie Marino shared news about possible funding through the Massachusetts State Historical Records Advisory Board (MA SHRAB) which was applied for and awarded in 2018 and 2019.
“I’m proud of our city volunteers, students and residents who came together to help raise awareness of this American artifact that has history to our country and to our local community,” said Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “With this SHRAB grant, as well as Awesome Gloucester and online fundraising monies, the education and heritage will live on for years to come.”…The SHRAB program is an extension of grants awarded by the Massachusetts Sesquicentennial Commission of the American Civil War with supporting services from the Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin and Massachusetts Archives Department, which features a rigorous and competitive qualifying process. The program reviewed hundreds of applications across the Commonwealth, but the ten-page application overview designed by two young activists, …was “enthusiastically” selected by Commonwealth Archivist Dr. John Warner and his committee.”
Gloucester’s Civil War-Era Coat
This exhibit tells the story about a noble coat and its cultural significance to Gloucester and American history.
- Title: Gloucester’s Civil War-era Coat
- Designer: Unknown
- Date: American 19th century, about 1860
- Owner: ______ (wearer once known)
- Media: Âľ length coat: linsey-woolsey (linen and wool mix), buttons, repairs & patches
- Dimensions: about 27” x 12” x 49” on the stand
- Credit line: City of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gift of Roger W. Babson (1875-1967) 1934 and dedicated May 30-31, 1935, GHS; Bequeathed to Babson by Albert W. Bacheler (1842-1929); Gift of wearer(s) once known, enslaved person(s), to Bacheler, December 1864.
Introduction label. Four permanent panels coming soon. Albert Bacheler (1842 Balasore, India -1929 Melrose, MA) was a Gloucester resident, GHS Principal, and community leader for 30 years beginning in 1884 until he retired in 1914. Under Bacheler, GHS acquired accreditation status to provide equal and higher educational opportunities for boys and girls, as well as athletic and extracurricular activities. He used the coat to inspire generations of students. Bacheler graduated from Dartmouth in 1871 where he also played baseball. Bacheler was a Civil War Veteran, New Hampshire 12th Regiment, Company E and POW.  He enlisted August 12, 1862 and fought in every battle albeit Cold Harbor including Gettysburg. He was captured and imprisoned in Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia. He escaped and received help from enslaved families–including this textile–as he traveled north. The coat afforded Bacheler warmth and camouflage to escape recapture as he made his way. Bacheler eventually reached safety, meeting up with the Eight United States Colored Cavalry. What happened to the people who helped him and the wearer of this coat is unknown. This exhibit honors their agency and Bacheler’s, educators, education, veterans, service and community.
Bacheler established the forerunner of what became the JROTC. I’m republishing this great read by educator Dr. Erik Anderson, a former GHS Principal himself.
A lengthy list of former GHS students and JROTC members, mentors, veterans, notables, businesses and organizations mentioned is incredible! Among them are: Leo Alper, Roger W. Babson, Albert Bacheler, Sargeant Barbosa, Melvin Bernstein, Kellogg G. Birdseye, Harry F. Bray, John Buckley, R. Wesley Burnham, Frank T. Chance, Roger Conant, Stephen Dexter, George Dolliver, Donald H. Emero, Saul Feldman, Charles Foster, Major Galbraith, Peter Garrisi, Jane Garrisi, Anthony Gentile, Ron Gilson, William Goodwin, Debbie Goodwin, David Greer, John F. Grillo Sr., Henry Hurwitz, Leslie O. Johnson, Arthur Jones, Benedict Karr, Mark Kennefick, Hilton Kramer, Phil Kramer, Clovis LaFond, Col. McBride, Captain McNerney, Thomas Morris, Morris Pett, David Pistenmaa, William Poirier, Herb Pomeroy, Kendrick Rattray, Henry Rosen, Levi Rudolph, Bob Ryan, Frank C. Shepherd, J. Raymond Silva, Richard R. Silva, Warren Silva, Benjamin A. Smith III, Robert Smith, Roy Spittle, William B. Squillace, Bob Stevenson, Oliver H. Story, Sgt. Tucker, Dick Wilson; and West Point and so many colleges and universities; extensive bibliography, newspapers, city archives and Sarah Dunlap.
**PLEASE NOTE THE EXCERPTS ARE INCOMPLETE & MAY NOT INCLUDE NAMES LISTED ABOVE. I WILL ADD THE FULL PDF LATER.**
“…as far as I’m concerned, it belongs to Gloucester and there is much, much more that could be researched and written.”
Dr. Erik Anderson. Anderson is an educator and former principal at Gloucester High School, Gloucester, MA, and White Mountains Regional High School, Whitefield, NH.
When Shadows Fall…
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Did you know, everything can be done online to become a tenant at Grove Street Self Storage. Simply visit our website: www.grovestreetselfstorage.com and click “start storing today!” From there you will be prompted to answer some questions as well as provide credit card information, it’s a pretty seamless process and a great option for someone looking for storage outside of our normal business hours.
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Alchemy. The Spot . Hale Street Tavern.Maggie’s Farm. Minglewood Harborside. 15 Walnut. Cala’s. American BBQ. Hallowed Ground. Dire Wolf Tavern.
Don’t forget the Holiday Craft Fair today (Saturday Nov 11) at the Gloucester Fraternity Club on Webster Street from 11 – 3. Many of your favorite vendors will be there AND you support a good cause: Special Needs Dances and Cape Ann Timebank.
I am often asked what brought us to Gloucester and I answer that my dad grew up here so it’s been in my blood my entire life, but I have never given deep thought to my Dad’s time here in Gloucester before he left for college never to return on a full time basis. The key factor in his departure as a young man was his time in the Army. Paul M. Ryan Jr was born in 1927 and turned 18 in 1945. That was his year of Gloucester High School graduation and his first enlistment. He had been an active member in the ROTC as you can see from the yearbook photos and given that it was 1945, I guess time in the service was inevitable.
Following his first enlistment he went to St. Bonaventure, a small Franciscan college in upstate New York. I have never known why he chose St. Bonaventure but it seems pretty clear from his time in high school that he was not destined to work on the water or wharf. I expect his time in college further confirmed that for him. His studies were interrupted by the Korean War and another 3 year enlistment from 1950-53.
The 1950 census indicates he was a college sophomore living in Gloucester earning $390 in that year. From this information I conclude he did return to Gloucester during his college breaks but once he graduated in 1956 and got married, he never returned to Gloucester on a full time basis. His siblings did stay and their stories differ, as family stories tend to do. But I think it was his time in service to our country that molded his future which was not made in Gloucester.
But Jim and I love it here and feel we belong no where else, so when people ask how long we have been here, my answer is along the lines of “All my life because my dad grew up here, we took a sabbatical but now we are back!” And I think we have the Army to thank (at least partially). So here’s to Dad and to all the Gloucester men and women whose lives were impacted by their time in service to the country.
Good Morning Gloucester 