I received an inquiry from Kim, an FOB wondering if I had any photos of Shellfish Warden Robert “Stubby” Knowles (1933-2004). I responded that I did not but that I recommend she try the Sawyer Free Library online digital newspaper resources. Then came the day I needed a post so I followed my own advice and here you see some of the results. I did find a couple of photos (obviously newspaper photos so not great digital quality) from the Gloucester Daily Times April 18 1987 and Oct 11 1978. My research also turned up notification that he had been awarded the NOAA Hero Award in 2005 honoring him for being a “patriarch of coastal wetland protection and restoration”. He himself reported having been threatened numerous times and having his home firebombed so extra kudos to him for his service to our City and the coastal wetlands.
I am including a photo of the icon you should use if you would like to do your own newspaper research using Sawyer Free Library resources. Fair warning, it can be a BIG time suck because it’s hard to turn it off once you hit your research mark. You may need your library card number for some of the resources but for the Cape Ann Newspapers 1827-1990 you do not. Happy hunting!
Good Morning Gloucester 