I’d like to introduce my new friends Abbott and Costello.  I rescued them from the recent vintage sale held at the Second Glance for the princely sum of $16.  For some reason, I was drawn to them and needed to bring them home.  Of course my first instinct was to do some research and I learned they are majolica monk pieces and their value online appears to be at least twice what I paid–perhaps more.  (So a big shout out to Second Glance pricing!) This pottery style is quite popular and I can see why.  I think I have a new obsession and I have Second Glance to thank for it. And GMG Jimmy is REALLY happy to have new brick-a-brack around!!

We all like to watch the waves.  Guardian cormorants appear to be on wave watching duty on the back shore recently.

One, however, on the far right wouldn’t leave his post despite REALLY needing to go.

 

The sun came out, so I decided to take a ride up the Scenic Coastal Byway to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.  The light is so pretty in early summer! Perhaps it was my polarized sunglasses, but no matter. It was so beautiful I did not even mind the one lane traffic at the Essex bridge.  It’s always a treat to see what I can find at Parker River. Though all the beaches are closed to accommodate nesting birds (except some access at Lot 1), I am always able to find cool stuff.

On June 16 from 10 AM – 3 PM, Parker River is hosting a free event they are calling “Let’s Get Outside”. It’s free and they are offering several interesting programs for families.  Check it out here.

When I first started family history research in the cemeteries of Gloucester, Seaside Cemetery confused me greatly. I’d been told in strict terms there was a Gloucester side (now I know this is Seaside Cemetery) and the Rockport side (Locust Grove). Although two separate cemeteries, they are both technically located in the City of Gloucester and seem to share a border.

A Guide to Cemeteries in Essex County Massachusetts by the Essex Society of Genealogists (1991) describes Seaside as “flat with many oak trees, granite wall”. Locust Grove is noted to include Folly Cove Cemeter and is “well kept and hilly”.  I agree on these points.  My recent observations are that most of both of these appears to be fairly modern. Most of what I see are modern style granite markers, although, as always there is an older section.

Perhaps due to the time of year, but it also seems there is a great deal of vegetation. It seems to me that there’s more here than in most cemeteries. This is part of what makes each cemetery have its own personality. It’s very pretty and soothing.

The veteran section of Locust Grove was dedicated in 1938 by the American Legion and it was looking spiffy all done up for Memorial Day.

I noticed many many red and yellow flags marking graves. These noted Rockport firefighters. These men and women are well taken care of and I think it’s timely to note this since the Gloucester Firefighters Memorial will be held this weekend.

My uncle was recently buried at Locust Grove and I am happy he’s in such a beautiful, well cared for resting place.

 

From the Gloucester Fire Department News Blog:

*MEDIA ADVISORY*

Gloucester Fire Department Invites Residents to Firefighters Memorial Service

GLOUCESTER —  Chief Eric Smith invites the public to join the Gloucester Fire Department at its annual Firefighters Memorial service this weekend.

WHEN:

Sunday, June 10, at 9 a.m.

WHERE:

Cherry Hill Cemetery next to Addison Gilbert Hospital

WHO:

• Gloucester Fire Department
• Gloucester Fire Fighters Relief Association

WHAT:

The Gloucester Fire Department will hold a ceremony to honor the deceased firefighters who have served the Gloucester community.

A drum-led procession will march up Washington Street, from the Department of Public Works to the Firefighters Memorial Site at Cherry Hill Cemetery. Once there, the department will honor its fallen firefighters and will place wreaths and flags on their graves.

“It’s an honor to pay our respects to those who have come before us and sacrificed on behalf of the City of Gloucester,” Chief Smith said. “I hope residents will take the time to join us for this traditional tribute to the firefighters who served our community and dedicated their lives to keeping it safe.”

Here’s part of an article from the June 12 1922 Gloucester Daily Times naming those lost for that year’s ceremony.  It is difficult to read due to the method of digitization but, sadly, the list is long.

Interestingly, it also appears in the June 12 1922 edition of the Gloucester Daily Times that the Firemen’s Monument was dedicated at Cherry Hill Cemetery that year.

The Department is to be commended for maintaining a long history of this memorial service. Godspeed to all past and present.

 

I went down to Good Harbor Beach and found many things that made me smile: nesting plovers, protective killdeer parents chasing off crows from the chicks, people relaxing, lazy waves.  Here are some of the other things down there that made me smile.  I hope the same for you. It was a glorious day.

Our friend Joey probably already knows this, but did you know that Weber grills derived from a buoy cut in half? On my drive from New York to Gloucester recently I was catching up on my podcast list.  One of my favorites, Highlights from Moncrieff, features a segment called “Stuff That Changed The World”.  I was delighted to hear about how the barbecue changed the world.  The episode included the turning point that occurred in the 1950s in Chicago (now considered home of the Weber grill) when George Stephen Sr tinkered around and cut a buoy in half to create the first charcoal grill as we know it today. There is a very interesting article here if you are as obsessed as a certain friend of ours with Weber grills and their history.

From the Smithsonian Magazine website, a picture of the first marketed Barbecue Kettle. I think you can see how it developed from the halved buoy.

I find is fascinating that this device that “changed the world” originated with a classic iconic image of this area: the buoy.  And here’s one in use today—maybe you can guess where I found it.  I think you can see this grill has stayed true to its roots; my kind of grill.

 

Still beautiful and a sight for sore eyes.

Looking forward to returning to Crane Beach

Thursday’s Gloucester Daily Times reported that Second Glance will be hosting a special event this weekend to showcase vintage treasures that have been donated.  The shelves will be cleared and re-stocked with special vintage items; there will also be music and food.  This sounds like a great time and I encourage you to check it out.  Open at 2 Pond Road today, Saturday, from 9-7 and tomorrow, Sunday, from 11-5.

Today, May 30, is the original and traditional date for Memorial Day.  An interesting history of the holiday is available on History.com and I encourage you to check it out if you aren’t familiar with how the three day weekend to mark the beginning of summer came about.  Originally it was set aside for marking the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers with flowers and flags.  The meaning and significance of the day has evolved as time has gone by, and sometimes May 30 is forgotten in the shuffle of the parades, picnics and family gatherings.  Today, let’s take a moment to remember.

Until very recently, Gloucester has not technically been my home. But, in my heart, it’s always held that distinction. We’ve been away and I’m homesick. One of my screensaver slideshows contains some of the Gloucester memories that bring a smile to my face.  I thought I’d share some of those memories.

It’s not entirely a coincidence that each of these includes the water since we are landlocked in our current location.  But, we’ll be home soon! We know the way.

Happy Memorial Day.  Fly your flag!

 

 

Some symbols of America in honor of Memorial Day and the start of Summer ’18:

Boulevard

Baseball (Tebow at bat in Binghamton)

Baby eagle learning to represent

Happy Memorial Day Weekend and Welcome Summer ’18!

Photo assistance provided by GMG Jimmy.

Some food for thought for Memorial Day weekend: As the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1 approaches later this year, it seems appropriate to turn attention toward a little known federal effort to provide some comfort to the the mothers and widows of fallen soldiers oversees. From 1930-33, the federal government provided almost 6700 mothers and unmarried widows of fallen soldiers to travel, all expenses paid, to visit the burial grounds of their sons and husbands oversees–mostly in France.  These trips were two weeks in length and much appreciated by the women who chose to travel. By all account, this unprecedented federal effort was run efficiently and with great care toward the comforts of the women (or Pilgrims as they were known).

Ancestry.com provides access to records indicating that there were 4 women living in Gloucester around 1930 who were eligible Pilgrims: Mrs. Effie Kittredge (son Paul); Mrs. Joseph Kite (son Clement Cresson); Mrs. Josephine Karem (son Thomas) and Mrs. Edith Cunningham (son Philip). These are the records listed by county.

It is worth noting that by 1930, many of the widows and mothers may have moved from the original residence of the soldier.  All had certainly aged.  The health and mobility of the mothers in particular created issues for the trip planners and surely prevented some from traveling no matter how much they may have wanted to.  We do not know for certain if any of these made the pilgrimage.

One of these families appears to have had a long history in Gloucester: the Cunningham family.  William T. Cunningham and Edith (Rowe) Cunningham were native to Gloucester and had five children, including Philip.  Ancestry.com further provides access to U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976 which includes Harvard’s Military Record in the World War:

It seems certain Philip represented Gloucester well in his service.  He and his parents are buried at Oak Grove Cemetery. All are worth a moment’s thought some time over this Memorial Day weekend.

 

 

Shows you how close peace can be to turmoil just on the other side.

This is a call box I found on the side of a house on East Main Street recently.  Clearly, it has been well cared for and is even painted that “public safety blue” to indicate its purpose. These were used to report emergencies in the days prior to widespread telephone availability in homes.

The Gamewell Company manufactured this signal or call box which were common to this area.  From the Hamden Fire Retirees website (I had to do a fair amount of searching for this information and ended up in Connecticut!):

The Gamewell Co. manufactured police and fire alarm communications equipment for municipalities.  The company was originally headquartered in New York City and then in Newton, Massachusetts.

The website further states: Gamewell municipal fire alarm systems are still utilized today, especially in the Boston area. I found that interesting given our proximity to Boston.

City Directories were available in the days before telephone books and gave citizens information about call box locations. This is from the 1917 Gloucester City Directory and you can see the box above, no. 14, was located at East Main, cor. Highland.

Immediately following these locations, the City Directory provided the code for various signals across the city.  I’m afraid I would have had to refer to the directory each and every time since it seems complicated, but I can imagine schoolchildren knew exactly that they should listen for “nine blows”. I have not quite figured out the Imaginary Boxes, perhaps these were places telephones were available to send an alarm out for neighborhood distribution.

I guess the various signals are not so different from today’s changing ring tones or text message alerts, but one hundred years later, we once again find ourselves living in a world where landlines are less likely to be found in homes.  Food for thought.

It’s beautiful, but it’s not Glosta.

Lake Erie sunset

We recently visited our daughter who lives in Erie PA. I spent most of my childhood on the shores of Lake Erie, where my dad settled after he left Gloucester following college. I had wondered if living on Lake Erie helped my dad remember his hometown. There are many similar sights since they are both coastal communities.

Presque Isle Lighthouse

 

When my son-in-law teased us about staying at the hotel on the lakefront, he said “You just have to see the water, don’t you?” And we agreed.  But I responded “True, but I do miss the salt air.” Erie is nice enough, but it’s not Glosta.

Another sight you might see in Gloucester.

Spotted the Ardelle recently coming out of the fog on the harbor.  Beautiful.