Author: Pat D

Here’s a sight I haven’t come across in a while: hard working clammers at Conomo Point this week.

I took advantage of an opportunity offered by the William Haskell House and the Gloucester 400 to participate in a guided tour of the historic William Haskell House on Lincoln Street in Gloucester last Sunday. It was VERY interesting. It was a lovely spring-like day and our guide Vijay took 5 of us who had signed up previously on a 1 hour tour of the house and grounds. He stated he was doing 6 tours that day and they were all filled up. It was a “pay what you wish” event so no money was paid until you decided what you’d like to give. It was well worth the donation and the time. If you have any interest in Gloucester history or house history, I think this is the tour you want. It’s the most complete replication of a house from 1680s you can hope to experience. The donations collected will go toward further restoration. It is advertised as a lodging and Vijay told us they are considering hosting events as well. Well worth checking out! We were transported straight back to the early days of Gloucester and it was fascinating.

I hope each of you gave a little extra love today and received the same in return. Meanwhile, I found my first beach glass at Pavilion beach while setting this scene for you.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were fortunate enough to be able to get a little tour of the house my Dad grew up in on Haskell St. The current owner, Jeff Martin, had found a number of items in the attic walls when he did some renovations, including some old letters.

The family name on the letters is Goodwin and they were previous residents at the house around 1900. Since I have Goodwins in my family tree, he graciously allowed us to take them with us. The household in the 1900 census included father Charles, Mother Catherine, Daughters Ellen and Clara, Wm. Reed and his wife Mabel. A very loyal reader David Collins graciously provided the image of the census record as well as some background information to prove I am related to these Goodwins. THANKS DAVID!!!

They are a delightful example of sibling communications and I think could be compared to texting today. I thought you might enjoy the following transcription from one of the letters dated Aug 18 1896. It’s a treasure.

Most delightfully, this letter includes primitive drawings labeled The house where Ed lives and Chas house. Also figures labeled Pork, Margarita Ann, Charlie calling car for Ipswich and Mabel G. I cannot identify these for certain, but Mabel G is probably another sister. Elena married Frederic Riggs and perhaps that is Ed (?)

I also heard from Jeanette Marchant who lived near Elena “Gert” Gertrude Goodwin Riggs (husband Frederic) in later years. It’s lovely to hear from the readers, so thank you very much.

I have been doing these Barns Along the Byway posts since 2019 and still haven’t run out of interesting barn structures along the Essex Scenic Byway. Over the years, some of the barns I’ve highlighted are more modern and others are older. Some are still standing and some are not. Some are prominently seen from the road and others are more hidden. This one in Essex is set back a little bit from the road and more easily seen when traveling one side of the road than the other, but I just love its character. The one things each of the barns I post have in common is their character, as seen through my eyes. I hope you feel the same.

We often drive north to the Newburyport area and therefore find ourselves going through Rowley regularly. We’ve been curious about Three Sweet Peas Bakery on Main St in Rowley and so we stopped by yesterday. WOW! It’s a small shop just jammed with goodies of all sorts in nearly every cubby and corner. There are baked goods, sandwiches, prepared foods, frozen foods and more! There’s a small seating area in case you want to linger. The staff is friendly and helpful. You’re going to need to plan a little time just to look around and ponder your choices. We came home with a scone, sugar cookies and cheese ravioli! It is certain to become a normal stop on our trips in that direction.

I didn’t think the newly located Vietnam Memorial at Stage Fort Park could look any better, but I was wrong. New pergolas have recently been installed and lighting will be coming also. It looked especially pretty in the fog as the sun rose yesterday.

When we visit the Paint Factory, I am usually looking at the surrounding beauty with more of a “macro” viewpoint. We went up there on one of our recent gray days and I took a more “micro” view. If I hadn’t told you where these were taken, would you have known?

I guess it’s another follow up to a recent post, this time from Nichole, regarding the 1606 Beauport! We were gifted a generous Greater Cape Ann Chamber gift certificate for Christmas (thank you Charleen and Chris!) and we had been considering what fun things we could do with it. The list of participating businesses or services is extensive and we had as much fun perusing it as we did actually spending it at 1606! It’s a very thoughtful gift should you ever need an idea.

Anyhow, we met our friend Bex at the bar to catch up. I ordered the short rib tacos, Jim got the Harvest Burger and Bex ordered the Mussels Poutine. We enjoyed a leisurely meal getting caught up on each other’s adventures. Lovely evening made even better with the Greater Cape Ann Gift Certificate!

The gulls seemed to be holding a (noisy) convention near the Patriot in the harbor recently. Some find the gulls beautiful. Some find them annoying. This post is for those that are fascinated by them.

We stopped by the newly opened Source Bakery on Duncan Street and we think you should too. Tasty treats and friendly atmosphere seem to be the highlights. We got a tart with just the right balance of fruit and crust, along with some biscuits and an apple treat. They are closed Monday and Tuesday but open at 7 AM Wednesday-Sunday. More info here

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Sharing information regarding a production of Annisquam at Gloucester Stage from Director Tiffany Bartholomew:

Happy Saturday! 

Attached is a summary for an upcoming theater production opening for one weekend only in March on the Gloucester Stage. Can you please advise on how we get this information posted on your events page? And, if there is any possibility for additional coverage please let us know as Nick Hennesssy (author) is available to discuss the piece in greater detail. 

Nick Hennessy 

978.546.8440

I have also attached a copy of our production poster for reference. 

Annisquam 

Gloucester Stage

March 10, 730pm

March 11, 730pm

March 12, 3pm 

Tickets for sale through https://ci.ovationtix.com/34549?_ga=2.238185792.1527674470.1675511962-523842585.1675511962

Thank you in advance for your time!

Cheers, 

Tiffany Bartholomew

(Director and Stage Manager) 

By the time you see this post, the air should be considerably warmer than the recent frigid weekend. Despite the BITTER cold, the sea smoke was very impressive. I have to say I was a little bit surprised at how many others with cameras were braving the cold for shots like these (though likely better).

By happenstance, I recently met the owner of my Gloucester grandparents home and he graciously allowed us to visit. Jeff Martin lives in my grandparents home on Haskell Street. I have fond memories of my times there ALL those years ago. The urge to revisit the home was ramped up when Jeff shared that he’d found a number of items hidden away in the attic walls that I though might relate to my family’s history.

In the intervening years, Jeff and his family have made many changes to the house but its bones remain and I was overwhelmed with memories even though it looks very different today than it did when I was a child. Even GMG Jim has his own memories of visiting this house on our honeymoon which enriched the time we spent with Jeff recently. We are very grateful to Jeff for sharing the house with us as well as the trinkets he found.

I understand that people might hide things in the walls of a home to bring luck to future inhabitants, but I kind of doubt that a hidden corset was intended to bring luck! Of most interest to me were the letters written between 1895 and 1899, proving the house existed prior to the 1900 date built as stated in city records (Jeff tells us there was a fire–believe me, there was ALWAYS a fire–and records that were lost defaulted to 1900) so that was enlightening. These letters were primarily between sisters Mabel and Elena Gertrude Goodwin. We have Goodwins in our family tree so I am working to make a connection. I hope to share more about these letters soon.

Thank you very much Jeff for sharing your home and your interest in history. If you ever get the chance to revisit a home from your childhood, I think you should consider it. Your grandmother’s kitchen holds a special warmth that will flood back regardless of the years gone by. If you get the chance to share your home with a former resident, I also think you should consider allowing it. I think it brings perspective to your life that you might not have considered. Thank you very much Jeff for your graciousness and giving this grandchild some memories back.

Sharing information from the City of Gloucester regarding water issues today Sat Feb 4 2023.

We have been fortunate enough to see a barred owl at a nature area a couple of times recently. And, since Scottie is always asking about my bird sightings, I’ll dedicate this one to him! Here you go Scottie. This one’s for you. “Barred from the Nest?” is Scottie’s question!! HAHA PS I am deliberately not disclosing its location at it has become a bit of an issue with interested onlookers disturbing the wildlife.

Shout out to our FOB Cat Cavallina who sent me the following heads-up for all you dog owners out there: Robyn’s Dog Grooming on Main Street in Gloucester is hosting a couple of special events throughout February to raise donations and cancer awareness.

FREE NAIL CLIP CLINIC walk-in at Robyn’s Grooming on 388 Main St. 

First Saturday of every month (Feb.4th) from 9-12. All proceeds benefit ongoing Cancer Sucks in Every Color fundraiser. All donations welcome.

In addition, there’s Old Dog Spa Day:

OLD DOG SPA DAY –

customized grooming for your small dogs 14 years and older. Every Friday for one hour from 7:30-3, one dog per hour solo grooming spots available.  Call the shop to BOOK IN ADVANCE 978.283.4211

I just like this view of Beacon Marine Basin on a sunny winter morning and thought you might also.

The boys are back in town! The Brace Cove seals were on full display on a recent sunny morning. It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many hanging out there. Our friend Donna recently posted her seal photos so I am jumping on that bandwagon since they are too wonderful not to share some more. Further story details and photos are available at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook, so check it out if you are interested.