Category: Gloucester History

Public Art happiness is … Renowned Williamstown Art Conservation Center caring for historic Gloucester murals

Posted on by Catherine
Williamstown Art Conservation teams commence work for Gloucester MA_on its historic mural many WPA era _20180510_© Catherine Ryan.jpg
WACC conservation teams on the ground in Gloucester, MA, 2018

Thanks to Mayor Romeo-Theken, city officials & departments and staff, residents, volunteers, archives and generous grant awards & donations, — Gloucester’s extant historic mural collection has begun a new chapter and is beginning to receive most fitting care at the illustrious Williamstown Art Conservation Center.

Located on the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute campus, The Williamstown Art Conservation Center​ (WACC) is a non-profit institution that was established as the regional conservation center for New England by the US government back in 1977.

WACC_20180620_© catherine ryan.jpg
The Williamstown Art Conservation Center is located on the campus of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. (architect Tadao Ando)

The summer 2017 issue of Art Conservator, WACC’s indispensable industry magazine, ​focused on the center’s 40th anniversary milestone and Director Tom Branchick. The back page prints the 2017 Center consortium members.

williamstown art conservation center member consortium 2017
Gloucester Massachusetts art collection stands with important American collections and just might be the first municipality on this list!~

You can peruse the issue here or follow the link to explore a complete digitized repository of current and past issues. The WACC website URL is: www.williamstownart.org

Conservators at the center assessed the condition  and performed necessary triage because of the invaluable support from the city’s Community Preservation Act (CPA). CPA funding and Williamstown Art Conservation Center’s stature are inspiring endorsements for broadcasting the project and compelling additional financial support. As money is raised, every mural will have its necessary care regimen completed. Donations in support of the mural care can be sent c/o the Auditor’s Office, City of Gloucester, 9 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA (note mural restoration). All murals will be displayed in Gloucester as soon as their care is completed.

Sneak peek then and now:

The former Eastern Avenue School (85 Eastern Avenue) was the site for the monumental mural, Schooldays, by Frederick L. Stoddard, from 1936.  This multi-panel triptych was painted 8 feet high and nearly 60 feet long despite an array of unusual architectural challenges. My hunch for its original location on the main floor was confirmed thanks to Barbara Tarr. I’m looking for interior photos of the school that show the mural installed. Over time the school walls were resurfaced, doors blocked, and an elevator installed. Based on my expertise, I recognized that a stand alone piece was misattributed and must have been dispersed, not as bad as the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz after the flying monkeys descend-… still it was dire and will be amazing to have it whole once again! Special thanks go to Gloucester’s Department of Public Works.

catherine ryan correct attribution and rediscovery for major and amazing frederick l stoddard gloucester ma 1936 mural © catherine ryan

Cape Ann Museum & The Trustees present “Life On the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach” Jeff Denoncour lecture

Posted on by Catherine

courtesy photo for cape ann museum_0448 © t. barrieau the trustees

photo credit: T. Barrieau/The Trustees

Courtney Richardson at the Cape Ann Museum shares information about an upcoming special event at the museum:

Lecture – Life on the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach, Saturday Jan. 19th, 3PM

The Cape Ann Museum, in collaboration with The Trustees, is pleased to present a lecture about the natural history and ecological significance of Crane Beach with ecologist Jeff Denoncour. This program is offered in conjunction with the special exhibition Sky/Horizon/Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach. This program is free for Museum members, Trustees members, Cape Ann residents or with Museum admission. Reservations required. For more information visit capeannmuseum.org or call 978-283-0455 x10. 

When one thinks of Crane Beach, the sea, sun, and sand might be the first things that come to mind. But how did the forces of nature create the stunning landscape? What’s special about this incredible barrier beach and marshlands it protects? How do The Trustees protect special places and care for our vulnerable coast? Join Jeff Denoncour, an ecologist with The Trustees, for a dive into the natural history and ecological significance of Crane Beach, how they protect our coastal resources, and examples of success stories resulting from their work.

Jeff Denoncour is the Eastern Region Ecologist with The Trustees where he manages and monitors ecological resources on its properties in Eastern Massachusetts. Jeff grew up on Cape Ann and has spent most of his life living along the coast. He has 11 years of experience managing rare and endangered shorebirds that nest on beaches. For the past eight years, he has been managing the Shorebird Protection Program on Crane Beach, as well as other natural resources that make the Crane Beach such a treasured place.

This program is offered in conjunction with Sky/Horizon/Light: Perspectives on Crane Beach a special exhibition of the paintings of Dorothy “Doffie” Arnold.  The works on view at the Cape Ann Museum offer an ever changing vista of Crane Beach as observed across Ipswich Bay from Arnold’s studio in Bay View (Gloucester). Painted in the 1980s, these acrylics on paper are part of larger series of works by Arnold that take as their subject the intersection of water, land and light viewed from a single vantage point over a period of years. With a low horizon line, a sky that is often turbulent and waters that range from placid to racing, the paintings reflect the strong influence of nature on the artist and her work.

A 1980 graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Dorothy Arnold maintained studios in Cambridge and Gloucester. While much of her work is large scale, the Crane Beach paintings measure just 11×15 inches. Her work, which includes landscapes, still lives, figure studies and abstractions, was the subject of an international retrospective in 2001–2003. It was Arnold’s wish to exhibit her art locally in an effort to strengthen the community’s appreciation of the culture and traditions of the area.

cape ann museum flyer for life on the edge the ecology of crane beach special lecture in collaboration with the trustees_during dorothy arnold exhibition jan 2019

About the Cape Ann Museum Continue reading “Cape Ann Museum & The Trustees present “Life On the Edge: The Ecology of Crane Beach” Jeff Denoncour lecture” →

Here’s a look at iconic art inspired by #GloucesterMA for sale at the big auction houses November 2018

Posted on by Catherine

For sale at Sotheby’s November 2018

WINSLOW HOMER Yacht in a Cove Gloucester Harbor_ca 1880_wc_Sothebys Nov 2018 American pre sale auction estimate 200000 to 300000
WINSLOW HOMER Yacht in a Cove Gloucester Harbor_ca 1880_watercolor_upcoming Sothebys Nov 2018 American sale. Pre-sale auction estimate is $200,000 – $300,000

Last spring a Homer image of Gloucester boys in a dory fetched $400,000. Relatable, though not Gloucester: Life Brigade is expected to fetch 4x that amount at Sotheby’s; another classic motif , Gathering Wild Blackberries, is estimated to sell for $150,000-$200,000. There is a smashing Marsden Hartley of Dogtown.

 

EDWARD HOPPER_Two Comedians_ upcoming Sotheby's American sale Nov 2018_from Sinatra collection est 12 mil to 18 mil
EDWARD HOPPER_Two Comedians_ upcoming Sotheby’s American sale Nov 2018_from Sinatra collection_The pre-sale estimate is 12 million to 18 million. (Not a Gloucester Hopper- there are no Gloucester Hoppers in these November sales)

For sale at Christie’s November 2018

c STUART DAVIS_Private Way_(Gloucester MA)_1916_ oil on canvas_Christies Nov 2018 presale auction est 60 to 80,000
STUART DAVIS Private Way, 1916.oil on canvas. Christies Nov 2018 presale auction est 60,000 to 80,000

Besides Stuart Davis, artists featured include Jane Peterson, Martha Walters, Hayley Lever, and George Bellows. There’s a classic Nahant work by William Stanley Haseltine and a marine themed WPA mural study by Lyonel Feininger.

c EDWARD HOPPER _Chop Suey_32 x 38_ 1929 oc_Christies presale estimate 70 mil to 100 million
EDWARD HOPPER Chop Suey, 1929, 32 x 38 inches, oil on canvas, Christies steep presale estimate 70 million to 100 million (from Barney A. Ebsworth collection) There are no Hopper works featuring Gloucester in these sales.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge the photo and see descriptions. I’ll post results after the sales. 

 

 

On the first Shabbat after Pittsburgh attack, Temple Ahavat Achim unites hundreds in Gloucester Mass. #ShowedUpForShabbat

Posted on by Catherine

Rabbi Steven Lewis welcomed the community to the November 2, 2018 Kabbalat Shabbat at Temple Ahavat Achim. Organizers had an idea just how big the support and need could be when four hundred RSVP’d. Every seat was taken downstairs and upstairs– where it was standing room only– a full house of interfaith harmony, beautiful music and prayer. It was heartbreaking and hopeful.

#ShowUpForShabbat_20181102_© c ryan

Mark your calendars-

Public progamming and community engagement is robust at Temple Ahavat Achim and informed its architecture. For those far away, you can get an idea of just how big the crowd was by seeing the interior.  For those lucky enough to worship and/or visit, upcoming announcements mention several collaborative interfaith events (see Facebook), and the date for the annual Lobster Trap Menorah lighting is December 4th, 2018.

Temple Ahavat Achim _ TAA Gloucester MassLooking to Gloucester Harbor Temple Ahavat Achim_ Library_Dale_Middle Street_ UU and more_20161210_ aerial from Gloucester Ma City Hall © Catherine Ryan

*I hope to add a link to the program and the interfaith Facebook page

Salem witch trials end with Esther Elwell, from Gloucester, Sarah Jessica Parker’s ancestor

Posted on by Catherine

Sarah Jessica Parker season 1 episode 1 NBC Who Do You Think You Are tv show_ ancestor ESTHER ELWELL one of 3 women from Gloucester was accused of witchcraft.jpg

In the tv show, Who Do You Think You Are? (March 5 2010), produced by Lisa Kudrow, season 1, episode 1, Sarah Jessica Parker learns that her tenth great grandmother, Esther (Dutch) Elwell, was found guilty of witchcraft in 1692. Her arrest was the last formal accusation recorded during the Salem witch trials. The grisly court was dissolved days prior to her sentencing because spectral evidence was banned. Esther lived to be 82 years old. Parker visited Danvers to meet with historians and inspect the original records, and then on to Salem to pay respects.

Did Sarah Jessica Parker come to Gloucester?

Well, not according to the final edit. The show could have filmed here.

Witches of Gloucester

Beckoned to Gloucester, Salem teenager and accuser, Betty Hubbard, officially confirmed the false suspicions in 1692. And just like that three women from Gloucester– Esther Elwell, Abigail Rowe and Rebecca Dike– were arrested for killing Gloucester resident, Mary Fitch, by witchcraft. Historians determined that nine women from Gloucester were caught up in the witchhunts, jailed, and released (by the spring of 1693). Accused were more often than not related and at odds with accusers, well off, and/or “trouble”.  Collaborating institutions and collections have gathered and digitized 17th century documents. You can peruse them here: http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/17docs.html

Later history of witches in Gloucester revolve around Dogtown. In the 1896 book,  In the Heart of Cape Ann, Charles Mann described Gloucester’s Dogtown as “practically the only ruined city in America.” By then Dogtown legends persisted about “witches” like Tammy Younger (died 1829), her aunt Luce George, Peg Wesson, and Judy Rhines.  Percy Mackaye’s 1921 poem Dogtown Common acknowledged Mann’s book, “curious reader may learn many strange, half fogotten facts concerning the old Puritan life of that region…”  Here’s the eerie opener setting a fitting scene for Halloween.

Inland among the lonely cedar dells
of old Cape Ann, near Gloucester by the sea,
Still live the dead–in homes that used to be.
     All day in dreamy spells
They tattle low with toungues of tinkling cattle
     bells,
Or spirit tappings of some hollow tree,
And there, all night–all night, out of the
     dark–
They bark–and bark.

eerie opening Dogtown Common 110 page poem by Percy Mackaye 1921.jpg

 

Apparently, when Sarah Jessica Parker starred in Hocus Pocus (1993), she did not know this family history. Some of the movie was filmed on location in Salem and Marblehead.

cultural districts across the state convened at Natick Center for the Arts MCC #powerofculture

Posted on by Catherine

Cape Ann participated in the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) statewide cultural district convening which was hosted by the Natick Center for the Arts. Statewide district gatherings occur once or twice a year: the last two were held in Cambridge, and Beverly. Representatives from Gloucester, Rockport and Essex cultural districts were in attendance. (Manchester and Ipswich do not not have a designation at this time. Gloucester could have seven.)

Massachusetts Cultural Council Director, Anita Walker, welcomed the crowd, and introduced officials from Natick and new additions to the MCC staff. Jill Cahill, Gloucester’s Director of Community Development, brought a gift from the Mayor and the City to add to a send-off  of thanks and well wishes for Meri Jenkins, longtime MCC leader who managed cities and towns through cultural facilities funding and district designations. Luis Edgardo Cotto and Justina Crawford will be taking over the MCC Community Initiative programs managed by Meri.

MERI JENKINS helped cities and towns statewide having served Massachusetts Cultural Council nearly 20+ years_©c ryan Oct 2018 MCC cultural district convening Natick MA venue.jpg

 

The MCC approved five year district renewals for both Rocky Neck and Rockport last year. District renewal for Gloucester’s downtown is underway. Essex received official citations for their renewal at this convening. Here’s a photo of Christopher Stepler, artist and Manager of Essex Shipbuilding Museum, and Lee Spence, former Director. One update they shared was that the successful historic exhibition The Women of Essex – Stories to Share displayed at Essex Town Hall in a renovated bright space on the top floor above the TOHP Burnham Public Library (thanks in part to Cultural Facilities funding) was selected to travel to the NPS regional Visitor Center in Salem.

courtesy photo_Essex District renewal_MCC cultural district convening at Natick Center for the Arts October 16 2018.jpg

 

prior GMG post with MCC October news 

Celebrating the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage restoration and resiting at the Lanesville Community Center, #GloucesterMa

Posted on by Catherine

ROSS BURTON _Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage opens_Lanesville Community Center_Gloucester MA_20181021_© c ryan
Congratulations to Ross “Sandy” Burton, Chris Wagner, Russell Hobbs, Cheryl Mazer, Juidth Oleson, Christine Drohan, Carol Kelly, and many many other volunteers who rescued and repurposed Virginia Lee Burton artist studio into a most fitting new chapter

Come on inside the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage which was once the acclaimed artist’s former studio of her own. Virginia Lee Burton’s personal studio was rescued and nestled into the Lanesville Community Center property. The center’s clubhouse and grounds, established in 1954, seem to be the ideal spot for a summer rec program, even more so now. As one enters the cottage through the custom built door, there’s a brand new window straight ahead where the stove and chimney – and asbestos– had been. Virginia Lee Burton needed a wood stove. Today’s visitors won’t. New materials and insulation make the cottage cozy and warm.

Folly Cove Designers.jpg
vs “The Barn” (1948) Folly Cove Designers large public space 

 

Chris Wagner president of community center and project manager_ ROSS Burton_ Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage opens_Lanesville Community Center_Gloucester MA_20181021_© c ryan
Chris Wagner & Ross Burton (with microphone)

At the celebration presentation on October 21, 2018, Chris Wagner, President of the Lanesville Community Center and project manager,  recounted some history. Virginia Lee Burton purchased her studio from the Building Center in 1963. It was a pre fab home that she repurposed for her needs. He explained that the volunteers leveraged outreach. The Building Center responded with “anything you need,” and was so supportive of the cottage regeneration that they offered the volunteers a $5000 credit towards building materials. It takes an inspiring and talented village. Other area businesses stepped up: Timberline donated shingles; Argentino handled plastering; Closed Cell Structures out of Reading handled the spray foam so the cottage was winterized; Carpenter & MacNeille designed and commissioned door and windows custom built by Chris Roe from Bayview; architectural drawings from Dore and Whittier; KML Electric; plants and flowers from Generous Gardeners; and cut sunflowers for the reception from Shaws. How inspiring to learn that Camilla MacFadyen, artist and textile extraordinaire, had a hand in this studio-raising. Character, warmth, and charm were added to the new exterior wood work. Volunteers salvaged what they could of the studio and rebuilt a gem. Work is still underway. When Burton exited her sanctuary studio, she faced the ocean. Now it’s an ocean of love. Plans for future community programs and events (see below) are underway and volunteers welcome.

 

 

Support for the cottage renewal came from residents of Gloucester via CPA funding and donations, various city staff departments (e.g. conservation and community development), and a slew of committed volunteers. Like Russell Hobbs! Here’s the modest presentation listing some key volunteers:

 

The poignant celebration was held inside the Lanesville Community Center and concluded with an apt recitation from a Little House passage read by Christine Drohan.

Judith Oleson (L) Cheryl Mazer (R)
Cheryl Mazer
Christine Drohan

Continue reading “Celebrating the Virginia Lee Burton Writing Cottage restoration and resiting at the Lanesville Community Center, #GloucesterMa” →

Classic Cars on the Green Oct 13

Posted on by Catherine

Gloucester Meetinghouse Invitational, October 13th, car show to benefit Meetinghouse renovation

The opening event in the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation’s 2018-19 Concert & Lecture Series is a vintage car show, to be held on the green at the corner of Church and Middle Street from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, October 13th.  The event is free to the public but a $5 donation per adult is requested.

A set of over 30 very special classic cars will be on display!

This event will be the first annual classic car show displaying vintage or significant cars owned by North Shore collectors to benefit the ongoing restoration of the historic 1806 Meetinghouse as a civic hub, entertainment venue and community center by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation.

It’s a competition! Vote for your favorites!

The audience will judge the cars in 9 categories, including Best in Show. The event will conclude with trophies given to the winners in an awards ceremony.
PRIZE CATEGORIES
1 FIRST PRIZE Best in Show, the People’s Choice
2 ELEGANCE The most elegant car
3 LUXURY The car with the most luxurious interior
4 GRAND TOURING The best road-trip car
5 SPORT The best racing car
6 OSTENTATIOUS The showiest car
7 PRACTICAL The most useful vehicle
8 BEAUTIFUL The car with the best styled exterior
9 DELIGHTFUL The most fun to drive

Hourly tours of the Meetinghouse

will include a performance on the historic 1893 Hutchings pipe organ. Food and beverages will be available. A Dixieland band, ‘John’s Giddy Gang,’ will perform on the Meetinghouse steps.

Car owners are asked to pre-register at info@gloucestermeeinghouse.com with a suggested contribution of $25. For more information please see:  www.gloucestermeetinghouse.org

gmf Car Show 2018, FINAL POSTER

You can bid on 1909 Taft presidential memorabilia created for Gloucester: Canterbury Pilgrims Pageant and historic house fundraiser at Stage Fort Park welcomed thousands!

Posted on by Catherine

August 4, 1909, Gloucester Day brought an audience of 20,000 to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The 1909 pageant of “The Canterbury Pilgrims” by Percy Wallace Mackaye was touted as the “greatest open air performance ever attempted in the country”.

“Stage Fort Park was the magnet which attracted thousands of people at the close of the grand afternoon parade yesterday, the procession in that direction, commencing early and continuing all through the evening, until between the hours of 7 and 8 o’clock, there was a continuous mass of moving color along both sides of the boulevard, with the middle of the street almost covered with the swifter moving carriages and automobiles. This scene was most inspiring, giving one something upon which to build an imagination for the greater display to come, when the play and pageant were presented for their consideration. The vast amphitheatre, with its great stage, were soon filled, the latter by nearly 20,000 spectators, in the boxes, on the seats and in automobiles, while the wings of the latter were filled with (thousands of) players.”

William H Taft (1857 – 1930), the 27th President of the United States from 1909-13, planned to be in attendance, thanks to host, John Hays Hammond, Sr.,  his boyhood friend and college classmate at Yale. The Mayor of Gloucester at the time of the 1909 pageant was Hon. Henry H. Parsons. Artist Eric Pape (b.Oct 17, 1870 San Francisco – d.Novembre 7, 1938), Master of the Pageant, directed the Canterbury performance. He was the lead design for Gloucester’s enormous bronze plaque and granite bas-relief commemorating the Founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony set in tablet rock at Stage Fort Park and dedicated in 1907.

1909 Gloucester MA Canterbury Pilgrim Pageant Medal with PRESIDENT WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT photo

Few days left to bid! Link to more photos of the collectible and sale found here: sale on capeanntiques, ebay seller

July 30, 1909 Gloucester Day Badge – Unique Design to Commemorate Event

“The Gloucester Day badges  have arrived and are certainly worthy of the occasion. The special gold badge to be presented to the president is fo the same design as the others. It consists of a bar, backed by anchor stock, with the cables running along each side, and in the center a miniature of President Taft, flanked by the dates 1623-1909. Suspended from this bar by two chains is the embossed shield, the central figure of which is a Georges handline fisherman, riding at anchor under bare poles. On either side, clinging griffin-like to the inner circle dividing th ose parts is the inscription, “Gloucester, mass. Settled 1623. Incorporated, 1642” and beneath this is a representation of the Roger Conant house, with the word “built” on one side and the date “1623” on the other, and the inscription, “Roger Conant House,”  beneath.”

“May be worn as badges or watch fobs…Design selected after keen competition.” They were pre sold for 50 cents.

coverage about 1909 pageant Stage Fort Park Gloucester Ma

John Hays Hammond Sr with Taft family from his autobiography.jpg
John Hays Hammond Sr. 2nd row with Taft family and driver

August 4 Gloucester Day Edition detail
Pageant benefit to possibly rebuild Roger Conant House at Stage Fort Park

Continue reading “You can bid on 1909 Taft presidential memorabilia created for Gloucester: Canterbury Pilgrims Pageant and historic house fundraiser at Stage Fort Park welcomed thousands!” →

Then and Now: where Middle Street meets Riggs Street Gloucester, Mass.

Posted on by Catherine

Photographic History of Gloucester Mass Volume 3 published 1978 from photographic collections of Caroline Benham_Gaspar J Lafata_Martin J Horgan Jr_ photo collection James B. Behnam

photo above: “Here is the second of the three gambrel roof houses in this section of Middle Street. Riggs Street is on the left and in the rear of the first gambrel roof house is Babson’s Field which was used as sites for some of the houses moved from Western Avenue in 1922-23′-’24 when Stacy Blvd. was constructed.” from  History of Gloucester Vol. 3, published 1978, featuring photographs from James B. Benham collection and from Gaspar J. Lafata and Martin J. Horgan Jr. 

Riggs Street at Middle Street Gloucester Mass _20180820_©c ryan

 

 

President Lincoln appointed postmaster, abolitionist, Main Street proprietor, gold star dad, overseer of the poor, gardener: William H. Haskell house history Pleasant St. Gloucester, Mass.

Posted on by Catherine

Annotated illustration: Note gardens on properties abutting City Hall. William Haskell’s lots spread between Dale and Pleasant (#44 now) streets and beyond where Carroll Steele is located now, numbered 32 Pleasant Street, rear when he lived there. On the 1884 Hopkins and 1899 Stadly maps the lot is identified where the new post office is now.

Another Haskell (Cpt. John Haskell) was associated with 34 Pleasant (former Moose Home*), and Melvin Haskell with 136 Main Street. *The house history trail for 34 Pleasant (THEN 26 Pleasant): Pearce-J. Haskell-Calef-Moose Lodge (razed 2011)-Cape Ann Museum parking lot. This area could be an African American history stop spotlighting both abolitionist and antiabolitionist connections.

Street numbers were shifted. Behind #44 Pleasant Street now (below)

44 Pleasant Street Gloucester Mass_former home William H Haskell_20180817_©c ryan (2)
44 Pleasant Street 2018

 

William Humphrey Haskell

Dates: b.January 23, 1810 – d.August 26, 1902
Parents: Eli (b. 1776 Gloucester, MA) and Lydia (Woodbury Bray) Haskell
Brother: Epes
Grandfather: Elias Haskell
First Wife and two daughters:  Sarah Ann Bray (1811-1836) “died September 12, 1836 leaving two daughters* now deceased, one of whom (Sarah*) married a Mr. (Thomas*) Symonds of Reading and the other (Judith*) married Edwin Bradley of Rockport and was the mother of Mr. Edwin Archer Bradley* of Gloucester, Mass.” E Archer Bradley was Captain Sylvanus Smith son-in-law.  E Archer Bradley is listed in the 1913 Polk directory as Vice President of the Gloucester Mutual Fishing Insurance Co and Director Rocky Neck Marine Railway Company.

Second Wife and six children: Mary S. Smith (died August 15, 1889) Married July 19, 1838. They had six children: “William G. Haskell of Washington, DC, Col. Edward H. Haskell and Charles A Haskell of Newton, Frank A. Haskell of California and Mrs. Saddie, wife of Samuel W. Brown of this city. One son, Asaph S. Haskell, laid his life on the altar of his country at Morehead City, N.C., September 28, 1863, of yellow fever while a member of Co. C, Twenty-third Regiment, where he had gone awaiting transportation home, his death occurring on the date of the expiration of his term of enlistment.”
Raised: West Gloucester, learned the trade of shoemaker according to obituary
Gloucester 250th Anniversary: served as Vice President of 250th celebration committee
Residences: 44 Pleasant Street (was between Dale and Pleasant streets and beyond where Carroll Steele is located now) formerly address 32 Pleasant Street, rear– either may have evidence Undergound Railroad. Haskell’s lots spread between Dale and Pleasant.* Another Haskell (Cpt. John Haskell) was associated with 34 Pleasant (former Moose Home) and Melvin Haskell with 136 Main Street.

Biographical information I dug up and researched then confirmed at Gloucester Archives August 29th with a special thanks to Sandy and Sarah with Gloucester Achives. I wanted to confirm Haskell’s address and home, because streets and numbers change on maps over time, and because I knew Sandy could help best with tracking down cemetery information about Haskell’s first wife and the daughters’ names missing from records and I wanted to spotlight her dedicated efforts.

Haskell’s first wife is buried in West Gloucester- historic Sumner St. Cemetery. Haskell and his first wife had two daughters. Sarah Ann Frances, born September 28, 1832 in Gloucester, died young, in December 1853. She married Thomas S. Symonds July 1851. (Haskell and his second wife named one of their daughters, Sarah “Seddie” Symonds Haskell, after his first child.)  The second daughter, Judith Goldsmith, born February 20, 1836, married Edwin Archer Bradley on November 8, 1854. 

 

OBITUARY WAS FRONT PAGE NEWS

“OLDEST MALE RESIDENT DEAD: William H. Haskell Closes Life at Age of 92 years- An Original Abolitionist and Life-long Republican

Willilam H Haskell Gloucester Mass front page article obituary
Continue reading “President Lincoln appointed postmaster, abolitionist, Main Street proprietor, gold star dad, overseer of the poor, gardener: William H. Haskell house history Pleasant St. Gloucester, Mass.” →

Taking care of seniors: 136 Eastern Ave. “Fishermen’s Home” 1911 gift of John Hays Hammond, Sr.; and 110 Prospect St. purchased by Gloucester, Mass., in 1887

Posted on by Catherine

House History then and now for two former ‘old age homes’:

136 Eastern Avenue (Rt 127) 1911 and today- was a retirement home for fishermen

 

 

1911, Gloucester, Mass. “WILL OPEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY Several Old Sea Toilers Will Eat Christmas Dinner There Monday: Everything is in readiness for the opening of the Fishermen’s Home, formerly the Colby House, on Eastern avenue, and on Christmas day, a gathering of aged and disabled fishermen who have toiled their best days on the banks, but are no longer able to follow this hazardous occupation, will spend one of the happiest days of their lives and eat their first dinner in the new home…It would be a rather difficult undertaking to find a happier man today than Judge York. Two years ago after a conference with Dr. John Dixwell of Boston, who becoming interested in the work raised a fund among his friends for the relief of this class of men, who without friends or home were obliged to seek shelter in the house of coreection. Judge York went to Ipswich and secured the release of eight old fishermen, who were brought to this city and cared for at boarding houses during the winter months. Last winter the work was continued through the efforts of Dr. Dixwell and Judge York, and lately, their efforts were further crowned by the splendid gift of Mr. Hammond, who presented the home. The seven men who will become inmates of the home on Christmas Day are John Ryan, Joseph Alcott, John Nichools, Harris Atwood, James Halley, Robert Fraser and Henry Gormley.” article in the Gloucester Daily Times

The prior year “J. Hammond deeded lots for indigent fishermen at Beechbrook Cemetery.”- 1910 Gloucester Archives 

After writing about his friendship with Captain Blackburn, “one of the most undaunted sailors America has ever had…I was proud to be one of the honorary pallbearers at his funeral…” John Hammond Sr. concluded his autobiography with more about Gloucester:

“I look back with the greatest pleasure on the hours I have spent with other old Gloucester fishermen. In the winter of 1910 several of these old fellow appeared before the district court and pleaded guilty to vagrancy. Without other means of gaining food or shelter, they were seeking some sort of sustenance  in the poorhouse for the winter. In Washington, I read about this in the papers and got in touch with Judge York, Dr. Dickswell, Fred Shackelford, and others who were interested. We established a home to provide for these old fishermen. I learned to appreciate the fine traits of these men who were given refuge there. Often it was exceedingly difficult to persuade them that they were too old to stand the hardships of deep-sea fishing. Their truck garden faced the sea, and from there they could watch with their telescopes for the fishing vessels as they left and entered the harbor.  Sailors, like miners, are notoriously spendthrifts and these of Gloucester were no exception. They would arrive at the Home in a destitute condition. Because they no longer went to sea, and there was no chance of their reaching the traditional sailors’ grave, they had a great dread of potter’s field. For that reason I provided a cemetery where all could be assured of decent burial. Above the gate is inscribed:

And here rest, brave toiler of the sea,
sleep undistrubed,
God’s peace be with thee. 

Many of the inmates were choosey about the location of their graves. There were two in particular, bunkies since boyhood, who quarreled daily and, I fear, nightly, but who exacted from me a promise that they might be buried side by side.”

 

 

110 Prospect Street ca 1900 and today – was a former retirement home for senior women

 

Huntress Home 110 Prospect Street Gloucester Mass photo credit Ben and Sally D'Antonio for PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF GLOUCESTER VOLUME 3

 

 

Gloucester bought 110 Prospect Street in 1887 for $12,000 to establish the “Huntress Home for Old Ladies of Native Birth.” I’ll write more about this one later.

Here’s how both senior housing options were described in the 1913 Gloucester Directory (from Gloucester Archives):

Gloucester archives_Gloucester Directory 1913 charity

photos & research – C. Ryan

Good Harbor Beach when it was “Little Good Harbor”

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

image

Information on the “The Gloucester Guide” website.  Good Harbor Beach when it was a working harbor.

Repairs Gone Wrong – botched cleaning on City Hall Honor Roll plaques require corrective restoration

Posted on by Catherine

And the qualified help that’s needed is underway!

What do you do when your home repair goes very wrong? Upon evaluation, sometimes you just have to hire a new contractor to remedy mistakes. In the fall of 2014 memorial honor roll plaques in City Hall received some cleaning. The monuments were due some attention. Over time the names were no longer legible and the surfaces were grimy defeating their noble purpose. Gloucester’s outstanding City Archives and the Cape Ann Office of Veterans Services were and are able to help with research for those who can’t come in person or see them clearly.

photo caption: BEFORE photograph of one of four WW1 honor rolls in the rotunda City Hall, ca.2014

©C Ryan bronze plaque city hall 2

 

The 2014 project was not handled by the city nor administered through its committee for the arts, of which I am a member. Funds were raised privately to work on the plaques. Though well intentioned, those restoration efforts were botched (and costly at the time, so I’m told.)  The names were made more visible, but the plaques were damaged and results are scratched, streaked and blotchy.

photo after poor bronze plaque cleaning splotchy © C Ryan 20170719

A small annual budget (FY2018 $4000) that’s set aside for care of City arts and culture and monuments as part of its mission must now be redirected to fix the fix. Yes, “Sometimes you have to hire a new contractor to remedy mistakes,”  frustrating, but necessary.

Throughout 2018, you may see specialists from Skylight Studios repairing plaques within City Hall through the Committee for the Arts on behalf of the City. (Gloucester residents may recall that Skylight Studios was hired by the Commonwealth to restore the bronze doors of the Abram Piat Andrew Bridge; the doors were temporarily displayed at Cape Ann Museum before being reinstalled.)

The detailed work on the City Hall plaques will be completed in brief, focused intervals. One plaque in the rotunda will be restored last, because it’s a great opportunity to show before and after examples of contemporary restoration projects- the good, the bad and the quality. As the plaques are repaired, the detail of the raised carving and borders and most importantly the names of so many veterans will become easier and easier to read and remember.

Gloucester Ma Veterans Honor Rolls and Monuments

*author note- this post is listing interior Honor Rolls within City Hall; it’s not a complete list for all tributes in Gloucester 

GROUND FLOOR, CITY HALL
Spanish American War- “Men of Gloucester who served in the War with Spain volunteers all 1898-1902. Gloucester ‘s men, serving on land and sea won for their city  the honor of giving to her country the largest per capita of men in this war. Erected by the City of Gloucester 1930.”

Honor Roll War with Spain City Hall cleaning needs to be redone ©c ryan 20180221_095556.jpg
2014 wonky cleaning needs repair (Honor Roll to be repaired sometime 2018)

World War I Honor Rolls (rotunda and upstairs)
World Ward II Honor Roll (outside clerk’s office)
Korean Honor Roll (outside clerk’s office)
Vietnam Honor Roll (outside clerk’s office; Brian Hamilton 1980 painting of fisherman)

just outside Kyrouz Auditorium, FIRST FLOOR, CITY HALL
“Civil War (1861 1865)This tablet records the service of Company G 8th Regiment MVM in the Civil War; and War with Spain (1898 1899) occupation of Cuba; and World War 1917 1919″ Corrective repairs are underway on this trio Honor Roll. Waxy build up added in 2014 is being removed all over, and names in a small lower right corner have been attended.

 

The multi story memorial to Gloucester fishermen lost at sea was a major public art project led, designed and hand painted by Norma Cuneo, with Irma Wheeler and Ellen Ferrin in 1978, a beautiful shrine lighted by day by two tall windows. Mark Newton, then city clerk-historian, and Jerry Cook were lead researchers; the team eventually compiled a card index that could be accessed by the public along with checking this massive lost at sea mural. Research incorporated historic materials like The Fishermen’s Memorial and Record Book, by George H. Procter, published by Procter Bros. in 1873, printed matter, family archives, and newspapers. Volunteers and historians amend the sources and statistics over time. The sense of the power of a name and life is inspiring. The response and need to a tangible, accessible record was tremendous. Their work was the basis for the cenotaph installed in 2000 by the Fisherman at the Wheel memorial on Stacy Boulevard, a sacred place and pilgrimage site accessible day and night.

 

detail City hall interior Gloucester MA with detail of Gloucester IMG_20180222_125029.jpg

EXCLUSIVE DRONE VIDEO: THE F/V ANNE ROWE CAUGHT ON THE ROCKS BY EASTERN POINT LIGHTHOUSE. UPDATED WITH RESCUE FOOTAGE

Posted on by Craig Kimberley

Also Check Out Kim Smith’s up Close Photos from Daybreak This Morning-

BREAKING: LOBSTER BOAT ANNE ROWE GROUNDED ON EASTERN POINT

UPDATE: Rescue Footage From Kim Smith-

<em>For a few moments she was on her side and I think I could hear my heartbeat. She righted herself, was towed away from the rocks, and headed home by her own power. </em>

Also It was 2011 that The Miss Fern Went Hard aground In The same Spot-

UHMM ABOUT THE MISS FERN, THE FIRST BOAT TO LAND A TUNA IN THE 2014 BLUEFIN BLOWOUT? IT WAS UP ON THE ROCKS OFF EASTERN POINT SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

 

PAUL MANSHIP #GloucesterMA historic artist home and studio milestone! STARFIELD property purchased and in the news

Posted on by Catherine

Read Gail McCarthy article “Local group buys, plans art residency for sculptors’ estate” from the Gloucester Daily Times.

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American artist Paul Manship (1885–1966) was internationally renowned since the 1920s. He maintained multiple homes and studios: two in the Unites States (New York and Gloucester, MA); Paris; London; and three in Italy. This very special purchase–the only one in the world of a Manship property– Starfield, in the Lanesville section of Gloucester, MA, was made possible by the incredible generosity of the Manship heirs, YOU- Gloucester and MA residents (City of Gloucester & the Commonwealth of MA monies were allocated to this initiative), foundations, businesses and private donations. Congratulations to Rebecca Reynolds and all involved. Early supporters included: the City of Gloucester; Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (MassDevelopment in collaboration with the Massachusetts Cultural Council); the Boston Foundation; Essex County Community Foundation; McDonagh Family Foundation; Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation; National Trust for Historic Preservation; Massachusetts Cultural Council; New England Biolabs Foundation; and Essex National Heritage.

Read more about the funding here

Now that the property is purchased, there will be ongoing fundraising to maintain the property and its mission.

If ever there was a forever endowment match sought, this prestigious Manship opportunity would be one to grab!

Follow this link to see rare, original art by Paul Manship, John Manship and Margaret Cassidy that was recently made available FOR SALE to help raise money for this endeavor. Join to support the cause by donating on line through the website, Manship Artists Residency and Studios (MARS). Eventually the historic property will be open to the public and community, and will support working artists.

lanesville

There are more than 15,000 historic house museums across the county, and just a few that were artists’ home and studios. One of the most influential is the Pollock-Krasner house in East Hampton, Long Island, established in 1988.  A welcome recent addition is the Winslow Homer property in Portland, ME. Here’s hoping the Manship estate is a member on this Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios (HAHS) map soon. Currently, the Massachusetts sites include Daniel Chester French’s Chesterwood in Stockbridge, and the Frelinghuysen Morris home in Lenox.

Historic Artists' homes &amp; studios GOOGLE map

 

 

EOIN VINCENT SHARES A VINTAGE CLASSIC PHOTO OF GLOUCESTER’S MAIN STREET

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Check out Eoin’s Blog 18 Haven here for more beautiful vintage Cape Ann photos and stories on the life of Ken and Elizabeth Vincent.

Novello Bench – Tribute to the Family

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

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Sam Novello sits and reminisces about the family successful fishing business and Gloucester History. 

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Gloucester’s majestic Stage Fort visitor center opening for the season

Posted on by Catherine

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Poster for next week’s opening

Pauline poster

Contact Kathie Gilson to volunteer!