Category: Gloucester History

STRESSED? Here’s an antidote that will make you feel great!

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

christmas shopping 1Take a break from all this madness and enjoy great music with friends & family Saturday December 21st.  Get your tickets now so you can relax.

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If you’re not convinced this will be the concert of the season, check out Gail McCarthy’s piece in today’s Gloucester Daily Times.

You have a few options for tickets:

Reserved Pews (no hassle):  $225 Seats 12 or $195 Seats 10 (less than $20/person)
or
General Admission $20 in advance $15 Child/Senior (under 12/over 65)
$25 At the Door (all ages) – Cash only, please, at the door.

Tickets are available online, at the church and liquor locker.  They will also be available on Saturday morning at Solstice Farmers Market.

Plenty of free parking available:

  • both sides of Pine Street and Proctor Street (Pine becomes Proctor after it crosses Church Street)
  • in a small parking lot on Proctor Street (free parking)
  • portions of both sides of Middle Street (and any place on Middle where there is a parking meter – no fee on Sunday)
  • one side of Church Street (please be mindful not to block the driveway of residents)

Parking also available at Trinity Congregational Church 70 Middle Street & Saint John’s Church at 48 Middle Street

The Line-Up:

  • Allen Estes with Matt Leavenworth, Wolf Ginandes & Dave Mattacks
  • Willie Loco Alexander & the Raztones
  • Fly Amero
  • Gordon Baird
  • Inge Berge & Julie Cleveland
  • Charlee Bianchini
  • Ken Bonfield
  • Lenny Campanello – Gloucester Police Chief
  • Will Hunt & Alexandra Stella D’Maris
  • Dan King
  • T Max
  • Michael O’Leary

Get your Cape Ann Solstice tickets tomorrow at the Middle Street Walk

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Tomorrow is what Winter in Gloucester is all about.  Stroll downtown from 8am – 4pm and take in our historic city’s wonderful, eclectic architecture, do some shopping, eat, make an ice sculpture — or s’mores, listen to music, sing carols, (see music schedule) take some tours — you can even get a tree (see full Middle Street Walk event schedule).  Plus you can get your Cape Ann Solstice tickets at City Hall and the Unitarian Universalist Church.  Don’t wait until the last minute — and don’t say we didn’t warn you.  If you can’t get downtown tomorrow, get tickets here.

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BREAKING NEWS: Cape Ann Winter Solstice Tickets Finally On Sale

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

You heard it first on GMG!  This concert will sell quickly, so don’t delay.  Get tix now.

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VIDEO: Partial Lineup for Cape Ann Solstice Announced

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Final lineup to be announced soon.  Tickets will go on sale in a couple of days.  The entire concert will be filmed for a Local Music Seen special.  Here’s your chance to support the Meetinghouse Restoration Fund to build Gloucester’s premier performance venue — and to be on TV (or sit in the back and remain anonymous).

SAVE THE DATE SAT DEC 21: Cape Ann Winter Solstice Fundraiser for UU Meetinghouse

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Vickie and I are honored to announce a gimmeLIVE concert series beginning on the Winter Solstice, Saturday, December 21, 2013 to help the Gloucester UU Church raise money for Meetinghouse restoration, with the goal being that the Meetinghouse becomes one of Gloucester’s premier concert and performance venues. 

This is one of our City’s most cherished landmarks, it’s lantern steeple with a bell crafted by Paul Revere having guided mariners into port for over 200 years.  The acoustics are excellent and the Meetinghouse currently seats about 300 people.  One major goal is to renovate the balcony, which will increase capacity to 525.  More restoration info here.

We will feature top Gloucester talent in this very special holiday concert:

SavetheDate600Stay tuned to GMG for more details.  You know FOBs will hear it first!

Maritime Gloucester is Stepping it up on Social Media

Posted on by capeannpainter

 

Maritime Gloucester is Stepping it up on Social Media

Maritime Gloucester is celebrating Halloween on their Facebook page all month long. There’s a lot of scary looking fish in the Ocean that I’ve never heard of. You got to check  out the Great photos and information. Maritime Gloucester is really starting to emerge as a true Gloucester Treasure. Go to Facebook and like their page so you can be updated with all the great stuff going on down there on their Docks.

https://www.facebook.com/maritimegloucester

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THEN and NOW – Fish Farm to THE FARM

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Proposed location,  once a Fish Drying Farm, Bob’s Clam Shack, and NOW “The Farm”

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VIDEO: Schooner Adventure Sails Again

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Cape Ann TV’s Lisa Smith sent this video by Josef Hnulik, filmed aboard Schooner Adventure during this year’s Schooner Festival  featuring Daisy Nell & Captain Stan on the soundtrack.

Come aboard the Schooner Adventure for a sail in Gloucester Schooner Festival’s Mayor’s Race. It is the Adventure’s first race after she underwent a restoration project lasting two decades. The crew is proud of this historic fishing vessel, as they are the ones who restored her to her former grandeur.

THEN and NOW – Newell Stadium

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Celebrate Old Memories and Look forward to many New ones.

“Then” photos courtesy of David B. Cox of Main Street Arts and Antiques.

1954 Field Day GMG - Copy         A 002 (2)

A 002                  Newell 1940 A (2)

A 003     A 003 (3)

A 003 (4)      A 004

A 006 (2)         A 006

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THEN and NOW – Main Street (1873)

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Before photo and information Submitted by Fred Bodin:

51 Main Street (Cafe Bishco is there now).

West End of Main Street buildings, including the Cape Ann Savings Bank and the YMCA.

The second floor of the bank building became Gloucester’s first YMCA in 1858, one of the oldest Y’s in the U.S. The first YMCA was established in Boston in the Old South Church.

 

YMCA

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Fish on Fridays

Posted on by Marty Luster

The Fish on Fridays series is a collaboration between Gloucester photographers Kathy Chapman and Marty Luster. Look for various aspects of Gloucester’s centuries-old fishing industry highlighted here on Fridays.

This week we visit with Al Bezanson who recalls his days working at Gorton’s Seafoods in Gloucester. As an engineer he worked on ways to improve their products, specifically the fish cakes. Al moors his schooner Green Dragon in Smith Cove and is enjoying his summer stay at Rocky Neck’s Accommodations, where we shot this video.


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(Sorry about the poor sound quality in parts of this video. Still scaling the learning curve.)

Photos © Kathy Chapman 2013
kathychapman.com

Video © Marty Luster 2013
youtube/editormard
matchedpairs.wordpress.com
slicesoflifeimages.wordpress.com

Flake yard photos courtesy Bodin Historic Photos.
© Fredrik D. Bodin 2013

 

Fitz Hugh Lane (1804 – 1865) – Painter and Name Changer

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Nathaniel Rogers Lane / Fitz Henry Lane / Fitz Hugh Lane

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He is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in the Stevens’ Family plot. (more information at Cape Ann Museum)

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Bridget a new comer to Gloucester introduces Fitz Park to visitors from Ireland.

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THEN and NOW – Stage Fort Cannons

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Stage Fort itself was used during the American Revolution, which is evident in the cannons that line the path to the top of he rocky cliffs.

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THEN and NOW–Paint Factory (A New Beginning)

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

A lot of people don’t realize there is an open courtyard space that runs between the brick and wooden buildings at the Paint Manufactory. (see post card image)

As part of the restoration process, one of the courtyard spaces is currently being cleaned up by Kerr and his crew.

A pretty spectacular space.

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THEN and NOW – Hotel Gloucester / Savoy

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

Hotel Savoy, then it became Hotel Gloucester, located at the bottom of Elm and Main Street.  I believe the street shown was Water Street, no longer there.

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Our Lady of Good Voyage modeled after Azorean Church

Posted on by Manuel F. Simoes

 

Acores Post cards (2)

IMG_5286 Stitch

The current church was built in 1914, after the original church burned down.

The church was modeled after the Santa Maria Madelena church in Madelena, Pico, Azores, shown above in a mid 1900 circa post card.